Sorry to Tell You, You’re Not That Special
Online communities provide a lot of value to an organization. It can help move the needle in ways that associations didn’t think were possible and can be the catalyst for digital transformations. But here’s the thing – your online community isn’t that special. Sorry not sorry.Some of you may be reading this and thinking “as a community manager how are you even saying this right now??” Easy. I can say it because I know it to be true. As community managers we tend to be extremely sensitive and precious about our online communities. And it’s not without good reason. If your association didn’t already see the value of an online community, it took an act of Congress to get the attention of senior leaders to present the business case, get resources, and secure a dedicated budget. Let me tell you, I get it. I also get that just because you have a dedicated budget and resources, doesn’t mean that the online community is a priority on anyone’s list other than your own. And that’s ok.The next question you may be asking is “then what’s it all for?” Well here’s where it gets interesting, friends. Think about why your online community exists (yep, I keep calling this out in each post because it’s extremely important). Think about what you said it would solve for and any ROI you said the community would show. All important things, right? Right. Now, think about why you called these things out in your business case. Surely, you didn’t make it all up. And I highly doubt it was all lip service. You connected your online community to those issues because they are a priority to the organization. That’s right, as a community manager you saw an opportunity to make a difference in the way the organization approached getting people connected to each other and the resources/information the association offered to help make the lives of members easier AND help them see that your association is the go-to resource for all things “INSERT ASSOCIATION PURPOSE HERE.”That means you have to enter each conversation around online community from the lens of those you serve, internally and externally. Yes, you need to know what your members need to keep them active and involved. You also need to know the direction of your association to see how those two marry (because guess what – the association is thinking about the member, also). But you also have to realize that when you are entering conversations about your online community, the community in and of itself is not a priority. What the community enables absolutely is. ROI is important. Cost savings is important. Increasing member retention and acquisition is important. Increasing member registrations to a live event without extra marketing dollars is important. The online community in and of itself is not that high on the list of priorities. In the list of top 5 things your association is hyper focused on, online community might come 6th.Please don’t misunderstand me. Online community plays an important role in the overall sense of community a member feels when engaging with an association. It helps bridge the gap between membership, volunteering, events, chapters, content, and anything else that helps members feel connected. However, unless it is specifically called out in your association’s strategy, it’s not top of mind for most leaders within your association. And that’s something we need to get comfortable with. That also doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t put everything you have into building a strong and connected community. That is, after all, why you are in the position to manage it. Just keep in mind that there are other priorities. When you talk to senior leaders about your priorities, come to them with the understanding that there is a myriad of other things ahead of your program on their to do list. When you talk with other colleagues around the organization, know that they may have heavy revenue or other business goals that are top of mind for them. And then remember what you said your community would solve for and start making those connections. Because even though it’s not a special snowflake, what your online community can enable within your organization has immense value and that, my friends, is special.