Online communities are a powerful way to connect with your audience, build loyalty, and grow your brand. However, creating and maintaining an active and engaged community is not an easy task. You need to provide value, foster interaction, and motivate your members to participate.
One of the most important aspects of running an online community is hosting and joining events, such as webinars, workshops, podcasts, or lectures. Events are a great way to showcase your expertise, share your knowledge, and interact with your members.
However, not all platforms are suitable for hosting and joining events for your online community. Zoom is one of the most popular video conferencing platforms in the world, but it is not the best solution for your online community. Zoom is mainly focused on video communication, and lacks some of the features and functionalities that are essential for building and engaging a community.
That’s where Pensil comes in. Pensil is a platform that helps you create and manage your own online community with leaderboards and other features. Pensil is more than just a video conferencing tool, it is a complete community platform that offers you everything you need to grow and nurture your community.
In this article, we will show you why you should use Pensil instead of Zoom for your online community, and how Pensil can help you achieve your community goals. We will cover the following topics:
By the end of this article, you will have a clear understanding of the benefits and advantages of using Pensil over Zoom, and how to get started with Pensil for your online community. Let’s dive in!
One of the advantages of Pensil over Zoom is that Pensil offers a fully white-labeled mobile app for both Android and iOS platforms. This means that you can have your own branded app for your community, and your members can access your community anywhere, anytime.
With Pensil, you can host and join events on the go, without having to download or install Zoom. You can also use the mobile app to create and share content, interact with your members, and manage your community settings.
Having a mobile app for your community can help you increase your reach, engagement, and retention, as well as improve your user experience and satisfaction.
According to a report by Comscore, mobile devices account for 70% of the total digital media time spent in the US. This means that most of your members are likely to use their smartphones or tablets to access your community and your events.
If you use Zoom, you will need to ask your members to download and install Zoom on their devices, which can be a hassle and a barrier for some of them. You will also need to share the meeting link and password with them, which can be inconvenient and insecure.
If you use Pensil, you will not need to worry about any of that. You can simply invite your members to download your own branded app from the app store, and they can join your events with one tap. You can also customize your app with your own logo, theme, and domain name, and make it feel like your own product.
Having a mobile app for your community can also help you increase your engagement and retention, as well as improve your user experience and satisfaction. According to a study by Localytics, app users are more loyal and engaged than web users, and they spend more time and money on apps than on websites
If you use Zoom, you will need to compete with other apps and websites for your members’ attention and time. You will also need to rely on email or SMS to communicate and remind your members about your events, which can be easily ignored or forgotten.
If you use Pensil, you will have a dedicated and exclusive space for your community and your events. You can also use push notifications and in-app messages to communicate and remind your members about your events, which can be more effective and timely.
Having a mobile app for your community can also help you improve your user experience and satisfaction, as well as your brand image and reputation. According to a survey by Clutch, 81% of app users prefer apps over mobile websites because they are faster, more convenient, and easier to use
If you use Zoom, you will need to deal with the limitations and frustrations of the Zoom app, such as poor audio and video quality, lagging or freezing, or crashing. You will also need to follow the Zoom branding and design, which may not match your own.
If you use Pensil, you will have a smooth and seamless experience for your community and your events. You can also use the Pensil app to showcase your brand identity and personality, and to impress your members and potential members.
Another advantage of Pensil over Zoom is that Pensil offers a better way to manage your invitees for your events. With Pensil, you can easily create and send invitations to your members, as well as track and manage their RSVPs.
You can also use Pensil to segment your invitees based on their interests, preferences, or behaviors, and send them personalized messages and reminders. You can also use Pensil to collect feedback and testimonials from your attendees, and measure the impact and success of your events.
Managing your invitees with Pensil can help you increase your attendance, participation, and conversion rates, as well as enhance your relationship and trust with your members.
According to a report by Eventbrite, 62% of event organizers say that getting people to register for their events is their biggest challenge. This means that you need to have a clear and compelling invitation strategy, as well as a reliable and efficient invitation system.
If you use Zoom, you will need to use a separate tool or service to create and send invitations to your members, such as email, SMS, or social media. You will also need to manually track and manage their RSVPs, which can be tedious and error-prone.
If you use Pensil, you will not need to use any other tool or service to create and send invitations to your members. You can simply use the Pensil platform to create and send invitations to your members, as well as to track and manage their RSVPs.
You can also use Pensil to segment your invitees based on their interests, preferences, or behaviors, and send them personalized messages and reminders. For example, you can send different messages to your new members, your loyal members, or your inactive members, and encourage them to join your events.
You can also use Pensil to collect feedback and testimonials from your attendees, and measure the impact and success of your events. You can use the Pensil platform to create and send surveys, polls, or quizzes to your attendees, and to gather their opinions, ratings, or suggestions. You can also use the Pensil platform to generate reports and analytics on your event performance, such as attendance, engagement, satisfaction, or conversion.
Managing your invitees with Pensil can help you increase your attendance, participation, and conversion rates, as well as enhance your relationship and trust with your members. According to a study by EventMB, 91% of event organizers say that personalization is important for increasing event attendance and engagement.
If you use Zoom, you will need to rely on generic and impersonal invitations, which may not appeal to your members or motivate them to join your events. You will also need to guess or assume the impact and success of your events, which may not reflect the reality or the potential of your events.
If you use Pensil, you will be able to use customized and personalized invitations, which can appeal to your members and motivate them to join your events. You will also be able to use data and feedback to evaluate and improve the impact and success of your events, and to demonstrate the value and benefit of your events to your members and potential members.
A third advantage of Pensil over Zoom is that Pensil can help you save hours each week on admin tasks. With Pensil, you can automate and streamline the process of creating and hosting events, as well as managing your community.
You can use Pensil to schedule your events in advance, and set up recurring events with ease. You can also use Pensil to record your events and share them with your members, as well as to generate reports and analytics on your event performance.
You can also use Pensil to manage your community settings, such as your logo, theme, domain, and privacy. You can also use Pensil to assign roles and permissions to your members, and moderate your community content and interactions.
Saving time on admin tasks with Pensil can help you focus more on your core activities, such as creating value, fostering interaction, and motivating your members.
According to a survey by Wild Apricot, 63% of community managers say that they spend more than 20 hours per week on admin tasks, such as scheduling, emailing, invoicing, or reporting. This means that you may be spending more time on the logistics and operations of your community, than on the content and engagement of your community.
If you use Zoom, you will need to use multiple tools or services to handle the admin tasks for your events and your community, such as calendars, spreadsheets, invoices, or surveys. You will also need to manually perform and repeat many of the admin tasks, which can be time-consuming
A fourth advantage of Pensil over Zoom is that Pensil can help you get to know your event participants better. With Pensil, you can collect and analyze data from your members, such as their preferences, behaviors, feedback, or referrals.
You can use Pensil to create and organize your content with categories, tags, and filters, and to engage and interact with your members with posts, comments, reactions, and notifications. You can also use Pensil to gamify and reward your members with points, badges, and leaderboards.
You can also use Pensil to access and visualize your community insights, reports, and feedback, and to optimize your community strategy and tactics.
Getting to know your event participants better with Pensil can help you provide them with more valuable content, resources, and opportunities, as well as to improve your product and service.
According to a report by Eventbrite, 74% of event organizers say that data and analytics are important for understanding their attendees and improving their events. This means that you need to have a reliable and effective data collection and analysis system, that can help you gather, measure, and interpret the data from your events and your community.
If you use Zoom, you will have limited access and visibility to the data from your events and your community. You will only be able to see basic metrics, such as the number of attendees, the duration of the event, or the chat history. You will not be able to see the deeper insights, such as the engagement level, the satisfaction rate, or the feedback of your attendees. You will also not be able to see the data from your community, such as the activity level, the loyalty rate, or the referrals of your members.
If you use Pensil, you will have full access and visibility to the data from your events and your community. You will be able to see the advanced metrics, such as the attendance rate, the participation rate, the completion rate, or the conversion rate of your events. You will also be able to see the deeper insights, such as the preferences, behaviors, feedback, or referrals of your attendees. You will also be able to see the data from your community, such as the activity level, the loyalty rate, or the referrals of your members.
You will also be able to use the Pensil platform to visualize and analyze the data from your events and your community, using charts, graphs, tables, or dashboards. You will also be able to use the Pensil platform to optimize your community strategy and tactics, using data-driven recommendations, suggestions, or tips.
Getting to know your event participants better with Pensil can help you provide them with more valuable content, resources, and opportunities, as well as to improve your product and service. According to a study by McKinsey, data-driven organizations are 23 times more likely to acquire customers, six times more likely to retain customers, and 19 times more likely to be profitable
A fifth advantage of Pensil over Zoom is that Pensil can help you help your members connect. With Pensil, you can create a sense of community and belonging among your members, and encourage them to interact and collaborate.
You can use Pensil to create and manage private groups for your members, where they can share their ideas, opinions, and experiences. You can also use Pensil to enable direct messaging and chat among your members, as well as to facilitate communication and collaboration between your members and your product teams.
You can also use Pensil to create and host events, webinars, podcasts, lectures, and more, where your members can learn from you and from each other, as well as to network and socialize with each other.
Helping your members connect with each other with Pensil can help you build loyalty, advocacy, and word-of-mouth for your community and your brand.
According to a report by CMX, 86% of community professionals say that community increases brand awareness, 77% say that community increases customer retention, and 66% say that community increases customer acquisition. This means that you need to have a platform that can help you create and maintain a strong and vibrant community, that can foster trust, loyalty, and advocacy among your members.
If you use Zoom, you will have limited options and opportunities to help your members connect with each other. You will only be able to host video meetings or webinars, where your members can see and hear each other, but not much else. You will not be able to create and manage private groups, enable direct messaging and chat, or facilitate communication and collaboration among your members.
If you use Pensil, you will have multiple options and opportunities to help your members connect with each other. You will be able to host video meetings or webinars, as well as other types of events, where your members can see and hear each other, as well as interact and collaborate with each other. You will also be able to create and manage private groups, enable direct messaging and chat, and facilitate communication and collaboration among your members.
Helping your members connect with each other with Pensil can help you build loyalty, advocacy, and word-of-mouth for your community and your brand. According to a study by Harvard Business Review, customers who are part of a community are more likely to recommend the brand to others, more likely to repurchase from the brand, and more likely to forgive the brand for a mistake
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