Flowers for your members?A few days ago, I posted about sending your members out-of-the-blue communications.

Today, Chris Brogan posted “Why Jason Falls Rules” about something that happened after he mentioned to another friend that he hadn’t heard from his friend Jason Falls in a while.  (If you haven’t heard of these two and you are at all interested in social media, follow them on Twitter and read their blogs!)

Turns out that word got back to Jason and within two hours, flowers showed up at Chris’ office - something completely unexpected and yet sincerely appreciated.  (Read the post, watch the video) This demonstrates the power of social media and the relationships it can produce.  And since your organization is already social, you already have relationships with your members, so you have even more ways to surprise them.

What if your staff was “tuned in” to your members at your events and listened to what was important to them and then acted on what they heard?  For example, a member mentions to another member that they are going on vacation to celebrate their 30th anniversary.  How cool would it be for your chamber of commerce or business association to send them an anniversary card?    Or, what if a member mentioned to you that they were having trouble finding a reliable mechanic to work on their car?  You could call them the next day with a recommendation.  Show them you were listening.   (Are their ways for you to log and track this information in your membership management software?)

You could also monitor Twitter feeds or blogs posts and reach out to members with complaints or just thank them for their support of your organization.  You’ll demonstrate that you are paying attention in social media and that you value your relationship with them.  With rare exceptions such as Apple and Starbucks, people don’t fall in love with brands – they fall in love with people.  And, as business becomes more virtual, I believe the “human touch” will become even more important to helping your organization build long-lasting relationships, demonstrate value and improve member satisfaction.