As an organization that focuses on creating networking events for its members, Hartford Young Professionals and Entrepreneurs — better known as HYPE — must get the word out about its activities as efficiently and effectively as possible. For HYPE, that’s meant maximizing social media tools and its efforts have earned the Hartford Business Journal’s “Best Use of Social Media” award.
HYPE, an initiative of MetroHartford Alliance, has a target audience of young professionals and entrepreneurs in their 20s and 30s. HYPE aims to help these young people become better engaged in community life and expand both professional and social opportunities for them in the Hartford region.
Julie Daly, program manager for HYPE, said the organization exists to retain and attract young talent to the Hartford region.
“We run all kinds of events in the hopes that they will help create connections in various ways — to other professionals and for social opportunities, to area non-profits by volunteering for them or becoming board members, and beyond their generation as well to get a sense that there is a business community they can be a part of,” Daly said.
Social media applications, such as Facebook and Twitter, are helping HYPE to reach as many of its targeted audience members as possible. Using social media tools to help HYPE in its mission seemed like an obvious strategy to further its mission. And so far HYPE boasts nearly 3,200 registered members.
“Our original use of social media came out of ease of use,” Daly said. “It was a lot easier to update our Facebook page than to update our website, and it allowed us to gauge reactions a lot faster.”
HYPE has a new blog on its website, www.metrohartford.com/hype, designed to further increase interaction with its members. In April, the organization is planning to launch a new website that will interact more with social media channels.
HYPE hired Caitlyn Thayer of Bristol-based social media firm Thayer Consulting last summer on a part-time basis to increase its social media presence.
“I try to help clients build a community with their social media pages; it’s not just about advertising or buying a product,” Thayer said. “With us, it’s about developing a relationship with our members.”
HYPE promotes as many as eight or more events each month — everything from networking events or special members-only discounts at local sporting events. HYPE administrators realize that members, and the others that follow HYPE on Facebook and Twitter, can’t always attend each event.
“When I attend different events in Hartford that I think my members will have an interest in, I actually live ‘Tweet’ from the event,” Daly said. “I recently attended an event about downtown retail revitalization and Tweeted live, so people who couldn’t attend would get some of the content.”
Daly and Thayer also team up to post the content later on HYPE’s Twitter or Facebook accounts. The material is also posted in the members’ newsletter which is distributed via Constant Contact.
Thayer has gone a step further with Twitter by creating Twitter lists, allowing HYPE members to follow each other.
“Every other Friday I’ll do a ‘Follow Friday’ with those people, where you use the tag FF and you can recommend people that they should be following,” Thayer said.
While the nature of HYPE means the organization doesn’t have to create content for social media outlets, it’s crucial that all the information is posted so members and non-members who follow HYPE on Facebook and Twitter can access it.
“I’m making sure every event is on Facebook so everyone knows what’s going on, and making sure pictures get up as soon as possible and that people are tagging themselves to spread the HYPE name,” Thayer said.
All the posting by HYPE on its social media sites has resulted in its members taking the initiative to post on the HYPE sites.
“We’re getting people posting things on our site, saying things like ‘Help our HYPE buddies promote this business’,” Daly said. “They’re using it as a viable resource.”
Thayer said being a constant presence is essential.
“When you get consistent with your postings, it takes a while to get the feedback, but the more you put your name in front of their eyes, the more they trust you,” she said. “The more often you give them the opportunity, the more often they’ll do it. They in turn think it’s going to help them out in whatever they’re trying to do.”
