The disruption of social media is probably easier to accommodate in places where change is already the order of the day, and Fresno, Calif., is a case in point.

The rapidly growing metropolis passed up state capitol Sacramento in the 2010 Census as California’s largest inland city, and it has served as the hub of the fertile San Joaquin Valley since it was founded as a train stop by Central Pacific Railroad in 1872.  The population boom has been accompanied by the local economy’s steady diversification away from agriculture, and a dramatic demographic shift:  Hispanics are now the majority, not a minority.

Embracing change is a key survival skill in this type of rapidly morphing environment, and two local social media pioneers teamed up in late 2009 to start planning Social Media Club Fresno.  In hindsight, two weren’t enough, but enthusiasm initially compensated for this deficit as Nick Gundry and Lisa Alvey launched chapter meetings in March of 2010. 

There was no attempt to schedule regular monthly meetings, or plan meeting content months in advance.   Gundry and Alvey decided their limited resources would be leveraged better if they kept their fingers to the community pulse and created chapter events on a more impromptu basis.  Fortunately, Bradley Fitzhenry soon stepped up to the plate.  His event-planning skills and knowledge of local venues was invaluable to Alvey and Gundry, two self-confessed scatterbrains.

Flexibility vs. long-term planning

“When we first created the chapter, we came up with a list of topics,” Alvey recalls.  “I don’t think we’ve covered any of them so far.  Instead, we fly by the seat of our pants a lot.  This lack of long-term planning can make things more difficult, but everything has come together so far.  Meetings timed to what is going on in the community have been our most successful events.”

Since its inception, Social Media Club Fresno has staged events every 6 to 8 weeks, with typical attendance in the 20 to 30 range, and the most popular events drawing 50 or more.  Past topics include social media and education; local social media success stories; speed networking; and the intersection of code, creativity, marketing, and design.

There are a few regulars at the meetings, but each event tends to attract a new group of people, depending on the topic.  “Fresno has fairly tight-knit communities of creative types, media types, and other professionals,” states Alvey.  “Social Media Club Fresno is aggregating resources by bringing all those groups together.”

The meetings typically run from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., with networking periods sandwiching a formal program that lasts about an hour.  The gatherings are low-key and casual, in typical California fashion.

“We haven’t really found a home yet, so the venue varies,” Gundry adds.  “Our biggest challenge is finding a meeting place with the right resources, and getting all the panelists together at the same time.”  Meeting sites have included restaurants, high schools, an art gallery, and the Central Valley Business Incubator.  Attendees are charged a $5 entrance fee, which covers refreshments when the meeting place isn’t a restaurant.

Promotions:  Walking the (social media) walk

Social Media Club Fresno initially used Eventbrite to pre-register attendees for meetings, but switched to Facebook for RSVPs and Square for taking payments.  “Now, someone can stand at the entrance with an iPhone and swipe credit cards as people arrive,” Gundry says.

The chapter’s Facebook page, which has attracted about 350 followers to date, is its main promotional vehicle.  Event alerts are set via direct messages to these fans, along with tweets to the broader community.  No separate e-mail list or membership database is maintained

Marketing can definitely make or break events.  One of Social Media Club Fresno’s best events, content-wise, addressed the future of journalism in the era of social media.  The panel included a well-known local blogger, a reporter from the Fresno Bee, a couple of TV news anchors, and a journalism professor.  The marketing had been delegated to a group of high school interns, whose youthful enthusiasm couldn’t make up for a lack of the right contacts and experience.

“The discussion was phenomenal, but it was not a well-attended event,” rues Alvey.

This disappointment was a reminder that two people cannot carry a Social Media Club chapter indefinitely.  By the beginning of 2011, the novelty had worn off, the new-undertaking adrenalin rush was long gone, and Gundry and Alvey were burned out.

Realizing that sustained leadership requires a bigger team, they recruited some key individuals to form a steering committee.  The leadership team now includes two social media professionals, an event planner, a marketing technologist , a software development professional, a marketing director, and a video producer.

“We’ve leaned toward creative people rather than media professionals,” Alvey sums up.

Advice to other chapters:

• Identify key people and build a solid leadership team at the outset.
• Don’t associate your chapter with a particular business or organization, even if that would simplify things initially.
• Be aware that the word “club” has private, exclusive connotations for a lot of people, and address this issue proactively.  You are providing an open community forum.
• Founders should take more of a background or support role at meetings.  For example, Social Media Club Fresno has never been the Nick-and-Lisa show.  Feature community members who are using social media successfully.
• Social media is about soft-selling, so meetings shouldn’t be about people trying to sell their social media services.  Focus on “paying it forward,” by giving back to the community.

“The bottom line is that you want to do something for your community,” concludes Gundry.  “So keep a close eye on what is going on locally, and be flexible.  Nothing ever turns out exactly the way you plan it, and flexibility can avoid a lot of pain.”

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