The value of networking is essential for most types of online communities to have success.
See, value is defined as something of worth, usefulness, and importance. If you add that to the mission of your online community, you’ll reap the rewards of success.
Adding value will increase engagement, audience retention, and popularity because you’re giving something to your members and potential members that is important, useful, and worth being a member of the community.
One of the best forms of value is networking.
Networking allows members of a niche audience to meet one another, collaborate, and share ideas. Networking creates jobs. It creates new projects. It creates friendships. It is such a powerful way to add value to your community.
But the value of networking isn’t just a turnkey solution. It takes a facilitator. That facilitator is YOU or your community manager. You or the one responsible must initiate the networking of members. This often intimidates people. And it shouldn’t. It isn’t such a difficult process.
This article is meant to show you how to add the value of networking to your online community as a facilitator.
Take this community, for example. Each section added was named and described for the purpose of community founders to network with one another on knowledge, learning, and collaboration. I’ve also added sections that encourage networking purely as their purchase, such as the exchange section and such.
Each section you add to your community, at least in the main category, should always encourage networking and collaboration.
Determine what connects members of your audience together and create sections that encourage that sort of connection.
Encourage and make it easy for new members to introduce themselves to the community. Do this by creating a section for it. Create a sticky topic explaining how to introduce yourself. Send that topic along with a good copy in the onboarding email or direct message (or both).
If members aren’t introducing themselves and not posting, consider engaging with them privately.
Send the lurking member a direct message between them and you only. Thank them for joining. Tell them you’re happy about it. And then ask them more about themselves. Get to know them. Ask them what their goals are.
Know and understand your members because it makes networking them much easier.
Consider the live model. Create a Zoom (or another live platform of your choice) about meeting community members and discussing your goals for your association with the niche. Then have reoccurring meetings where everyone can follow up and discuss what they’re up to.
Encourage members to help each other out if they have ideas. Sometimes this is easier in a live environment.
You could even do a chat room if live resources aren’t available to you.
When a new member joins and mentions a certain goal or activity about the niche, search through the introductions to find other members who share the same goal or like the activity.
Then send private messages to connect the two together and encourage networking and relationship development.
This is a very powerful way of adding the value of networking to your online community.
Use these recommendations to help create a successful online community through the value of networking. Once you really get used to doing these things, it will become a habit, and you’ll notice exceptional growth in your community.
How are you networking your members together?
See, value is defined as something of worth, usefulness, and importance. If you add that to the mission of your online community, you’ll reap the rewards of success.
Adding value will increase engagement, audience retention, and popularity because you’re giving something to your members and potential members that is important, useful, and worth being a member of the community.
One of the best forms of value is networking.
Networking allows members of a niche audience to meet one another, collaborate, and share ideas. Networking creates jobs. It creates new projects. It creates friendships. It is such a powerful way to add value to your community.
But the value of networking isn’t just a turnkey solution. It takes a facilitator. That facilitator is YOU or your community manager. You or the one responsible must initiate the networking of members. This often intimidates people. And it shouldn’t. It isn’t such a difficult process.
This article is meant to show you how to add the value of networking to your online community as a facilitator.
Create Networking Sections
Your community should have sections that encourage networking.Take this community, for example. Each section added was named and described for the purpose of community founders to network with one another on knowledge, learning, and collaboration. I’ve also added sections that encourage networking purely as their purchase, such as the exchange section and such.
Each section you add to your community, at least in the main category, should always encourage networking and collaboration.
Determine what connects members of your audience together and create sections that encourage that sort of connection.
Encourage Introductions in Public or Private
The idea of a community where the value of networking is on a higher level needs to focus on introducing new members.Encourage and make it easy for new members to introduce themselves to the community. Do this by creating a section for it. Create a sticky topic explaining how to introduce yourself. Send that topic along with a good copy in the onboarding email or direct message (or both).
If members aren’t introducing themselves and not posting, consider engaging with them privately.
Send the lurking member a direct message between them and you only. Thank them for joining. Tell them you’re happy about it. And then ask them more about themselves. Get to know them. Ask them what their goals are.
Know and understand your members because it makes networking them much easier.
Organize Events that Encourage Networking
Start creating events that will encourage networking among community members.Consider the live model. Create a Zoom (or another live platform of your choice) about meeting community members and discussing your goals for your association with the niche. Then have reoccurring meetings where everyone can follow up and discuss what they’re up to.
Encourage members to help each other out if they have ideas. Sometimes this is easier in a live environment.
You could even do a chat room if live resources aren’t available to you.
Encourage Private Messaging
It’s important to take note of what your members are interested in. This is usually told in the introduction section of the community. You can also search for keywords to help you with this.When a new member joins and mentions a certain goal or activity about the niche, search through the introductions to find other members who share the same goal or like the activity.
Then send private messages to connect the two together and encourage networking and relationship development.
This is a very powerful way of adding the value of networking to your online community.
Use these recommendations to help create a successful online community through the value of networking. Once you really get used to doing these things, it will become a habit, and you’ll notice exceptional growth in your community.
How are you networking your members together?
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