Would you visit your local supermarket more frequently if they announced a change in layout?
What if they told you the milk, bread, butter, and vegetables are now more convenient to find than ever before?
For most people, the answer is no. You might notice and appreciate the differences when you arrive, but it’s really not going to change whether (and how frequently) you visit.
(Of course, you’re going to notice if it becomes more difficult to find the items you want).
This is true for communities too. Don’t be surprised if members don’t seem to care about the redesign you’ve been working on for months. It might benefit members when they visit, but they’re not going to be too bothered about it either way.
Sending an excited mass email announcing the redesign of a community is mostly a waste of time. Members simply don’t care.
But they do care about the contents within the community. If you want your redesign to get noticed then launch it at the same time as something members do care about. That might be an incredible new resource, a genuinely exciting new feature, an event or discussion series you haven’t had before, or some activity with a VIP.
