Benchmarking Social Media Engagement of 50 Professional Associations

Professional associations face a dual challenge: deepening engagement with current members while attracting potential ones. Social media promises to solve both - but is it delivering?

I analyzed the social media presence and performance of 50 Australian professional associations. Here's what I discovered.

The State of Social: Three Key Insights

1. Large followings

The average association has over 63,000 followers on an average of 3.9 social media platforms. LinkedIn (34,062) and Facebook (22,632) lead the way, but a solid following isn’t translating to engagement.

2. Low engagement

Engagement is stubbornly low. On LinkedIn, even posts from associations with 200,000+ followers typically receive fewer than 5 comments. On Facebook, 27% of posts receive zero likes. Only 3 out of 50 associations consistently achieve top-tier engagement across all metrics.

3. More followers isn’t the answer

A large following doesn’t correlate to large engagement. The association with the most followers (214,000) averages just 3.2 comments per post, while an association with only 3,436 followers averages 38 reactions per post. This 10x difference in engagement rate challenges conventional wisdom about the value of audience size.

Methodology: This report is based on publicly available social media data collected from 50 Australian professional associations during Q4 2024. Engagement metrics include reactions, comments, and shares/reposts across platforms.

The Platform Landscape

The majority of associations (64%) are managing 4 or more social media channels, with 4% using all six of the surveyed platforms:

With 100% adoption, LinkedIn is the clear preferred channel. Facebook and YouTube follow close behind:

Two-thirds of associations are using LinkedIn, while only 2 associations have posted on X since March 2024, suggesting most have effectively abandoned the platform.

Please note: While associations are present across multiple platforms, this report focuses on LinkedIn and Facebook as they represent the primary channels where associations have built their largest audiences (34,062 and 22,632 followers respectively) and invest most of their resources.

Impressive Follower Counts

The average association has over 63,000 followers, with LinkedIn once again leading with the highest following.

Surprisingly, while most associations aren’t posting to X, it is the platform with the third-highest number of followers.

The Engagement Disconnect

However, these impressive follower counts mask a stark reality:

For a typical post on LinkedIn:

• 20-25 people react

• One person comments

• One or two people share

Even the association with the largest following (214,000 followers) averages just 3.2 comments per post.

On Facebook it's even worse:

• 72% of posts get fewer than 10 likes

• 78% average less than 1 comment

• 27% receive zero likes

This disconnect between community size and engagement suggests the need for a fundamental shift in approach.

The Tipping Point

When you get it right, engagement breeds engagement. Posts that earn 10+ reactions see dramatically better performance:

• More than double the reactions (36.3 vs 14.7)

• Twice as many comments (1.8 vs 0.9)

• 2.5x more reposts (2.5 vs 1.0)

The 10-reaction threshold is a crucial milestone. Structure your content strategy around consistently hitting this target to build momentum.

The Path Forward: Five Strategic Priorities

Only 3 out of 50 associations consistently achieve top-tier engagement across all metrics. But here's the good news: you don't need a massive following to get great engagement. I found an association with just 3,436 followers outperforming organizations with 10 times their audience.

What drives this success? Five key priorities:

1. Start with a strategy. Instead of a scattered presence on 4 channels, focus on 1 or 2 with a defined objective and tactics for each. Contact me for an easy-to-use strategy template.

2. Create engaging content. Target the 10-reaction threshold. Look at your last 10 posts and ask yourself honestly - is this something I would share with my network?

3. Engage with your followers. Almost no association responds when followers post a comment. Don’t just broadcast - build community through conversation.

4. Test and learn. Try different content formats. Experiment with different days and times. Track what resonates and scale what works. You’ll be surprised.

5. Measure what matters. Set benchmarks for your industry and track engagement rates, not just follower counts. Contact me for a simple one-page measurement template.

Start Making the Most of Your Social Media

The gap between potential and reality is clear. But so is the opportunity - 94% of associations aren't achieving consistent high-level engagement. That means there's significant room for improvement, regardless of your current size or performance.

I'm here to help.