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How do you manage an online Community

Aug 15, 2024

Lists of email addresses. Facebook groups. Patreon memberships. These are just three channels that help brands as well as creator educators create, cultivate, and monetize their communities online.

In the current competitive environment providing great products will not be enough to cultivate and maintain brand loyalty and advocacy; the key to achieving that is by offering continuous value to both past customers, current, as well as potential customers. One way to accomplish this is by bringing these people, who likely cover large geographic areas together into a single digital community-and providing them with exceptional content tailored to their interests and the industry you operate in.

The online community has become an integral part of building connections, sharing information, and facilitating engagement across different platforms. However, if sophisticated systems aren't put into earlier managing a community online can become an arduous undertaking that won't just overwhelm you but will detract from how much attention you give to your business-which could hurt your business's profitability for the longer term.

In this piece, you'll learn what an online community actually is, why it's important to brands, creator educators, and members themselves, the challenges of managing a community, as well as the diverse strategies available to control your community online.

Skip ahead:

What exactly is an online social network?

  • Social media sites like Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter;
  • Chatting apps, such as Discord and Slack;
  • Forums with dedicated forums such as Quora, Reddit, or Discourse;
  • independent platforms, such as email lists; and
  • Membership platforms like , Patreon and MemberPress.

An excellent example of an online community can be found in The Millionaire Mommy Club created by Ellie Diop, the founder of The Ellievated Academy. In the Academy, Ellie offers paid online courses that show people, especially women, how to grow a enterprise from scratch, and achieve financial freedom.

Within the Millionaire Mommy Club, however, Ellie gives members (predominantly mothers who are looking to increase their money) access to all the courses in the Academy as well as future courses, in addition to regular live classes as well as classes at a cost of an annual (or annually) price.

The advantages of an online community

Brands

Here are a few positive aspects of online communities for companies:

Loyalty and engagement of customers

The brand's name and recognition, as well as reach

Community members who are active often become brand advocates. Their discussions and recommendations in the forum as well as on various review platforms help increase visibility for the brand and help attract new customers.

Product development

In-continuous dialogue with the community lets brands continuously improve the products they offer based on their user comments and feedback, leading to higher quality products as well as customer satisfaction.

Brand differentiation

They can develop a distinctive tradition within their own communities which distinguishes them from competitors. These shared values and the norms of the community can turn into a competitive advantage that distinguishes the brand in an increasingly competitive market.

By encouraging and participating in valuable discussions, brands are able to establish themselves as thought leaders in the industry. This boosts their authority and also attracts prospective customers as well as potential business partners.

Creator educators

Creator educators--individuals who produce (both free and paid) content aimed at teaching or informing--can derive much value from having an online community. These are just a few benefits of online communities to creator educators

Direct audience interaction

Creative educators are also able to receive instant feedback regarding their content from their community members, which allows them to gauge its effectiveness and adjust their methods for teaching or the materials they use in line with the feedback.

Crowdsourced content and concepts Ideas and content from the crowd

Engaging with members of the community can provide new ideas for content, subjects, or strategies that a creator educator may not have thought of on their own. Users can also contribute their personal experiences and knowledge that enrich the content pool and provides diverse perspectives that improve the educational experience of all members of the community.

Building a personal brand

Opportunities to earn money

Individuals

People who are part of communities online enjoy a myriad of benefits that can improve both their personal and professional life. Here are some of these benefits:

Access to support and guidance

The online communities can provide users with an atmosphere of community and assistance, particularly in specific groups or those with a particular interest in which members have similar struggles or stories. Thus, people can feel comfortable enough to ask for (and provide) suggestions and advice for others who've faced similar situations as they have.

Knowledge and learning

A number of online communities, like the one run by Ellie Diop's Millionaire Mommy Club for instance, are focused on acquiring new techniques, from computer programming and photography to painting and cooking. In these communities, members have access to a variety of tutorials, online courses, workshops, and peer-reviews that encourage ongoing learning.

Certain communities also offer opportunities for members to interact with the experts or thought-leaders who offer insights that aren't available elsewhere.

As an example The Superpath community, which I'm a part of, has close to 20,000 people in the world of marketing, from content marketers to graphic designers to agency founders. Sometimes, experts in the industry do a Q&A session or host a webinar where users can post questions and receive in-depth answers from those who have "been there, done that".

Opportunities for networking

For career-focused communities, members are able to network with their peers as well as industry experts, which could lead to opportunities for employment as well as collaborations and mentorship. Apart from being an excellent learning tool for marketing folks, The Superpath community also provides two channels on which members are able to post freelancing or permanent job opportunities for members to apply to.

Beyond professional networking Many people form long-lasting relationships with other members of the community who share the same interests.

Collaboration and sharing

The communities can cooperate in projects that will be beneficial to all members for example, open-source projects for programming, as well as group art shows. They not only aid users improve their abilities, but can also help them have fun.

Members may also post their own content for feedback, exposure, and participation, which can be particularly beneficial in groups that are based on writing, arts, and other creative fields.

The difficulties of managing a community

However, despite their advantages, running an online community poses several challenges, especially when the community has a large number of members. These are the most common challenges community managers have to face:

Engagement and participation

Engaging community members and encouraging active participation in the community is the constant challenge faced by community leaders. There can be a significant difference between passive and active participants (otherwise referred to "lurkers"), and trying to engage the latter group is essential for a vibrant community.

In order to solve this issue Community managers usually resort to putting out additional content, and triggering discussion. But as communities grow in size, the number of posts is often overwhelming, which makes it challenging for users to filter and engage with pertinent discussions. The result could result in a decrease in involvement if users feel that their contributions are lost amid the noise.

Governance and moderation

As a community grows, making sure members follow and apply all the community rules and guidelines can be difficult. The task must be completed but in a way that is consistent with regard to rule-of-law enforcement could result in discontent and perception of injustice among its members.

As an example, despite how strict the entry criteria for a particular community are members, people who are trolls or have poor behavior are able to slip between the lines and then begin harassing or bullying community members. Curbing such behaviors promptly is crucial to stop individuals from affecting the community's atmosphere and dissuading member engagement.

Conflict resolution

The management of a group with a wide range of different cultures may result in miscommunications or conflicts that stem from differing standards and values. These conflicts can also stem in disagreement with particular ideas or theories that community members propose.

The challenge lies in solving these disputes in a way that is perceived as fair and effective without further escalating the conflict. Community members have to do the same, and also ensure that the community is open, caters to the needs of various subgroups, and fosters the environment in which all members feel valued.

Community members must remain impartial when handling difficult issues, ensuring this equilibrium between inclusion among different communities and fair conflict resolution can be a challenge.

Ressource allocation and scaling

As communities expand, issues related to scaling, such as maintaining community culture, moderating the complexity of interactions and growing the workload of administrative tasks can be a problem in communities, particularly those that lack significant financial backing.

The resources required to manage an expanding group of staff, time, and technology while maintaining a great service for everyone can be challenging.

How to control an online group

managing the online community takes an individualized approach, which [SEGUE] Here are the steps to take to manage your community

Your community's mission and mission

Find out the main purpose of your online community--why it exists and what goals it hopes to achieve. This could range from providing educational resources, creating a base of users in support of a brand new product, promoting a hobby, or creating a community for changes in society.

One example of a smart objective to be set for an online community is increasing the engagement of members to 20% in six months. This is a goal that:

  • Specific. It's obvious that you're focusing on membership engagement. you're trying to focus on.
  • Measurable - A 20% rise in engagement with your membership is a metric which you are able to track easily using analysis tools.
  • Relevant - Increasing membership engagement is essential to ensuring the wellbeing of the community and fulfilling its goal.
  • Time-bound - There's a stipulated date within which you want to achieve the goal (six months).

Choose the right platform

The effectiveness of your community online is heavily on the platform the which you manage it. So, make sure you choose one that suits the dimensions and style of interaction of your group. Below are some things to consider when choosing an appropriate platform to host your community:

  • The purpose and the goals. Different platforms meet different needs--whether it's content sharing or networking, customer service or collaboration. Make sure that the platform you choice aligns with the purpose and mission of your group.
  • Functions and features. Examine the functions that are essential for your community, for example, discussion forums private messaging, media sharing options such as polling, live streaming, and event hosting. Also, check for customization options that allow you to tweak the platform in order to best suit your requirements.
  • The user experience and the interface. The platform must be user-friendly and have an easy-to-use interface which allows navigation for all members, including members who may not be tech-savvy. The result is that engagement stays higher and helps reduce the learning curve for newly-initiated members.
  • Scalability. Take into consideration how easily the platform can grow with your audience. Can it handle traffic increases as well as high volume content without problems? It's essential to pick the right platform to expand with your company.
  • Cost. Calculate your budget for managing the community. Some platforms are free but offer limited functionality or require payment for extra features. Evaluate the costs associated with both beginning and expanding the platform.
  • Moderation tools. Effective moderation tools are vital to ensure the health of the community. Look for platforms that offer complete moderation tools including filters for content, banning users, and report management.
  • Integration capabilities. Check if the platform can integrate with other tools and services you use for example, the social media platform, CRM software, mail marketing as well as analytics tools.
  • Data security and privacy. The platform must adhere to the regulations governing data protection, as well as ensure the security and privacy of information shared by your members. It is crucial to do this especially if personal or sensitive data are transferred.
  • Analytics and reporting. Make sure the platform provides comprehensive analytics and reporting tools. The ability to access detailed statistics aids in monitoring participation and growth, comprehend member behavior, and refine your plans.

Develop a content strategy

If you're looking to make content available to your community members, plan the kinds of content that you'll be sharing and who will create it and the frequency at which it'll be published.

This content strategy should align with the preferences and requirements of your community members, and could include a mixture of informative articles, prompts for discussion, interactive content, and users-generated content. It is also possible to organize periodic events or themed discussion days to ensure the content stays relevant and fresh.

Help your Community

The only method to encourage individuals to join your community is to tell them you've got one and would like them to be a part of it. One way to achieve that is to leverage the internet and social media channels as well as individual engagement strategies. Below are some strategies for promotion to test:

  • Content marketing. Make shareable and valuable content that appeals to your intended audience e.g. blog posts, videos, infographics, or podcasts which address issues pertinent to your local community. Make sure your content is optimized to optimize it for SEO to increase organic search traffic and include clear calls to action directing readers (or viewers) to become part of your community.
  • Collaborations. Collaborations with thought leaders, or other communities that share common interest. These partnerships can involve jointly-organized events, guest posting on each other's platforms, or sharing promotions to introduce your community to a larger public.
  • Events. You can host events such as workshops, webinars, or even physical meetings that offer an opportunity for new members. Promote these events across all your distribution channels and assure that there's a path that attendees can follow to become part of your network.
  • Programs for referrals. If you've got enough funds, you could set up a referral program that encourages the current members to invite acquaintances or colleagues to join as a reward. It could be an incentive in cash or perk-based, like exclusive content, or access to exclusive subgroups.

Encourage member engagement

The value for an online group is its engagement through it. There are many ways to cultivate engagement in your online community, including:

  • Welcome messages. Make new members feel welcomed with personalized messages or creating welcome threads where members can share their personal stories. It makes new members feel more included and are more likely to participate.
  • Interactive content. Develop interactive content, such as polls, quizzes, and interactive videos. Additionally, you can ask questions after the conclusion of your blog posts, to stimulate the discussion and participation.
  • Events. Organize regular events such as live chats, webinars,"AMAs" (Ask Me Anything sessions) that include experts, as well as virtual meetings within your community to give members a reason to participate.
  • The highlight of content created by members. As with the user-generated content (UGC), showcase material created by members such as articles, chapbooks pictures, projects, etc. This encourages the owners of these works as well as inspires others to contribute their own.
  • Challenges and contests. Create challenges and contests that offer smaller prizes or awards. For example, writing challenges competitions for photos, writing challenges, or fitness challenges could be used to draw different sections of your audience.
  • Exclusive content. Provide your community members with exclusive content including eBooks, content or even video content that aren't available to non-members.
  • Rewards system. Use a points or badge system to reward users who participate in the online community. The points can be earned through posting, commenting, or helping other members, and can be exchanged for rewards or status upgrades.

Modify HTML0

Effective moderation is crucial for creating a safe and healthy environment for the community. This involves enforcing rules as well as guiding conversations constructively and managing member conflicts. Below are some suggestions to ensure effective moderation:

  • Set clear rules and guidelines. In order to keep everyone on the same page, create and release a set of guidelines for the community that define acceptable conduct and consequences for violations. They should cover aspects like respect for fellow members, the ban on the use of spam, discussion topics as well as privacy rules. Review and revise the rules of your community as it grows and evolves.
  • Utilize moderators. Make use of tools and software to facilitate the moderation process with automatic moderation tools that can filter and flag inappropriate content based on keywords as well as spam detection software as well as user-reporting systems which allow users to report unacceptable behavior or content.
  • Use human judgement in conjunction with automation. While automation can help manage large volumes of content Human judgment is vital for context-sensitive decisions. Ensure that automated systems are properly overseen by human moderators who can intervene when necessary.
  • Train your moderators. Make sure that human moderators are trained properly in the community's policies as well as the finer points of dealing conflict, as well as the application of moderator tools. Regular training sessions will help maintain consistency and fairness in moderation practices.
  • Encourage self-moderation. Encourage your community members to moderate themselves by notifying each other about the community's rules, and using the report functions when required. This eases the burden on formal moderators and helps to create a self-regulating and self-regulating community.

Track and evaluate the performance

The monitoring and evaluation of the performance of your online community is essential to knowing its overall health and how effective it is at improving your bottom line. By tracking specific parameters, you'll learn more about the things that are working, which ones don't and ways to enhance your community's experience.

To monitor these metrics, you can integrate your community's platform with analytics instruments like Google Analytics, social media analytics, or specially designed community management software which gives precise reports as well as real-time data visualization.

Here are some metrics and key performances indicators (KPIs) you should keep an eye on:

  • Engagement metrics. Keep track of metrics like the number of active daily users, number of posts and comments per post likes, and shares. These statistics help you determine the level of engagement your users have and the types of content that will be most interesting to them.
  • Satisfaction of members. Conduct regular surveys and polls that measure the satisfaction of members. Ask about their experiences as well as what they enjoy and dislike, as well as suggestions for improvement. These qualitative comments are crucial in understanding the mood of members and making necessary iterations.
  • Health metrics. Assess the health overall of your community by assessing the ratio of positive to negative interactions, the number of conflicts, and resolutions. This will help you comprehend the general atmosphere in your community, and also pinpoint those areas that require targeted moderated.
  • Content performance. Examine which kinds of content have the highest levels of audience engagement, reach and feedback. This will help you plan the content strategy you employ, assisting to create more content that works best for your audience.

Create a vibrant online community by using Communities

Communities is an effective product designed to help you create an engaging, dynamic space where members can engage with the content, engage in discussions, and connect to like-minded persons. Additionally, it provides tools for organizing educational content, discussions and other resources efficiently. This allows your members to find and access the information they are interested in, and enhances the learning experience as well as their interaction with your company.

Communities is built to scale according to your company's needs and is therefore perfect for all businesses sizes--from small startups to large companies. It offers numerous choices for customization, which allows you to tailor the community user experience to match your branding identity and meet the specific demands of your target audience.

With built-in analytics tools, Communities provides you with useful insights into the behavior of users and community engagement. These metrics can help you understand what works and what's not, allowing you to make informed decisions to enhance your community's strategies and content, and boost growth.

Do you want to test Thinkfic Communities? Join our no-cost plan now!