Download the PDF: https://www.demandmetric.com/content/driving-online-community-adoption Creating and maintaining an online presence has become a priority for marketers. Today, many businesses are turning to online communities as a way to connect with ideal users of their product or service. An online community develops from identifying common interests your audience shares about your company, product, or service. You can analyze the information you gather from your community and use it to inform the business and help make strategic product decisions. Regardless of how social media evolves, online community management can continue to deliver valuable customer interaction experiences for your brand. As many marketers seek to create online communities and drive participation in them, the initial challenge is finding the right people to join and promote your online community. This How-To Guide will provide tips to help you develop an audience, increase usage, and craft an action plan with tactics to help you drive adoption for your online community.

1. DRIVING
ONLINE
COMMUNITY
ADOPTION
HOW-TO GUIDE

2. 2 Driving Online Community Adoption: How-to Guide
Creating and maintaining an online presence has become a priority for marketers. Today, many
businesses are turning to online communities as a way to connect with ideal users of their product
or service. An online community develops from identifying common interests your audience
shares about your company, product, or service. You can analyze the information you gather from
your community and use it to inform the business and help make strategic product decisions.
Regardless of how social media evolves, online community management can continue to deliver
valuable customer interaction experiences for your brand. As many marketers seek to create
online communities and drive participation in them, the initial challenge is finding the right people
to join and promote your online community.
This How-To Guide will provide tips to help you develop an audience, increase usage, and craft an
action plan with tactics to help you drive adoption for your online community.
HOW-TO GUIDE
Driving Online Community Adoption
Developing an Audience
Be Unique
Be Yourself
Be Dynamic
Prospective members need to see how your community can provide more value than
another established community.
Provide compelling and original content that members can send around the web to
create interest in what your community can provide.
Find something that no one else is doing.
Ensure that the strategy for managing your online community accurately reflects your
message, purpose, and its identity.
Stay true to your brand so you can increase your brand awareness through your online
community.
Promote your strategy through every channel at your disposal in order to reinforce
your position and key messages.
Use a blend of social networks, e-mail lists, and press releases to keep your communi-
cations mix dynamic.

3. 3 Driving Online Community Adoption: How-to Guide
Superfans
Content
Engagement
Superfans have a strong passion for your product. Make sure you know who they are
and reach out to them regularly through your online community.
If you provide encouragement, they will spend a lot of time talking about their experi-
ences with your product or service and promoting it to others.
Superfans can act like greeters when new members arrive to your community, and can
help you guide new members through.
An important way to increase the usage of an online community is through the content
that you share. It is through your content that you keep customers engaged. You can
use various types of content to attract members. Examples are blog posts, webinars,
guides, e-books, white papers, discussions, podcasts, videos, surveys, and polls.
To drive adoption for your online community, it is important to have valuable and interactive
content, engaged members and compelling conversations. If you can provide something
valuable to a member whether it is through content, positive reinforcement or gamification,
you can attract new members. Following these steps and keeping it fun will help drive new
member growth and help retain existing members of your online community.
Online communities provide more opportunities to engage members than other social
media networks like Facebook or Twitter. These communities create opportunities to
involve members in a two-way conversation. Having your members engaged helps
drive your business goals.
However, just because people are participating frequently in your community doesn’t
necessarily mean that you have high engagement rates. Members must have an
emotional connection or attachment to something you are providing, giving them a
sense of ownership. Build the ideal level of member engagement through interactive
content and positive reinforcement.
Encourage members to add comments so you can continue to provide the most
effective, relevant content to meet members’ needs. The more interactive and creative
you are with the content you share, the better you can engage your members.
Increase the new member conversion rate by highlighting useful content in your
community and encourage members to share it.
Two Ways to Increase Community Usage
Bottom Line

4. 4 Driving Online Community Adoption: How-to Guide
Action Plan
STEP 1 - Registration
1
3
Registration
Follow-Through
7 Freebies
6 Gamify
4 Delegation
2 Recruitment
5 Keep in Touch
V I E W R E S O U R C E
Make the registration process
as easy as possible. Don’t
discourage potential new
members with a registration
process that makes them jump
through too many hoops to join.
Make newcomers feel
special, and create a place
in the community for new
users. Provide some content
specifically to help newcomers
understand more about the
community they just joined.
Learn how other organiz-
ations are managing their
community with this report
The State of Online Communities for
Customer Support Benchmark Study

5. 5 Driving Online Community Adoption: How-to Guide
Action Plan
STEP 2 - Recruitment
1
3
Registration
7
6
4
2 Recruitment
5
Follow-Through
Freebies
Gamify
Delegation
Keep in Touch
Spread the word to as many
friends and colleagues as
you can. Ask them to make
posts and respond to them
right away. This tactic will
encourage conversation
immediately.
Go beyond the website; target
people for inclusion in your
community through Facebook,
LinkedIn, and Twitter.
Introduce a community
hashtag and encourage its use.
V I E W R E S O U R C E
Organize the Launch of
Your Community to Drive
Recruitment
Online Community Launch Checklist

6. 6 Driving Online Community Adoption: How-to Guide
Action Plan
STEP 3 - Follow-Through
3 Follow-
Through
7
6
4
2
5
1
Guide new members
through the process
of joining your online
community.
Nurture them by sending
messages, and asking if they
have any questions or feed-
back. Helping new members
will make them feel engaged
right away.
Registration
Freebies
Gamify
Delegation
Recruitment
Keep in Touch
Be Sure to Set the Rules
for Engagement in Your
Community
V I E W R E S O U R C E
Online Community Policies & Guidelines

7. 7 Driving Online Community Adoption: How-to Guide
Action Plan
STEP 4 - Delegation
3
7
6
4 Delegation
2
5
1 Registration
Follow-Through
Freebies
Gamify
Recruitment
Keep in Touch
When your community starts
to grow, it may take more
than one person to manage
it effectively. Staff at the
proper level to ensure the
success of the community.
Delegate tasks to ensure
everything gets completed
and all questions are
answered promptly.
Document Tasks
Related to Managing
your Community
V I E W R E S O U R C E
Community Manager Job Description

8. 8 Driving Online Community Adoption: How-to Guide
Action Plan
STEP 5 - Keep in Touch
3
7
6
4
2
5 Keep in
Touch
1 Registration
Follow-Through
Freebies
Gamify
Delegation
Recruitment
Keep in touch with regular
users.
Read every comment posted
in your community and
respond in a timely manner.
Open communication will
kick-start the nurturing
process and keep the
engagement level high.
Plan for Engagement
by Creating a Posting
Calendar
V I E W R E S O U R C E
Social Media Marketing Calendar

9. 9 Driving Online Community Adoption: How-to Guide
Action Plan
STEP 6 - Gamify
3
7
6 Gamify
4
2
5
1 Registration
Follow-Through
Freebies
Delegation
Recruitment
Keep in Touch
Gamification is a process
where users are rewarded
for being an active member
in the community.
Providing rewards and
positive reinforcement
for those who actively
participate builds loyalty.
Different types of
gamification include giving
out rewards, badges, or
points. Consider using a
leaderboard to encourage
participation.
Learn More About How to
Gamify Your Community
V I E W R E S O U R C E
Gamification Technology Overview

10. 10 Driving Online Community Adoption: How-to Guide
3
Action Plan
STEP 7 - Freebies
7 Freebies
6
4
2
5
1 Registration
Follow-Through
Gamify
Delegation
Recruitment
Keep in Touch
Write a free report or white
paper that new members can
download.
Send out a free invite with
every purchase to create a
referral system.
Allow members to send out
one free invite per month to
use.
These freebies will help
attract new members and
encourage existing members
to invite others.
Create Valuable Content
to Drive Engagement
White Paper Template
V I E W R E S O U R C E

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