How to fix an online community that is weak
It can be difficult to maintain and manage communities. For example, it takes just one or two people with different views to create an unpleasant rift.
We all know what happens when a community splits into two or more conflicting sides. Imagine a property developer attempting to transform the peaceful green space of the town into a bustling commercial area with shops, cafes, apartments, and shops. This would be a positive development for the local economy, according to some members of the community. Some might view it as a positive change in the local economy, lifestyle, or culture. These differing opinions could cause friction in the community and lead to its disintegration.
This is the same for an online community that is brand-led. They are just as susceptible to outside influences and have different views than a local community.
Perhaps even more so. Every year, 70% of online communities that are brand-based fail.
What can you do to build your online community if it fails?
Let’s find out.
What causes an online community led by a brand to fail?
It is becoming increasingly difficult to sell using traditional marketing methods like TV and print ads. Consumers are too fickle and savvy to believe glossy advertisements promising them the moon.
They want something more than just a catchy slogan or pretty picture. They are looking for authenticity. They desire inclusion. They want to feel like they are a person and not just a number. They want to feel part of a company when they use or purchase from a brand.
“84% of customers believe that being treated as a person and not a number is important in winning their business.” – Duel.
Dare I say it? Customers want companyrelationships, and commitment.
Brand-led online communities are the best solution to build trust and relationships with customers.
Brands can communicate with their customers through an online community. They can engage their customers in two-way conversation and treat them as people with real opinions, values, and thoughts.
Marketing professionals agree that creating an online community is a key part of their marketing strategy. However, 88% fail to survive.
Why?
Online communities don’t work because the results aren’t immediately visible
It takes time to build trust and nurture relationships. Marketers don’t have much time. Marketers are constantly under pressure to discover and exploit new opportunities, provide solid leads for teams, and convert uninterested individuals into sales. We require results now.
It’s no surprise that online communities are often pushed to the bottom of the priority list when it comes to spending time and money on campaigns to generate immediate conversions.
Online communities are a failure because customers feel like they’re customers and not people.
17% of online communities end up failing because companies use the space to market themselves, rather than serving their members.
Communities should be safe and neutral spaces that allow for free flow of ideas about industry-related topics. These communities shouldn’t be used as a way to force hard marketing messages down the throats of people. It should be possible for community members to have meaningful conversations with others who share similar interests.
Online communities don’t succeed because community development isn’t part of budgets and strategies
31% of online communities end up failing because they lack the support needed to thrive.
We know that community development is often overlooked in favour of short-term campaign wins. Many brands don’t bother to include community building in their marketing strategies and budgets. It is seen as a check-box exercise, rather than a key driver for growth. Therefore, it does not get the resources, time, and budget it requires to survive.
Online communities are failing because they don’t measure performance
How can you measure the success of a campaign?
Many community managers struggle with measuring the performance of their online communities. It can be difficult to measure things such as brand awareness and customer relationships. How do you assign value to intangible results.
If you don’t keep track of the performance of your communities, you won’t be able show how important it is to the growth of your brand. You’ll also not have the resources, budget or time to effectively manage it.
Online communities are unable to function because of a lack in engagement and community management
Poor member engagement and poor community management are two major reasons why 24% of online communities fail. It’s not hard to understand why.
It takes a lot of effort to maintain high engagement levels in an online community. This requires a special type of person or group with specific skills. This person or team must be able to initiate conversations, guide discussions and communicate key marketing messages subtly. They also need to be able protect their members against online trolling or abuse and ensure that the brand reputation doesn’t get damaged by disgruntled members.
However, this level of engagement is not possible without the right resources and budget.
Here are some ways to help your brand-led online community succeed.
We’re far from done. Continue reading to learn how to bring your brand-led community online.
Six Ways to Fix Broken Online Communities
It is possible to transform a weak and unengaged community into one that is vibrant, chatty, and will sing your praises to everyone who listens. Designate a community manager to oversee it.
This requires more money. Even if you have tightened your purse strings, it might not be possible to raise more money right now.
Here are six ways you can take control of your community and fix it without spending a fortune.
1. Find your “Why”
The key to building a supportive community for your brand is knowing your “why”.
What are your motivations for being here?
Understanding your “why” is key to starting the right conversations, and steering interesting, relevant discussions with the right attitude. Your purpose is simply to help others.
It doesn’t matter if you are educating, saving time, making their lives easier, or helping them save money. It’s all about them.
Recognizing this will allow you to have conversations about your members, not what you sell.
These are some suggestions that will help them realize that it is all about them and not you.
Invite industry experts to speak on topics that your members are interested in.
It is all about sharing value and expecting loyalty in return.
2. Define clear roles for the community
A clear role and responsibility system is another way to unite a community and to keep it together. For example, brand ambassadors, creators, storytellers, etc.
People will feel more connected if they have a job. As a result, they will be more likely stay committed to their community and to continue to support it. This is a great way for shy or inactive people to get involved, to work together and to become active members of the community. One whole is better than its parts.
3. Monitor and set success metrics
It is simple to set and monitor success metrics, but it is difficult if you don’t know what ones to measure.
Each business will have its own set of goals and objectives, but there are some common KPIs that successful community managers use to measure (and prove) the effectiveness of their community.
These include:
Traffic volumesMember activitiesPost engagement
It’s obvious that once you have a way to measure your community’s performance, you will need to continue to monitor them and make adjustments as soon as possible.
4. Without removing the freedom of speech, establish guidelines and rules.
This is a difficult one. To encourage respect and tolerance of others’ thoughts, feelings and opinions, you need guidelines. It is important to clearly state that those who violate the rules will face consequences.
You don’t want people to be discouraged from sharing the truth.
While rules are necessary, they should be enforced with good judgement and careful monitoring.
People should be free to speak out without fear of retribution. However, it is important that you remove offensive or demeaning content. If there has been a violation of rules, you can step in.
To protect the community’s heart, ban a member who has broken one of your rules. In less serious cases, you may need to just implement a “three strikes and you’re out” type of policy.
Use common sense and prioritize the good of the community.
5. Be an example
It is hard work, and it can be stressful to create engaging content for your community. This is where your members can help you. Start the conversation by setting a precedent and encouraging your members to start conversations, ask direct questions, post authentic content, and encourage them to do the same.
Ask them. You can ask them questions like: Joe, are there any stories you would like to share? What about the time you went to a tradeshow and didn’t know anyone, but wanted to make connections?
Give praise to those who contribute content and take part in discussions. Encourage those who might be a bit timid or reticent to contribute. Sometimes they just need encouragement and some confidence.
6. Automate wherever possible
Automating is the key to managing a community efficiently and effectively.
We’ve already discussed how time-consuming it is to create and post engaging content. This is the number one frustration of 55% community managers.
While there are community management platforms available that take out the manual labor of managing a community, there are also social media management tools that can help.
Agorapulse is a tool that allows you to create content, schedule it and publish different versions onto multiple online communities. You can also monitor the performance of your content from one place. You can monitor discussions and comments, set up alerts to specific phrases and respond to direct messages or threads.
Manual community management is no longer necessary.
Agorapulse is available for free!
Conclusion
Online communities are a time-consuming process that requires patience and constant management. They are well worth the effort. An online community that is successful will foster deeper relationships, greater trust and a loyal, strong fan base.
Give your community members value and give them some responsibility. However, make sure there are consequences for any negative or destructive behavior. You can secure more time, budget, and resources to help your community grow by setting KPIs. Keep an eye on them and monitor them regularly. Encourage your members to create engaging content and automate where necessary.
Did you miss our previous article…
https://www.affiliatemarketingbuzz.com/social-media-trends-of-2023-that-you-should-know/
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