Settings Targets For Your Online Community

You should be measuring your community manager’s work. Establish clear targets, especially for engagement, that they need to hit.

Take a measurement today, how many members are joining per day, how many newcomers are becoming regulars, how many regulars are becoming top contributors, how many top contributors are becoming volunteer helpers.

For recruitment, growth by 1% per week might make sense. 

For engagement, you might aim to convert 75% of newcomers into regulars and 10% of regulars into high contributors and 1% of high contributors into volunteers.

Offer performance bonuses to community managers who could (ethically) hit and maintain these targets. You might spark a staggering level of proactive engagement efforts.

Comments

[John Baku]

I understand community management so much more just by looking at these metrics! Best post so far... and you have had many!

[Priya Florence Shah]

I don't understand how it is possible to set targets when predicting the success of a campaign on social media is so unpredictable. With some campaigns its possible that your results may not be anywhere near target, whereas it may take longer to reach them with others and in some areas your results may far exceed expectations if you just play it by ear and try to intuit what your community really wants. Again, the amount of spend is important. If you can afford to spend on creatives and advertising in social, it can make all the difference.