We learn so much from our network and enjoy sharing that information. It is what we do, after all, advance the business of community for everyone in our circle. Many have come to us asking how to get started, or do we think their community might work, or what they might do better. Here are some of the advice that we find ourselves giving out:
1. Will This Work?
Honestly, we don’t know. Many ideas run by us have been terrific ones that have fizzled and others that seem a remote possibility then take off and go on to phenomenal success. While the idea is important, knowing your members and what they may want/need is more so. So we advise you to interview as many members of your potential community to get feedback on the idea. Share the high level idea and then listen, really listen. While you need to hear what the critics and naysayers have to say, you can also combat hollow enthusiasm with requests for people to get involved and spend actual time being part of the new community. Combine interviews with potential members with a look that the target members information and social environment – that will tell you a lot about whether resources to address their needs are already available and how unique your concept is.
2. Become a Valued Resource and Share Content
People join a site for the content, but they stay for the community – something we often say at TheCR. Before there is a community there needs to be a reason to show up. Begin to curate and create content around the space/industry you are targeting. Once you have content written by others weigh in yourself and ask those that you talked to in step 1 to as well. Be vocal in the space. Not shamelessly self-promotional, but involved enough that your name/community name gets out there as a trusted resource for quality information.
3. Experiment, Experiment, Experiment
In this stage of community development there are are almost no hard and fast right or wrong answers. And what works week 1 may seem like an abject failure week 22 – and vice versa. This is exactly the right time to use trial and error. It’s how you learn who your community is, what engages them and what community culture is emerging. Any “failures” at this stage are actually important learning milestones. Experimentation is an extremely important part of building and sustaining a healthy, strong community.
4. What’s Your Bottom Line?
We don’t mean come up with a budget, although that is important too. What we mean is you need to understand the business model. Is this supposed to be a labor of love, a cost center or a revenue generator? Will your community support that? One way to figure this out is to ask yourself what your goal is for this community. If it’s a side project/hobby that’s great, but if you need to keep the lights on, be sure to examine how that will happen carefully. And also ask yourself if you have enough runway to support those goals. Meaning how long can you go without making money or justifying the cost? If this is a labor of love, how long in to the future do you see sticking with this? How much time can you devote to it? Consider the end before you begin and what might trigger it.
All these questions and considerations will help you understand if this will work for you. And of course, we are here to help.
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