A community is an intangible feeling held by it’s members. Everything you can actually see is a manifestation of that feeling. I previously called it the tip of the iceberg.
We are hooked on these manifestations at the expense of the community. If you feel members aren’t posting enough, you don’t need a strategy to get members posting more often. You need to strengthen your community which will motivate members to talk to their friends more often. Thus, more posts.
A community’s strength is determined in it’s membership, influence each member has and the shared emotional connection. Spend more time making investments in these areas. e.g.
- Give members more control and relax the rules (influence)
- Ask members to state their honest opinion on the top 10 issues in your community (membership)
- Include more names & events in your community’s documented history (shared emotional connections)
These are all investments. Every investment will filter through to the measurable manifestations, e.g. page views, time on site, bounce rate etc.