If you want to improve your online engagement, growing a community is one of the best steps to take. Creating an online community can be fun and rewarding, but it also requires a lot of effort. While getting things off the ground is a challenge, stopping your community from falling apart is just as important. With all this in mind, here are a few ways to build your online community.
Finding Your Niche
Because what’s the point in creating a community that already exists? Online communities can take two forms — either a private group or an open group made up of your brand’s audience. Finding what sets you apart is a great first step. Get specific and creative with this. There are a million communities about Star Wars, but there may not be a community dedicated to pastries based on Star Wars characters (Obi-Wan Cannoli, anyone?). Location can also be a factor, although this is easier said than done with just how far-reaching social media is. In these instances, think of how your community can be rooted in a single area. For example, your community could be punk rock bands in Des Moines, Iowa.
Find Your Motivations
There are twenty-four hours in a day and for many people that’s about ten hours too short. Everything in the world is vying for our attention, so for your audience to find and engage with your community takes a large amount of motivation. Is there an emotional attachment to the group? Do you believe in the message? Will you gain something in your career and/or personal life by joining? Targeting your audience based on what they have to gain by joining is the key to growing your community healthily and organically. For example, a Facebook group that can connect and resonate with motivations will likely see more success than a Facebook group that doesn’t appear to have a central purpose.
If there are groups that you are competing with, study how they motivate their audience. See if there are parts of their strategy that are worth implementing or if there are opportunities you can take that your competition hasn’t.
You may be thinking that this has a lot of other topics weave in and out of community management. And you’d be right! Marketing, analytics, strategy, and more are all important components of making a strong online community. If you’d like to learn more about these subjects, we have plenty of exam materials for you.
Start the Conversation and Keep it Going
As a community manager, you should be the leader of conversations. Bring what you can to the table, and encourage your community to do the same. When someone engages with you, respond earnestly and use that moment as encouragement for others.
In the Comprehensive Field Guide For Social Media Strategists, author Amy Jauman categorizes community members into two broad categories: Evangelists and Loafers. Some members will sing your praises and be your biggest spokesperson. They are great at recruiting others into the community. Loafers, on the other hand, don’t speak up a lot and are hesitant to engage. These are the people who may need a helping hand or a word of encouragement, which a good community manager would be happy to provide. However, don’t lose sight of the Evangelists. It would be doing them a disservice to assume that since they are vocal today they will be vocal tomorrow and the next day. Keep them engaged and show them how their contributions are welcome and important.
These are a few key points in community management. Remember that community growth will rarely be linear. There will be bumps in the road, but stay focused on why this group matters to you. If you are the leader of an online group, what has your experience been like? Have there been obstacles that you’ve had to clear? What has kept you motivated?
Author: Ben Rosenstiel
After a wonderful summer as a Social Media Intern at NISM, Ben became a fully-fledged Social Media Strategist in September 2024. He graduated from Northern Kentucky University with a Bachelor of Arts in Electronic Media & Broadcasting in 2022 and with a Master of Business Administration in 2023. Ben enjoys making content as a Social Media Associate for the Kenton County Public Library. In his free time, he enjoys playing live music in the Cincinnati area, writing music with his band, and spending time with his amazing girlfriend either reading or watching TV (usually Vampire Diaries).
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