5 Steps to Reviving an On-line Community

  • Oct 05, 2020
  • Kathy Edersheim
  • 4 min. reading

We’ve all been there. Joined an online community and then…nothing. Or worse, you invested in technology so you could start an on-line community and after an initial burst of excitement, it fizzled. It can happen to any kind of organization from cause-driven to corporate. So what now? How do you revive the community?

Here are 5 steps to rejuvenation and sustainability:


1. Understand the past

“

Those who don’t know the past are doomed to repeat it.

Edmund Burke

Start with an intense and honest internal review of what did not work with an awareness of what did. You need to identify the problem(s) such as lack of defined purpose, poorly articulated benefits of membership, wrong target audience, weak communications, insufficient resources, and/or lack of leadership any of which can lead to weak early interest, lack of activity, or lack of growth after the introductory burst.


2. Technology Checkback

“

The experience you create with it is everything.

Sean Gerety

Make sure you are using an appropriate community management platform that can support the organization that you want to be. Consider the user experience as well as the available functionality as part of the assessment.


3. Plan differently

“

I did then what I knew how to do. Now that I know better, I do better.

Maya Angelou

Relaunching requires all the same steps as starting plus a twist. You must make sure to correct the problems and you need to entice people to return. Pay particular attention to:
  • Dedicating sufficient resources for a long-term effort,
  • Making it an organizational effort, not just an add-on,
  • Having a well-stated, shared interest,
  • Identifying the right audience,
  • Providing benefits of membership through engagement as well as “gifts,”
  • Using well-crafted communications throughout,
  • Appreciating the early members so they stay or come back, and
  • Generating engagement opportunities that align with member interests including gamification.


4. 3-2-1 Relaunch

“

To align message with market is simply to communicate a message
that resonates with your market.

Mark Rutland

Start the re-launch with early adopters and a well-crafted message about the relaunch and the overall benefit of participation.


5. Be the Success
There is no such thing as a self-organizing group. It always takes leadership.

Implement your on-going effort for engagement including:
  • Supporting champions,
  • Telling member stories,
  • Hosting events,
  • Providing interesting content, and
  • Generating discussion.
Although the steps are similar to establishing a community, it is harder to restart because you have to win back some disappointed fans. On the other hand, you should have learned a lot from the first try. If you are committed to the relaunch, remember that you need to monitor the success along the way so that you can anticipate and react to member interests. Implement a robust feedback process to prevent the problems that you encountered the first time around.

Communities are important and appreciated, now more than ever.

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