Start a fire in your social network…okay, not a literal fire. Instead gather the materials you need to start sparking interest and activity within your membership about this member benefit they all should be using. We all know launching a private social network is much easier than developing an actual community of participants who are connected, active and engaged. Maddie Grant, web strategist at ICF Ironworks and lead editor at SocialFish, will discuss ways that associations are generating discussion and truly engaging stakeholders in order to create a thriving online community members consider a resource. - Learn community management strategies that make your community a productive and comfortable place for members to participate. - See how content can attract members, generate discussion, and keep members active and interested. - Get a better idea of what success looks like for association communities, and what metrics are worth benchmarking and tracking.

1. Start a Fire
in Your Social Network
Maddie Grant, CAE

3. Agenda for today
How do you light the spark of engagement?
• With Good Planning
• During Launch
• Through Content
• By Finding Champions
© 2013 Private Community Management Certificate Program
www.socialfish.org/certificate

4. Spark engagement
through good planning
1.

5. Defining PURPOSE
WRONG: WE NEED
• We need to get more
members engaged.
• We need to generate
non-dues revenue.
• We need to draw
members to the website.
• We need to collect
content from members.
RIGHT: MEMBERS NEED
• Members need a trusted
environment to
collaborate.
• Members need a place to
find trusted experts who
can help them.
• Members need a way to
comment on technical
information.
MEMBER PERSPECTIVE IS CRITICAL.
But wait…do
they REALLY
need that?

6. • Volunteer group collaboration
• Upgrade to established listservs
or forums
• Social learning
• Conferences (time limited)
• Hybrid events (time limited)
EXAMPLES OF PURPOSE-DRIVEN
COMMUNITIES BY ASSOCIATIONS

7. • Community for member networking
(because members should be posting on
our site instead of LinkedIn.)
• Community to build more member-
generated content (because we’ve had
trouble getting members to contribute
content in the past.)
EXAMPLES OF BUSINESS PURPOSE
NOT ALIGNING TO MEMBER PURPOSE

8. What’s the (“member need”)
purpose of your community?
CHAT IN:

9. Once the planning is done…
Did our new board
member just say
he’s never used the
community?
PROMOTING YOUR COMMUNITY
IS A PROCESS THAT NEVER ENDS.

10. PROMOTION
TWO-PRONGED APPROACH TO ONGOING PROMOTION
MULTI-CHANNEL MARKETING
• Membership marketing and
new member onboarding
• Email newsletters
• Features in magazine
• Conference marketing and on-
site activities
• Promotion on website
homepage and house ads
• Platform email notifications for
announcements, digests
CHAMPION AND INFLUENCER
MARKETING
• Training and guidance for
volunteer group leaders
• Training and guidance for staff
• Outreach to champions to
keep the site active
• Outreach to influencers to
brainstorm ways they might
like to use the community

11. Spark engagement
during launch time
2.

12. SOFT LAUNCH - MEMBERS
ARCHETYPES OF USEFUL BETA GROUPS
Archetype Size Activity Privacy Example
Small and
good
10-15 High Private Board, working group, event
volunteers
Large and
social-media-
savvy
50-150 Medium Public Technology special interest group,
communications special interest group
Up and
coming
50-150 Medium Public Young professionals or student
leaders
Content
creators
10-15 High Public Bloggers, authors, speakers, volunteer
leaders
Location-
based
50-150 Medium Public An active chapter
PICK THE RIGHT PEOPLE, AND MAKE YOUR
FIRST MISTAKES AMONG FRIENDS.

13. SOFT LAUNCH - MEMBERS
• Tech-savvy volunteer group leaders.
• Active listserv users who are asking for
updated functionality.
• Social members who
may not be active in
any of the other beta
groups you’ve identified.
BETA TESTERS WILL FEEL MORE INVESTED.
SO WHO DO YOU NEED ON YOUR SIDE?

14. SOFT LAUNCH - MEMBERS
• Set expectations low.
• Explain the vision for the future.
• Be specific about what to test. For example:
– Set up a profile with a picture.
– Add a colleague and send a message.
– Join a group/post to a discussion/comment
• Tell them how to share feedback.
– Set up a feedback group for beta testers.
• Prepare them for technical glitches.
SENDING A BASIC INVITE TO YOUR
BETA TESTERS ISN’T ENOUGH

15. SOFT LAUNCH – STAFF
DEFINITELY YES
• Technical staff (working on the
community)
• Member-facing staff (e.g.
volunteer liaisons, member
services)
• Reps from content-rich
departments (e.g. pubs,
education, conferences)
• Reps from communications and
marketing
• A rep from executive leadership
PROBABLY NOT
• Not everyone (except in very
small-staff associations.)
• Not finance, or other staff with
little-to-no member-facing
responsibilities.
• Not junior staff who have not
been cleared to participate by
their boss.
• Not the entire executive team.
(Wait till things are more
polished.)
WHICH STAFF SHOULD BE INVOLVED EARLY

16. SOFT LAUNCH - STAFF
• Have staff beta testers set up their profiles.
• Create a private group to serve as the sandbox.
• Be specific about what to test.
• Use the group to share community-related
information with staff.
– Updates on technical progress
– Launch plans
– Staff policies, roles,
responsibilities.
• Tell them how to share feedback.
• Prepare them for tech glitches.
BUILD A SANDBOX AND USE IT.

17. SOFT LAUNCH - STAFF
5 APPROACHES TO STAFF INTERACTION.
1. No staff posting.
2. All staff posting funneled through a single
community manager.
3. Member-facing staff may post in pre-approved
areas, about pre-approved topics.
4. Staff with technical knowledge may post as it
relates to their pre-approved area of expertise.
5. All staff may post. Training on posting policies may
be required first.
FIND THE RIGHT BALANCE
BETWEEN TRUST AND CONTROL

18. What’s the tone of staff
participation in your community
like? Informal and chatty?
“Helpdesk” only? Invisible, behind
the scenes?
CHAT IN:

19. LAUNCHING AROUND A CONFERENCE
I got it! Let’s launch at
the Annual
Meeting…right when
everyone is their busiest
and most distracted.

20. PROS
• High-touch face-to-face
opportunity for training
• Opportunities to integrate
marketing
• Signage and branding
opportunities
• Organic content and
champion engagement
around the conference
CONS
• Messages competing with
other messaging around
the event
• Audience is (generally)
limited to those attending
• Glitches with
mobile/tablet use of
community or sketchy wifi
on-site.
• Staff is stretched to the
max.
LAUNCHING AROUND A CONFERENCE

21. TIMING THE BIG LAUNCH
ALTERNATIVE LAUNCH TIMING
1. AROUND YOUR MEMBER’S SCHEDULE
For example, tax professionals might find a new
community most useful in the quarter prior to tax
season.
2. AROUND YOUR STAFF’S SCHEDULE
Launch during a quieter period for staff, and let
the community slowly build.
CONFERENCES AREN’T THE ONLY OPTION!

22. Spark engagement
through content
3.

23. NO ONE CARES
• Have your own profile.
• Add colleagues.
• Post
blogs/discussions/comme
nts.
• Access the resource
library.
IT’S NOT ABOUT THE TOOLS. IT’S ABOUT
WHAT MEMBERS CAN BUILD WITH THEM.

24. EVERYONE CARES
• Showcase your accomplishments. (profile)
• Connect with people who are solving the same challenges
you face. (Or connect with your next employer, if they’re in
transition.) (Add colleagues)
• Get specific advice from industry experts who can answer
your questions. (post blogs/discussions/comments.)
• Share your perspectives on the latest
(standards/regulations/effective practices) that are
impacting the way you do business. (access the resource
library).
MESSAGING SHOULD FOCUS ON
WIIFM (WHAT’S IN IT FOR ME)
Look what you
can build!

25. • Focus on easy tasks in the right order.
• Initial tasks: login for the first time and create a profile.
• Follow up tasks: join a group, connect with colleagues.
– Even better: suggest which groups or colleagues!
• Follow up tasks: Read and comment on a recent
discussion.
– Even better: suggest active discussions to comment on.
WHEN IT COMES TO INVITATIONS, KEEP IT SIMPLE

26. WHY ENGAGEMENT?
• Support member retention?
• Support commerce and revenue goals?
• Recruit potential volunteer leaders and
content creators?
• Capture member knowledge?
ENGAGEMENT IS A MEANS TO AN END.
WHAT DO YOUR STAKEHOLDERS REALLY WANT?

27. TYPES OF ENGAGEMENT
Social
Technographics
Ladder
(Josh Bernoff, Forrester
Research, 2010.)
ENGAGEMENT IS NOT
ONE-SIZE-FITS-ALL.

28. TYPE WHAT TO MEASURE
Creator Post blogs, discussions, documents
Conver-
sationalist
Post discussions, comments; send
messages
Critic Comment, rate/review
Collector Add contacts, bookmark
Joiner Join groups
Spectator Sign in regularly, spend time on the site
Inactive Sign in rarely or never
MEASURE DIFFERENT ENGAGEMENT TYPES

29. Where are your members on the
engagement ladder?
CHAT IN:

30. COMMUNITY CONTENT IS
DIFFERENT
STRIKE THE RIGHT BALANCE BETWEEN TRADITIONAL
CONTENT AND MEMBER-GENERATED CONTENT
TRADITIONAL MEMBER-GENERATED

31. DEVELOPING CONTENT FOR
COMMUNITY
Build a team
• SMEs (staff and members)
• Group leaders
• Marketing/communications
• Education/conferences (staff and speakers)
• Government relations
• Owners and volunteers for other programs
STOP DEVELOPING CONTENT—START
DEVELOPING CONTENT CREATORS.

32. DEVELOPING CONTENT FOR
COMMUNITY
Work with your team to constantly refine.
• How might you present the content to generate an active
discussion?
• How might you build community activity around education
content or a conference?
• How might you help groups use the community to talk
amongst themselves?
• What’s coming up (not finished yet) that warrants asking
the community a question?
ACT AS ADVISOR, EDITOR, AND CURATOR

33. CURATING CONTENT
Content curation is the process of sorting
through the vast amounts of content on the
web and presenting it in a meaningful and
organized way around a specific theme.
(Beth Kanter, Content Curation Primer, Beth’s Blog |
http://www.bethkanter.org/content-curation-101/)

34. THREE UNIQUE WAYS COMMUNITY MANAGERS CURATE
CURATING CONTENT
1. CURATE IN CONTEXT
Enrich peer-to-peer discussions.
2. CURATE FOR GROUPS
Target content to groups based on
special interests.
3. CURATE FOR ENGAGEMENT
Leave no question unanswered.

35. Spark engagement
by finding and rewarding your
champions
4.

36. • Volunteer leaders
• Speakers
• Writers
• Industry influencers (consultants?)
• Digital extroverts from other
social spaces
ENGAGING CHAMPIONS STARTS WITH KNOWING WHO
THEY ARE

37. HAVE YOU ASKED YOUR CHAMPIONS FOR HELP TODAY?
WORKING WITH CHAMPIONS
1. ASK DIRECTLY
2. BE SPECIFIC
3. SET A DEADLINE
4. FOLLOW UP

38. THREE IDEAS FOR GETTING CHAMPIONS TO CONTRIBUTE
WORKING WITH CHAMPIONS
1. Make them the leader of a group.
2. Reply to unanswered questions.
– Send a link to the specific unanswered
thread when you need their help.
3. Write about a hot topic.
– Do an email “interview” then ask them to
post their reply.

39. – Game mechanics
– Promote content from
champions
– Create a volunteer role for
champions
Find ways to reward
champion involvement.

40. How have you rewarded
champions in your community?
CHAT IN:

41. And now, a reminder…

42. • Public social media sites are important
because that’s where your people
already spend time.
• A private community is never a
replacement for public social media
platforms and a strategy for using them.
REMEMBER THIS: A COMMUNITY IS
DEFINED BY PEOPLE, NOT PLATFORM.
And…people
win by a
landslide!

43. PROVIDE CLARITY FOR BOTH STAFF AND MEMBERS
How is the private
platform any different
from what we’re already
doing on LinkedIn?

44. Maddie Grant, CAE
Web Strategist at ICF Ironworks
maddie.grant@icfi.com
Blog: www.socialfish.org
www.socialfish.org/certificate
Private Community Management Program
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