The American Association of State Colleges and Universities was looking to level up its social media game, so it turned to YGS Association Solutions to help.

A Solid Foundation

AASCU had approximately 12,000 followers on LinkedIn and highly active accounts on Facebook and X (formerly Twitter). But with limited resources, the association needed help turning their social channels into more effective community-building tools.

The first step was for YGS to do a deep dive into AASCU’s existing social presence, evaluating everything from posting frequency and tone to what was—and wasn’t—resonating with audiences. That led to the delivery of a comprehensive strategy playbook. Think of it as a guide for AASCU’s social success, including best practices, benchmarks, branded voice and tone guidance, image and video specs, potential hashtags, and monthly goals for each platform.

Taking Action

With the foundation set, AASCU and YGS teams met monthly to map out content centered around AASCU’s key events, advocacy efforts, and other big initiatives. At first, we set realistic, attainable goals, then raised the bar as the strategy gained traction—and it worked.

In just one year, AASCU’s LinkedIn following jumped from around 12,000 to more than 15,000. Facebook saw steady growth, too, and even as many postsecondary institutions stepped back from X, AASCU actually saw higher engagement per post. The momentum even carried over to Bluesky, where AASCU’s reach has been growing steadily since launching its account.

An Evolving Approach

The results were the product of thoughtful planning, smart goal-setting, and a willingness to evolve based on what worked best for each audience. Today, as AASCU and YGS continue to collaborate on other various member communications, its social media presence stands firm in engaging the association’s community and communicating the immense value of public higher education across the country.

Looking for a stronger social strategy to transform your association’s impact? Let’s chat.

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