3 simple steps to build a thriving community
When building a thriving community, there are a few basic things to keep in mind. True communities are groups of people who keep coming together over what they care about.
Below are a list objectives and tactics to make this tangible for you.
The secret to getting people together is this:
Build your community with people, not for them.
- People & Company
Step 1: Get your people together
Email 50-100 people who you know will be great early adopters and share with them the reasons for this new community you want to build together.
In the email, tout a live event that will take place using our drop-in audio feature and have a guest speaker in your industry. This will drive your new marketing campaign because it gives members a reason to join at a specific time.
Before the live event, pre-populate the feed with 20 posts and already have 25 members on the platform. This way the community space feels active because the feed has unique information and members can engage with each other.
Step 2: Stay with it and keep your digital campfire lit
Now that the space is activated, you can slowly introduce new members to the platform each week. This builds the feed activity, builds new connections, and creates retention for existing members because they see the membership growing.
Host monthly events with guest speakers. Hosting an event each month is key to giving members a clear reason for being part of the community. This gives members a chance to participate during Q&A and share what’s working or not working as a group, which has tremendous value.
Post highlights after each event to get real-time feedback and learn what guests members want to hear about.
Finally, write a quick recap in a Google Doc and post that link to the feed. This allows quick access to the information shared by those who attended the roundtable and distributes that knowledge to members who could not make it.
This allows quick access to the information shared by those who attended the roundtable and distributes that knowledge to members who could not make it.
Step 3: Be a great leader by creating more leaders
Celebrate your most active members and invite them as guest speakers to your live events. It will encourage them to invite friends or colleagues to your space.
Notice the most active members in your space and nurture those relationships by writing them directly. These power members will help guide you on what events to host next, what posts get the most responses, and what topics are discussed the most.
Call out the specialties or job roles of specific members and how they can help other members via a post on the feed with a Member Spotlight. It will increase that member’s network exposure.
