For the likes of Membership organisations and Higher Education services there is palpable need to create appealing and worthwhile online communities to ensure user loyalty, engagement and enthusiasm. We feel that online communities are vital for acquisition, retention and customer service of members and users. However, how do we get people interested and engaged online?

Pixl8 has devised 8 tips for building awareness and engagement in your online community

1. Stellar Content

As the cliché goes ‘Content is King’, providing content which users want to see is vital to the health and growth of your online community.  People are busy and will ignore content that is not valuable to them, valuable and targeted content will add to the user experience; providing knowledge, enjoyment or practical skills.

Remember, new content will not only boost loyalty among users by demonstrating your website is up-to-date, it will also help SEO. By providing a steady stream of engaging ‘stellar’ content you are able to continually nurture visitors with practical information and cutting-edge advice.

Click here for more information about generating the right content.

2. Positioning

We know the importance of having a great digital presence and keeping up with the changing times.  For many members, online communication is the easiest way for them to keep in touch with you.

As an alternative to the established method for managing the membership or customer base it is now possible to use a custom CMS to easily govern communication in your online community. By positioning yourself in this way you are effortlessly able to raise awareness. Now all events, announcements, support documentation, training opportunities and promotional materials have a lot more visibility and are easily accessible.

3. VIP Treatment

Entice users into your online community by making information elite. Members who join an online private community want to feel they are getting information that is not available to just anyone. Providing special access to valuable information, discussions and events that your customers or members cannot get anywhere else, makes a superb incentive to join and return often to your online community.

4. Exclusivity

The element of exclusivity can also be monetised as a way to boost sales; from an e-commerce point of view, you can use member exclusive events and shops as a tool to significantly increase ROI. Think of exclusive content as a carrot and stick approach without the stick.

5. Gamify Users

The concept of gamification is being used more and more online. It is a great way to reward your users and keep them coming back! Virtual status and competition will make the community an addictive part of users’ everyday lives. For example, within Membership Organisations the emerging trend could be used in conjunction with CPD points to promote a feeling of goodwill among your members as you bestow rewards on them, which allow them to gain the respect of their peers and showcase their knowledge.

To see gamification tactics in use visit Quora, Stackoverflow or Yelp.

6. Personal Contact and Rewards

Make your users feel special with personal contact. One easy way to do this is if your website is integrated with your membership database/CRM.  It is possible to track engagement from the point of login and reward member’s with points. You can also spot members who have a low score to find those who are less engaged with your organisation and automatically target them with personal  and bespoke contact to encourage use.

7. Reward

In addition to personal contact it is important to reward users. By attending events or gaining qualifications your members are able to see their own growth increase within your community. You can make their efforts tied to discounts, admittance into special groups and more. These kind of benefits drive action and improve member retention and loyalty as your community now offers your members something that others do not.

8. Keep it simple and easy to use

It is also essential to keep your website clean, simple and easy to use. Here at Pixl8 we know there is nothing more off putting than a cluttered and unintuitive website. If you want your online community to thrive, keep things simple. Don’t overload users with too much content and make sure the user experience is simple and clear.

If you want any more information on how to make your online community more accessible and rewarding for your users please do drop us a line and we will be happy to help.

The day was a great success, with almost 100 representatives attending from a wide range of trade associations.  Tim and myself were fortunate enough to have lots of thought provoking conversations with a number of the delegates around website design, membership database integration and the benefits of mobile templates.

In addition to the networking with all the delegates, the talks were really something to write home about.  John Piennar, BBC Radio 5 Live's Chief Political Correspondent was a fantastic and very comical event chair person.  Lord Heseltine’s speech was also a real treat, speaking of his opinions around how trade associations should merge to form larger more influential organisations. This way he believes they would have more lobbying powers when it comes to representing their members on new government policies for example.

If you’re a trade association and want get involved with the Trade Association Forum, check out their website here for membership details.