From Engagement to Influence: How STEM Societies Can Harness Social Media for Lasting Impact

Oct

In today’s attention economy, social media is no longer a side channel. It’s the public square where authority is earned, alliances are formed, and missions are advanced. Associations that treat social platforms as broadcast megaphones are leaving value on the table. The opportunity is bigger: use social to convert everyday engagement into measurable impact.

Inspired by the ACCESSE25 session “Amplifying STEM Societies Through Social Media,” presented by Kelly Florian, PCM, CDMP, Digital Marketing Manager at The American Society for Nondestructive Testing (ASNT), this piece provides an overview of how social media can serve as a strategic lever for executives and teams who are ready to lead in the open.

Beyond Likes: Turning Engagement into Organizational Impact

Most organizations measure social success with vanity metrics such as likes, impressions, and views. Useful, yes, but incomplete. The associations that outperform use social to advance member value across the lifecycle. That starts with clarity on whom you are trying to serve (emerging professionals, seasoned experts, industry partners) and what each segment needs right now (career mobility, technical standards, recognition).

ASNT’s Example:

LinkedIn is the primary platform for ASNT’s members, especially for sharing updates, advocacy wins, and industry news. During the session, Kelly from ASNT highlighted how their launch of a LinkedIn newsletter in 2023 quickly grew to over 44,000 subscribers, generating more than 630,000 article views in a year. This newsletter became a digital hub for press releases, updates, and member stories—driving deeper engagement than traditional posts alone.

Actionable Play:

Use targeted campaigns for specific segments (e.g., new professionals).

Mix formats: short-form videos, carousel posts, live Q&As.

Keep calls to action consistent (e.g., join a newcomer cohort or mentoring circle).

Track signals beyond platform analytics: first-time membership conversions, event registrations from social UTM links, volunteer interest, and referral traffic to standards or advocacy pages.

Establish a regular review rhythm to learn and adapt without whiplash.

Advocacy in the Digital Age: Mobilizing Voices for Change

Advocacy succeeds when issues feel urgent, human, and solvable. Social media gives STEM societies a way to translate complex topics into narratives people can understand and share.

ASNT’s Example:

During their first Capitol Hill advocacy day, ASNT used live social media updates to bring members along for the ride, even those who couldn’t attend in person. Volunteers and members shared personal stories about why advocacy matters, amplifying the mission and building pride.

Practical Model:

Clarify the stakes with a memorable message.

Equip your network with ready-to-share content: explainers, reels, graphics.

Activate champions—board members, section leaders, student chapters—to deliver the message in their own voices.

Close the loop with a clear action: sign a letter, attend a briefing, submit testimony.

Provide volunteers with content kits, sample posts, and mini media training. Celebrate top advocates with recognition (e.g., a thank-you wall).

Advocacy is both global and local. Geotarget content, showcase member stories from different markets, and time pushes to match legislative calendars. The goal isn’t to go viral; it’s to sustain a credible drumbeat that policy audiences, media, and partners recognize over time.

Building a Brand That Leads

Brand is more than visual identity. It is the accumulated experience of your expertise, your leaders’ voices, and your community’s trust.

On Visual Identity:

Consistency across channels is key. ASNT uses Canva for quick, affordable templating, ensuring brand colors, logos, and fonts are aligned across all graphics and posts. They also sprinkle in memes and modern media when appropriate, humanizing the brand and driving engagement.

On Editorial Strategy:

Start with three content pillars that reinforce your mission (e.g., workforce development, safety and standards, innovation).

Use data to shape the calendar: analyze which topics drive repeat engagement and double down.

Pair platform analytics (retention curves, watch time, shares) with qualitative feedback from calls, meetings, and briefings.

Brand strength rests on coherence of visual and verbal components. When your content looks, sounds, and behaves like your brand everywhere, you reduce friction and increase the likelihood of action.

The Future of Social for Associations

Three shifts are redefining the landscape:

Social search is rising: Members use platform search to find standards, how-tos, and expert takes. Optimize posts with plain-language, member-centric phrasing and captioned explainers.

AI-driven personalization changes expectations: As feeds get smarter, clarity of positioning is non-negotiable. Use AI for drafts and clustering insights, but keep humans in the loop for nuance and brand alignment.

Communities are shifting private: More conversations are moving into DMs, closed groups, and member communities. Treat public posts as front doors and design pathways into deeper spaces (Slack channels, forums, working groups).

Reorient measurement from vanity counts to mission outcomes: Did social accelerate adoption of a standard? Expand the volunteer bench? Strengthen cross-society collaboration? Use quarterly reviews to retire low-leverage tactics and fund the few plays that move the needle.

Lead Where the Conversations Happen

Social media rewards clarity of mission, consistency of message, and courage of leadership. The STEM societies that win treat platforms as strategic infrastructure, not just marketing channels. They align content to outcomes, empower credible voices, and use data to learn without losing their humanity.

Immediate Actions for the Next 90 Days:

Audit your last quarter of posts for “signals of substance.”

Pilot one targeted campaign per member segment with clear downstream actions.

Elevate one executive voice with a recurring, insight-driven series.

Keep asking: What conversation are we leading, and how does it advance our mission today? That question keeps your strategy honest and your community at the center.

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Acknowledgement

Kelly Florian, PCM, CDMP is a Digital Marketing Manager at The American Society for Nondestructive Testing (ASNT). During CESSE’s ACCESSE25 Conference, she led the session “Amplifying STEM Societies Through Social Media: Strategies for Expanding Organizational and Global Impact.”