Giving customers a place to chat with one another doesn’t directly boost customer loyalty.
This study closely mirrors our experience. Just chatting isn’t enough. What really matters is getting members to create things which are tremendously useful to the group.
This means giving members the tools, motivation, and opportunities to create something unique.
You need to provide members with the tools (or means) to create something unique. You might pay for them to access educational resources to create their own videos, give them insider information about the brand roadmap and needs, or have your own designers and staff support them in whatever they want to do.
You need to provide the motivation for them to create something special. This means unique access, tremendous recognition, or a feeling of having a big impact within their field. Remember the member motivation framework here. Align short-term (points/badges) and long-term benefits (rankings and reputations) towards creating something of value.
You need to provide the opportunities for them to create something special. Announce where you need help and let members submit and implement their ideas. Host challenges and activities. Let members host their own online workshops and training courses. Build a definitive database for people getting started, or about equipment, in its field etc…
In our quest to get people to chat we so often overlook that chatting is just one of many things people in a community can do to help one another. It’s far from the most valuable.
Better yet, when people do create something of genuine value they tend to share it far and wide. This takes them from loyal customers into proactive advocates.
How will you get your members to create something truly valuable that lasts?
