There are tens of thousands of communities at our fingertips these days but we ask ourselves why some flourish and others die out.

Running a thriving community takes strategy, consistency and a game plan. Here are several tips on how to keep your community engaged and growing.

Guidelines

Let’s be clear; guidelines are different to rules. Rules are no fun whereas guidelines are a form of organised fun (doesn’t sound that fun but we promise stick with us)… Community guidelines clearly define what is and is not acceptable behavior. Questions to ask are whether or not your common forum is a place for political debate, whether conversations that advocate anti-immigration, weight loss or other controversial topics to be discussed. Clear guidelines and moderation policies result in the community feeling safe and having a sense of order.

Create good content and engage

What’s the reason for people to stay engaged with your community? Well, it’s the desire to come back for great content. Online content is heavy with traffic and it only gets heavier and heavier day by day so make sure you’re offering a unique perspective. Furthermore, community members will look to you to see how to engage, so model the behavior you want to see.

Ask for feedback

This leads on from engagement and arguably is the strongest form of engagement. Your community loves to feel involved and asking their opinion is paramount. Additionally, the people who engage in your community understand it best, so when you have a problem to solve or want to try something, they are the best people to turn to. 

It’s not all about you

Your community is not a fan club and your followers will not feel listened to if all you do is talk about yourself. Therefore, you must dedicate enough time to interacting with and listening to your members. As your business scales and your community grows, you can hand off this role to a community manager who understands your brand voice.

Watch your metrics

Monthly and weekly metrics can help you determine what programming works and how to time your content as well as what types of content work best and thus you should share more of. If you are busting your buns sharing content, you should know when the best time to post is.