1. It is unique information not available from elsewhere
2. It is something people care about
3. It is something people want to link to
4. It is relevant – it makes people think ‘I’m glad I looked at that’
5. People want to rate it highly – 5 stars!
6. It is good quality advice and will create trust
7. It is brief – less is more – let people ‘click’ for more
8. It incorporates visuals – illustrations, screenshots, cartoons, short videos, etc.
9. It creates a buzz – people want to pass to friends and colleagues and share
10. It moves people from impression to expression – comment or re-tweet
11. It is empowering
12. It is likely to create an ongoing dialogue
13. It helps readers understand your positioning and purpose
14. It has been tested – get evidence because there are many channels to choose from
15. It is personal – it contains some of you – that inspires people to respond!

Here is a list of ideas collected from membership professionals during a roundtable workshop at a ‘Great Ideas Day’ conference:

Advice, apps, articles (e.g. how to…), cartoons, case studies, conference presentations (create slideshows or ask speakers or delegates to write up their top tips), diagrams, event details (linked to special interest groups), games, images, insights (e.g. behind the scenes information), links, news, personal stories, QR codes (Quick Response Codes), questions (especially provocative questions!), real photos, report snippets, responses, reviews, scrapbooks, special offers, statistics or data, testimonials or great quotes, video’s, white papers and wikis.

Finally, two interesting words of advice from delegates at the event were:

• Have social media champions to start or contribute to discussions
• Develop a policy for dealing with detractors.