Summertime means all the fun in the sun and less time on the computer! It’s not a great time for community engagement rates, but it is a great time for health and wellness! Our three quick wins for June focus on finding a balance between maintaining engagement and letting the seasons change for your community this summer.
1. Plan intentional summer programming
Frankly, your community members may not want to jump on an interactive call at noon when the sun is shining and their kids are home from school… but some of them might want to! Brainstorm a few ideas for low-lift programming that will spark interest. This will be different for every community, and the best way to find out which types of programming your members want is to ask them!
Our Community Manager Mary Emma has some great advice: “lean into trying new things, and embrace the slow season with more passive programming!”
A reading list is a classic way to keep people engaged in a topic during time away. Check out an example from The Community Roundtable here.
2. Do the unaesthetic self-care
When we think of self care, we often think of face masks, reading, resting, and relaxing. Sometimes, taking care of yourself means making doctor appointments, cleaning out your fridge, or paying bills. These are the tasks that feel daunting before you’ve done them, but completing them makes you feel accomplished. You may have some of these tasks in your personal life, and/or in your community. With slower programming, you’ll have time for updating your CRM data, refreshing old content, or even creating new content! Choose one and get it done! Then give yourself a high five.
3. Track your metrics, and don’t be hard on yourself
Engagement will most likely go down for June, July, and August. That’s okay! Even if the numbers aren’t what you want them to be, it’s important to track them so you can be an expert on the flow of traffic throughout the year. In a guest post from Common Room, we learned there are four main categories of metrics that community leaders should consider:
- Membership
- Engagement
- Responsiveness
- Business impact
The Community Roundtable has plenty of metrics content to help you if you aren’t sure what to measure! Check out these posts:
Throwback Thursday – Community Metrics 101
Impactful Metrics and Reporting in Community
Using Metrics to Understand Community Growth and Business Impact
