10 ideas for community engagement to steal this week
If you've had the pleasure of running a community, whether online or in real life it's likely that you've learned something. Inviting people to join in a community is great. However, getting them involved and excited to be there is even more effective.
It can also be difficult. It's sometimes difficult for people to motivate people to step in and get engaged. There are those who prefer to lurk on the sidelines for long periods. And if you can't get individuals to get involved, there's a fear that they'll be pushed out of the community altogether.
Okay, enough for the worrying stuff. It's good to know that it's not difficult to keep individuals involved in the community.
In fact, with the proper tools and strategies, you can get member engagement going in during the week.
The most exciting thing about engagement? Engaging members can act as an iceberg. As more people are engaged as they become engaged, the more people who are engaged help their fellow members get engaged. So, your efforts to get the members of your organization involved will create long-term, lasting effects that you can't even imagine.
If you're looking to get started with your community, these tips will assist. These are the top 10 ways to engage with your community that you could use this week!
If you'd like to receive more assistance for building your online community, come join OUR Mighty Community for free as well as meet fellow new and well-established community owners! We'd love to meet you. Register at no cost!
The article...
1. Customize the new member user experience
5. Know your Ideal Member and Big Purpose
1. Make it easier for new members to customize their experience
Okay, let's talk about the most significant moment in a community member's journey the first couple of minutes, hours, or days within a community.
This is the scary point for your new member. You're like the new student in school. The whole class knows each other and knows what's going on, and it's not easy to jump in.
You need to create to provide to provide a fantastic welcome experience for new members. You want to make sure everyone in your community knows how and where to get started. It is important to bring participants into discussion to make them feel welcomed, show them where things are , and the possibilities to do, and remind them that you're here to assist them.
In an online community This can be accomplished through building a great digital new member experience.
In the example of a Mighty Network, we created the checklist for new members that you are able to customize and create your own. Everyone who joins the network sees this and is guided by them through the steps of making their profile public by saying "hello" on the forum and asking the first question or responding for their first live events.
The way you design it is your choice. However, what's certain is that an amazing user experience for new members won't leave people hanging. The members will jump right in and begin participating.
We offer a no-cost training to create a new and exciting members experience within the Mighty Community! *
2. Go live... a lot!
We love live streaming. It doesn't matter if it's an event planned or an unplanned surprise live streaming brings the authenticity online community.
Live streaming might have an occasional "um" however don't be too concerned about that. With all the perfectly scripted social media out there some human nature is always welcome.
In order to boost member engagement by going live frequently, you should try it. Talk about the things you've learned, chat with members of your community, or an external guest or have an open-ended question-and-answer time or an AMA.
Before you start Yes, the butterflies you get before live streaming are totally normal. It can be a bit nerve-wracking to live stream when you've never done previously. If you rip off the Band-Aid and try it, you'll be amazed at what you'll see. Increased engagement.
And by the way the presentation abilities of your students will become better with the course of time. The butterflies will also go off. Just give it a try!
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3. Email updates
Okay, so as you consider your strategy for engaging with the community, think about the role of email.
One of the great things about an awesome community platform, particularly one with a beautiful, built-in app it is that members do not need to receive emails about every issue. The members should receive messages from their platform (and the best platforms will provide them with options to modify their notifications). ).
This gives you the option to think strategically regarding how you utilize email. It's not necessary to be sending out emails to your customers every day. But you can email updates, or let people know about certain events. If people have been away from the platform for some time, this is a great idea to get people back.
If life gets busy, which it does, a weekly roundup of the events within your neighborhood can help people stay connected and get them ready to jump back in.
4. Play with Incorporate
Communities are supposed to be enjoyable. At times, we can have an urge to be way too serious, especially when members are charged for membership. There is a stress of trying to provide a really serious experience that feels... "professional. "
There's a time and location for it. We're not saying it's not appropriate to behave professionally.
But being "professional" does not necessarily mean that you have to be serious at all times. The best community will include a fun element. If you can get your members to laugh together, connecting over the vulnerability of playing and having fun You will create an amazing experience for your members.
Try incorporating some fun things. Virtual game shows. Karaoke. Things that break your community away from seriousness and build engagement with laughter. If you're in search of some fun virtual event ideas you can find a complete list on this page.
5. Find your ideal member with a Big Purpose
It's something we suggest doing at the planning stage of your community during community Design(tm). But even if you skipped this step at the time of planning It's not too late to do these exercises now.
Every community has two requirements. First of all, you need an ideal member. It is essential to understand what your community's purpose is. Be as specific as possible regarding these people; understand who they are, what their hopes and their dreams and the things they're passionate about.
If you are able to create a specific ideal member, this can aid in the engagement of your community. Since instead of throwing objects on the ground to see what sticks, you can concentrate on helping others.
Ideal Members solve the problems that they are facing. It's a recipe to get members involved and participate.
Another aspect of this is the creation of what is known as an Big Purpose. The Big Purpose of your organization outlines what your community is for and the things you'll help them do. It looks like this.
By the way there is no cost training on finding both your Ideal Members and the purpose behind your participation in our mighty community.
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6. Moderate that thing
Being a great member of your community isn't just about what's within your local community. One of the main reasons is knowing the items that your community should not have.
This is where a solid community moderation strategy comes in.
Members should feel comfortable within your neighborhood. They need to know they will not be bullied or abused. It is important to trust that they will not see content that contain sexism, racism, homophobic, or some other form of discrimination.
If you're looking to establish a place where members feel secure it is essential to develop a good moderation strategy. Let your members know what the expectations are, and remind these often. Don't be afraid to use the moderation tools within your community platform to flag or block offending content. And think about choosing the most active, loyal members to help in the process of moderating.
Moderation isn't something that is super exciting at the outset. Nobody gets their thrills from having a pen and paper to write out guidelines.
Trust us when we say that the psychological safety that your members have is well worth the risk. And when people feel safe, they are way more inclined to be involved.
7. Build rituals
Imagine stepping back to human settlements that were in existence hundreds of years long ago. Our ancestors would gather around campfires. What brought them together?
The main reason for community bonding was the power of rituals. Rituals were used to mark belonging in the group. They were utilized for significant changes in life, such as the rituals that marked the transition between being a child and being an adult. Or, they were used to mark the passage of time. They were used to mark the passage of weeks, months as well as years.
The community you live in can reap the benefits of rituals, too. As you go through your life as a member of your community be aware of the occasions that should be ritualized. Maybe it's something you tried once for new members that you'd like to continue doing to all members - similar to the new member experience mentioned above. Perhaps once or twice a year, you organize a specific community event, something everyone looks forward to. Perhaps it's the community's monthly happy hour.
When you create these special moments that are time-bound, calling them, and making them unique it is creating rituals. And that's just something humans have always done, making rituals an effective way to engage the community.
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8. Ask questions
In our research on communities, we've discovered one thing every time that has created the sense of engagement. This isn't a secret.
The key is...questions!
Questions can draw people in. They ask questions that have something to do with them. Questions get them to pull on their own experience and know-how, something that we all get excited about doing. In short, questions might be the most effective way to increase participation of members.
In fact, we care about asking questions that, a few years ago, we put together this fantastic checklist of 1000 discussion questions that you could use to get your community talking. You can download it for free by clicking here.
9. Go on quests
There's something else we've built into our game that we're thrilled about. Quests. Like the knights of old Quests are a way to take your group to a new challenge. And we have a full and free training on creating quests for the Mighty Community too!
10. Unscripted
Another tip for getting at the magic of community engagement. Are you prepared?
Unscript.
Community managers could be tempting to keep a tight rein on every aspect. To scrub all the things. In order to make everything appear impeccable. However, ask anyone who has spent any time in a community and they'll tell you that the most memorable events are usually those that people don't expect. Unscripted moments.
The live stream that guests aren't able to join and the discussion that follows ends with more power than the session could be. This could be the time where a community member breaks into tears while other members jump in to support and encourage them.
There's simply nothing you can plan to include unscripted moments. It would defy the point.
However, do allow space and time to be connected in ways that aren't perfectly scripted, and be willing to let the magic unfold.
11. Empower your best people
As the name implies, should not be managed on its own. And leadership of a community isn't a requirement by itself as well.
One of the secrets to a great community engagement is to draw people in rather than trying to make it an all-person event. It might mean formally hiring a community manager. However, often it is just giving members the tools they need to be there.
You can do this with programs like the Ambassador Program, that rewards your members by inviting new members. You could also consider promoting the best of your members to become co-hosts or moderators. They can be unpaid or paid positions, and you might be shocked to discover that some people who are involved in the community are thrilled by being able to step into a leadership role and go deeper.
Ready to start?
The tips we've provided should have you excited about adding an exciting new dimension in your group. Be aware that having thousands of members doesn't do much good if they aren't engaged. These tips can help you bring your members in and keep them there. As we've found time and time again, people may join the communities to benefit from their courses, but they are able to stay for long periods of time because of the bonds they build in the community.
If you're looking for an amazing platform to create your community, give it a to give it a try ! It's an all-in-one community engine that brings together subgroups, forums, messaging and live streaming, courses along with integrated events and many more. It is possible to charge for the membership fee, offer courses for sale or access to subgroups or bundle all of these. Plus, it's an awesome app that is loved by your customers.
However, don't just take our word on it. you are able to try it for absolutely free during up to 14 days!
Are you ready to begin building the community of your dreams?