2 Short-Cuts To A Successful Online Community

Here is a quick tip, take a short-cut when you launch your community.

The communities that launch with a bang usually have one of two advantages.

1. Their members already talked to each other offline (e.g. Facebook, LinkedIn).
2. Their members already wanted to talk to each other (e.g. ModelMayhem, Cramster, MyBuilder etc…).

But wait, this doesn’t cover many successful communities you know does it? That’s because these communities you know spent years building up those membership relationships. That’s a long time to wait. It’s easier to take a short-cut. Get potential members to meet offline or create that desire to speak with customers first.

So if you’re planning to launch a community, don’t invite everyone you can reach to join your community. That’s the long way round.

Instead, try inviting your database list to offline events near them (you provide the snacks). Begin writing about what other customers like them are doing. Spent time creating customer-centric content so others will want to contact each other. Build up the anticipation and desire to talk before you provide the means.

Comments

[Mary]

Have you come across the online community ravelry - http://www.ravelry.com? It connects knitters and crocheters, it's only a few years old but it's hugely successful, and the layout and tools are brilliant. I think it had advantages 1 and 2 - knitters were already online in huge numbers, and they were already informally grouping online through blogs etc.