I wrote this in 2021 to suggest some engagement tactics that can be employed in any community, which you may already be familiar with. This is just a refreshed version of what I shared then.
In the world of online communities, one thing is constant and that is keeping community members engaged.
Before we delve into the tactics, here are some of my thoughts about engagement;
As a CM, one thing you’d always live with is the ups and downs of community engagement.
There are times that engagement may not be the problem so it’s important to look into other areas before pointing out engagement.
Community engagement is a perpetual cycle of experimentation and evolution.
Whatever strategy you employ, ensure that it aligns with your community’s purpose and the needs of your members.
No matter the type of community you run or manage, these engagement tactics can be implemented. Pick the ones that are relevant to your community, get around it as it is, or tweak it to fit your unique needs. Don't hesitate to get creative.
1. Create rituals
Rituals spices up your community's experience- they help members create a habit of contributing and provide a sense of predictability. Plus, they take some of the load out of your content planning.
The idea around rituals is to make them occur regularly whether it’s on a daily, weekly, monthly, or quarterly basis.
Here are some examples:
Weekly check-ins: Picture this as your community's Monday morning chat where you start the week by asking members about their goals for the week. Then, as the week wraps up, you follow up with them to share how things went and what they were able to achieve. This can also be done monthly.
New member welcome: This is mostly a weekly ritual where you welcome new members at the beginning or end of the week. Use this opportunity to get members to introduce themselves and meet other people within the community. You could also use this to connect members who have the same interests.
Community hangouts: These are laidback gatherings (mostly virtual), where your community members can just get together and talk about anything around a chosen theme. It’s not meant to be all uptight and professional, just a casual hangout where they can chat and support each other. Sure, you can moderate but let them lead the conversation.
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2. Conversation Starters
One golden rule of engagement remains that if you want people to talk, then ask questions. That's where conversation starters come into play!
The nature of your community would dictate the vibe- which can be strictly professional or a mix of professional and personal.
Here are some ways to implement conversation starters:
pick up something from content published by the brand or within the community and create a conversation around it; ask a question, ignite a debate, or simply seek their insights
ask a generic & personal question that you know they'd love to chat about
share a trendy topic in your industry and ask for their opinion on it
start a thread about something familiar to your members and encourage them to share their stories/experiences
start a picture thread and ask them to share theirs too e.g. current read, workspace, pets, the view outside your window, etc.
Google is your friend for finding conversation starter ideas. Just remember to keep it relevant and, most importantly, exciting.
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3. Events
Events are great ways to provide value to your community and when you bring your members together in that kind of setting, they will develop stronger relationships, which will in turn bring more energy and engagement back into your community. When planning for these events (virtual or on-site), ensure that it is worthwhile for both the community and your team/brand.
Another cool idea for a large community who have its members in different cities is to encourage members to organize smaller meetups and you get to support them to make the it successful.
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4. Contests
This is a great way to inject some fun and excitement into your community. First things first, figure out what kind of challenge your community would love. It could be a game, a creative contest, a treasure hunt, or anything at all that fits the vibe of your community.
Pro tip: make sure the reward is something that motivates them to join in.
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5. AMAs (‘Ask Me Anything’)
No matter what your community is about, the common goal is usually to share knowledge and learn from each other. One way to make this more valuable is by bringing in other experts or guests to share with your members and answer their questions. This way you or your team are not the only source they learn from.
Invite those your members would love and those you believe can bring good value. Also, depending on your resources and the structure your community puts around it, this can occur weekly, monthly, or quarterly.
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6. Encourage contributions
It’s your responsibility as a community manager to answer questions and provide solutions to members. But, if you want to create a truly engaged community, you've got to let your members shine too.
Sometimes, just take a step back. Get to tag members who are knowledgeable about a particular thing and ask them to share their insights or help with questions.
It's a win-win – they feel valued, and your community is richer with diverse contributions.
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7. Celebrate members
Without your community members, your community wouldn't exist so showing your gratitude for their contributions is a great way to boost retention and of course, spark engagement.
So, how can you celebrate them? Celebrate their accomplishments, spotlight top members weekly or monthly, create a super user program, and reward with swags, free tickets, discounts, or badges.
You can check out this short post I wrote on gratitude last December
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8. Use Multi-Channels for content
We all have preferred ways of consuming content or information, same with your community members. So, incorporate other ways to keep them engaged, informed, and connected. This can mean sending out newsletters, posting on social media, sending promotional emails, or publishing blog posts.
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9. Seasonal/Holiday engagement
Choosing from the ideas I’ve shared here or the ones you probably have jotted somewhere, and depending on the type of community you manage, you can choose to implement a certain engagement tactic for a period of time and then shut it down.
It could be during your community’s anniversary, holiday season, or any holiday that is relevant to the community.
Keep it consistent, and when the party's over, wrap it up neatly.
And there you have it, a list of effective engagement tactics ready to breathe life into your community!
While this just speaks of the tactics, if you need more insights on community engagement, do check out these two;
🧵 How to Deal with Low Engagement in a Community
🧵 Navigating Community Engagement
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