Communities are often mistaken as approaches for a single use case – and they can be successful that way.
“The community is a really critical tool in helping us to expand our audience and bring more traffic to our website, in a way that no amount of marketing can do.”
Allison Dolan, Chief Content Officer, EdTA
How do you hear about what is on the mind’s of your customers, members or alumni? Are you waiting for them to come to you and share their concerns, ideas and frustrations?
Online communities empower your audience to engage in a thriving ecosystem that allows them to share their thoughts and increases their satisfaction through two-way communication.
Our research has shown that online community programs save organizations time and allows them to support their audience in ways that they previously had not been able to. Providing a safe place for your customers or members to interact, share feedback, connect with each other, and be recognized and rewarded for their contributions not only boosts satisfaction, it creates an enthusiastic, engaged group of brand ambassadors.
There are many ways to use your online community to facilitate interaction and collaboration:
- Connect members or customers 365 days a year, not just at live events
- Provide a place for them to share feedback and product/service ideas
- Enable peer-support and networking in a knowledge base, FAQs, and discussion forums
- Keep enthusiasm for your programs high through online challenges and contests
- Provide a place for members to engage in professional development and online learning activities
Your community can be a powerful way to extend your brand ecosystems, and capture the attention and energy of your existing users in a new, collaborative way.
Read more about how online communities can power chancing at your organization, enabling adaptive and thriving ecosystems in this eBook, and read the EdTA community case study. Download the eBook.
