Create an online place where members will return like clockwork because every moment feels magical. Follow our top ten recommendations for more innovative, entertaining, and impactful community interaction to get started.
Whether community management is your full-time job or simply one of many hats you wear when operating a business, the community engagement tactics listed below are for you. They may make the difference between a slightly conversational social media group and an online home where people share and develop together. They are based on tried-and-tested approaches that are simple to implement.
Here is How to Involve Your Community through 10 Easy Steps
4 suggestions for building a community that trusts its leader
You may say something similar. You may also say nothing and cross your fingers! However, if you do, you will be passing up an opportunity to assist new members in making them feel welcome. It only takes a few words of encouragement and guidance to let them know they're in the right place, with the right people. An automated email or direct message would suffice.
Consider organizing weekly or monthly ice-breaker events, as well as creative methods for newcomers to greet one another.
💡 There is usually a ratio of 80:20. Where 20% of members engage. Rest 80% are usually passive observers. All they need is little encouragement to come to the other side.
Your online profile serves as your avatar representing who you are, what you stand for, and why they should know and trust you.
Without a profile, it is more difficult for individuals to get to know one another. Give them a little encouragement to complete their profile. You can explain or, better yet, motivate them as part of your community involvement tactics. You might even hold contests to find the most fascinating new profiles. Be inventive!
💡 Members usually open up with individuals with whom they have common interest. It helps build trust & networking
You've created the community, attracted the right people, and set things in motion - the dream is on track! Now comes the exciting part: making meaningful relationships with others who share your goal.
It's all about dialogue, and your team looks on you to lead the way. It's not enough to post and then leave, or to start a conversation without waiting for an answer. Respond to comments instead with insights, feedback, follow-up questions, or tag other members who may be interested. Otherwise, your employees may begin to feel invisible.
You don't have to micromanage every interaction as the community manager, but you should aim to be visible and approachable on the community platform.
💡 Maximum online user don’t trust facebook or Instagram user. Hence building a niche community sparks more engaging conversations.
Leading by example entails more than simply encouraging others to participate. You must also establish expectations for how others should act. And remember, you get to determine exactly what it means, especially if you control your community space rather than Facebook or another internet giant.
It is your responsibility to enforce your rules and standards. So organize your community-building efforts ahead of time. What will you do if a discussion becomes too heated? Where do you draw the line when it comes to proper content? How will you strike a balance between being the pleasant face and the authoritative figure? It's nothing to be concerned about, but it's always a good idea to be prepared.
💡Many users think open platforms like Facebook, Twitter or Instagram don't do enough to curb cyberbullying or trolling. You should always be maintaining a clear guideline for the community.
4 suggestions for building a community that trusts its leader
Leaders in most functioning communities, particularly bigger ones, monitor patterns in what members do and say and adapt the community accordingly. For example, if you managed a coder community and frequently heard people discussing about a specific language or issue, you might allocate a place to that language or issue. This frequently leads to more in-depth talks and interactions, demonstrating that you understand what your members desire.
Another excellent technique for community engagement is to identify your most and least involved community members. If they are silent, you may encourage them to participate more. If they're loud and proud, you might be able to promote them to a moderator position or reward them with a few add on. These can be referred to as "super members".
💡 Members of online communities are more likely to respond to posts regarding specific interests or topic.
Using social media to establish a following is a given when you're just starting out. It's appealing to have millions of users in one place. However Social networking isn't a long-term answer if you want true loyalty, stronger connections, and a more meaningful online community to call your own.
Creating your own purpose-built platform (don't worry - with Pensil it's easier than it sounds!) is a lot more satisfying & should be the preferred choice in the community's long-term vision.
You'll undoubtedly lose some unengaged members as a result of trimming the fat, but that's not a terrible thing. You may showcase the advantages of your new place, provide a consistent stream of high-quality information, and remain visible and available in case of inquiries.
💡 Engagement on dedicated community are always higher than any facebook group or social media platform community.
Most online community members do not intend to remain silent in the shadows, lurking and enjoying but rarely contributing. Some are content to simply absorb knowledge and still consider themselves members of the club, but the mostly members join for networking and relationship.
We've previously discussed how to promote early ties among members by providing warm welcomes, but it doesn't have to stop there - especially if you have control over your own private community area. Experiment with surveys, brainstorming and discussions, creative challenges, and digital events. Pensil provides all these under one single platform.
3 ideas for creating a valued and enjoyable community
Isn’t that seem self-evident? Surprisingly, many online communities appear to fail this test, making their community feel like one big advertisement. While promotions are essential, especially if you want to monetize your community, they must be balanced.
As a general rule, strive towards 50/50. Promotions should account for no more than half of your postings; everything else should be your unique, interesting, and exclusive material and interactions.
A picture's worth online isn't simply that it communicates a thousand words; it also captures attention better than anything else. Walls of text have their place, but aesthetically appealing material is more likely to cause someone to pause, gaze, and feel something rather than scroll on.
It's a clever trick. So, the next time you publish an article or develop a new feature, consider how can you make it stand out? You don't need a degree in art to achieve this; merely uploading a suitable image or GIF may work wonders. Shoot a brief video if you truly want to add a personal touch.
💡 Maximum people prefer visual content over textual one.
The practise of making anything more fun, interactive, and engaging by tapping into our emotions and psychology is known as gamification. Gamification keeps people interested by combining good experiences, immediate feedback, incentive, competition, and prizes.
Top Fan Points, which you offer members each time they participate in events and honour on a leader board, is one simple idea you may attempt. What would you propose as a weekly prize?
Better yet, what game would best complement the vision or goal of your community? Weekly rated dancing challenges may be held in fitness groups. Literary communities may work together on a tale, each taking turns writing a paragraph. For finishing a course, learning communities may issue badges. You'll be on to a winner if you can attach gamification as a community engagement technique to what your members enjoy.
As stated earlier Pensil provides a gamified experience to community members. Contact anil@pensil.in to know more about gamification in the community.
💡 Gamification improves engagement for 80% of community members.