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Growing Engaged Communities
This document discusses key elements for building and maintaining an online community. It identifies that communities are built on commonality, shared experiences and goals, as well as shared conflicts. Essential elements include a common goal or motivation, shared conflicts, and rewards for participation. Online communities differ from in-person communities in that they are not bound by physical location and allow for more diversity and easier participation, but can be harder to vet members and build trust. The document outlines different types of online communities and roles within communities like content creators, experts, influencers, and super sharers. It provides strategies for using various social media platforms like Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, and Pinterest to engage and grow an online community.
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Growing Engaged Communities
- 3. What Defines ACommunity • Commonality • Shared Experiences • Shared Goals • Shared Conflicts • Emotional and Practical Rewards Community serves a primal need!
- 5. Essential Elements ofStory AND Community • A Common Goal/Motivation. This is what the community is trying to achieve, change or overcome. • A Shared Conflict. These are the challenges community members identify with. • A Reward for the Reader/Participant – Emotional or practical benefits for joining in. This story makes us think, grow, feel!
- 9. Online vs IRLCommunity • Not bound by a physical location • Potential for more member diversity • Easier to join and participate • More difficult to vet members, create trust Online community members have had different experiences but share the same story.
- 13. The Three Typesof Online Communities • Yours – Forums, groups, that provide a space for conversation. May lack moderation and/or a common story. Utilitarian. High engagement w/low emotional connection. Example: Yelp, TripAdvisor, Amazon reviews • Mine – Single voice, “me-centric” communities that are moderated by, and revolve around the story of a particular user. May include comments/engagement from outside users. Engagement/Emotional Connection may vary. Example: @FollowmeTraveler #Followmeto • Ours – Multi voice communities that are driven by a group goal, shared conflicts. Curated content. High engagement/ High Emotional Connection. #AverageParentProblems #TMOM
- 16. Content Creators Writers/photographers whocreate original social content. Think beyond the “post” • Recipes • Playlists, • DIYs • Hacks • Notemaps on @Findery
- 18. Experts • Lend authority,stability. • Increase community value & trust level. • Cited authority, can speak publicly. • Bring an audience.
- 20. Influencers • Attract attention •Compel action & emulation. • Serve as ambassadors. • Can host physical or virtual events • Speak publicly
- 22. Super Sharers • Amplifyand spread the word via social media and IRL communities. • May be involved with multiple organizations and committees both IRL and online. Some community members are hat swappers!
- 24. Picking Platforms • Knowyour social media stomping grounds. • Not all platforms are designed to be “Ours” community friendly. • “Mine” platforms can be hacked to be used in a more “Ours” fashion. Ask yourself if your people are already organized on a particular platform – what do they do there? How can you leverage? How can you cross promote content on multiple platforms?
- 26. Hashtags Are TheGlue That Binds • Your own hashtags help to brand you • Hashtags help you find like minded people • Hashtags help others track your community, find you and participate in your conversation • Hashtags help you measure your own growth
- 29. Instagram Community Strategy •Curate your content: Invite your community to contribute – submission via your hashtag. • Develop fun memes and CTAs (consider the reward, emotional or practical) • Consider periodic “account takeovers” – where a community member takes over the stream for a period of time. • Be consistent with post times, develop a rhythm.
- 31. Twitter Community Strategy •Use a dedicated hashtag (be consistent across platforms) • Reward your community members for using the hashtag too – can be as simple as a shout out on another platform. • Host a regular chat – consider the timing. • Invite guest experts and panelists to the chat • Share good content created by community members • Use Images and Video!
- 33. YouTube Community Strategy •Invite experts to create content for your channel • Use hashtags in titles, if you plan to tweet • Create community content playlists • Ask for response videos (use in playlists) • Publish new content regularly and consistently. • Engage in comments • Leverage live content platforms like Meerkat, Periscope & cross purpose the video
- 35. Pinterest Community Strategy •Create community group boards • Pin & Share community content • Issue clever/creative CTA’s and challenges, consider the rewards • Create expert boards, link elsewhere • Invite influencers to pin to your group boards • Title your boards with community, and community story in mind.
- 37. Content Is Key!Nurture Your Story • Create original/unexpected content. Think beyond the blog post • Collect and share content from community members along w/your own • Stockpile content – you cannot have too much good content Good content serves the STORY of your community, regardless of platform. Stick to the story.
- 39. Know Your Community& Neighbors • Know and nurture your community characters. • Identify your influencers, experts, super sharers and content creators. • Create outreach lists and strategize by platform • Form alliances with kindred communities
- 40. CTA’s: Keep ItFun • Consider what’s in it for the participant. Is it FUN? Is it something they want to share? Does it make them feel good? • Does what you are asking people to do contribute to your community’s story? Does it strengthen their role? Don’t forget the emotional and practical reasons for your community
- 42. Your Assignment • What’syour community’s story? Write down the common goals/motivations and conflicts of your community. • What’s the reward for membership? • Where will you tell the story online? What medium? • Who are your characters? • Who are your neighbors?
- 43. Tools for Trackingand Measuring • Google Analytics • Twitter Analytics • Pinterest Analytics (must sign up for biz account to access) • Hashtracking Explorer • Iconosquare • Sprout Social ($) • Hashtracking Personal/Pro ($)
Editor's Notes
- #29 National Geographic Model – billions of likes. Shared goals of contributors and community.
- #35 Pinterest is very much a personal “world of me” platform where people create their own collections. It’s not particularly interactive, unless you hack it to be.
- #42 Important not to ignore that there is an emotional component to community. People want to feel good. Laughter is the best medicine.