We recently did a touch point analysis of Community Geek.
There are two goals. First, check each touch point correctly reflects the message we want to communicate. Second, identify critical touch points for success.
in this analysis we looked at every possible interaction new and existing members have with us, that we control. This includes how they became aware of us through to regular, ongoing, communications.
There are four things to check throughout most of these touch points
1) The key messages. Are they consistent throughout all communications?
2) The tone of voice. Is the tone of voice distinct from mainstream society, reflected in all touch points, and consistently applied?
3) The design. Is the colour scheme, layout, and formatting consistent throughout all touch points?
4) The call to action. Does every touch point highlight very clearly the next step to take?
Performing a touch-point analysis of your community
- Message when they first hear about the community. Through which channel do they hear about the community? What is the message that goes out? What social media channels/e-mails lists are relevant and how . You want the message to reflect something of high value to the participant. This is usually incredible information, incredible exclusivity, or incredible change. Who do they hear about the community from and what are they told?
- The ‘2nd message’. What is the 2nd message? How far apart are the messages? What is the content of these messages? Prospective members typically need several messages within a short frequency to visit and join.
- Homepage for non-registered visitors. What are the key 2 to 3 messages conveyed here? Are they consistent with what they have already heard about the community? Are they aligned with an interacting goal (i.e. will a member need to interact to achieve the benefits?).
- The registration page. Is there a single sentence on the short registration form that re-affirms the benefits on the non-registered visitors page? Is the colour/design consistent?
- The post-registration page. Does the post registration page also reflect the messages, albeit in a simplistic form? Is the colour/design consistent? Is there something here (and free ebook/material) that could be used to get people to be mor engaged? Could members be dropping out here?
- The confirmation e-mail. The confirmation e-mail should also reflect the messages articulated in the homepage e.g. “we need you to click the below link to begin….”. Also check the tone of voice, the formatting, and the design reflects the rest of the community.
- The confirmation page. After a visitor clicks the confirmation e-mail link, they are taken to a community page. Is the design, tone of voice, and formatting consistent with previous pages? Is it clear what they need to do next?
- The post-confirmation page. Same as the above. Is the design, tone of voice, formatting consistent? Is it clear what the next step is? How do you get people immediately engaged in an activity here? Take them to either special material to get newcomers started or a topical discussion you would like their opinion on right now.
- The welcome e-mail. Once they have confirmed, they receive a welcome e-mail. Again, the tone of voice, design, formatting, and messages should be consistent. Here you will also elaborate more on the goals or history of the community. You will also guide people to make their first contribution in a self-disclosure discussion immediately.
- The receipt/invoice. If the community has a membership fee, then the payment process should also reflect the community design/tone of voice.
- The login page. This should reflect the design of the community. It should be simple and contain just 3 fields (username, password, and forgot password?).
- The landing page for registered members. The latest interactions between members should appear above the fold on the landing page of the community. The menu of discussions should reflect the key messages being distributed about the community.
- Notification e-mails. Regular notifications should reflect the right tone of voice, be simple, and contain a direct call to action to click the link. Check branding/design reflects the community.
- The newsletter. This will usually be highly branded, should have a strong tone of voice, use common symbols shared by the community, and reflect the messaging throughout the site.
- The digest. If the community sends a digest, does this digest also reflect the design, copy, and right tone of voice? Does it have a clear call to action?
- The Community Manager. The tone of voice used by the community manager in direct interactions with members should match the copy used by the website. It might also occasionally insinuate the messages listed throughout the above touch points. There should also be a next step in every interaction highlighted.
- Other website copy/material? If you have other website copy, downloaded material, or any other touch point members will come across – ensure consistency in the design, call to action, tone of voice, and the key messages.
This entire process (including tweaks and fixes) should take no more than a few hours. It should also help retain members, increase conversion, and strengthen the community identity. Try to find the time to do it.
