Leadership Opportunities Grow Communities and Retain Members

Communities are all about growth. Members join a community to learn and grow. A successful community provides those opportunities for them. If you are providing those opportunities for the individual to grow - your community will grow. I encourage you to focus on the individual member journey. What does that journey look like and how is it impacting your membership growth and retention? I want to quickly walk through the community journey. Phase 1: I have a needAn individual has a need. Maybe it is a question? Maybe it is looking for a job? Maybe it is studying for licensure or certification? Maybe it is wanting a mentor? They have a need and they want to satisfy that need. So they ask a friend where they can go to meet that need or they do a Google search. Your community appears as a potential answer for that need. Potential is the key word here. Is your community meeting the need of your target audience? If the community does not satisfy that need (answering questions, providing job opportunities, connecting individuals with mentors) they will leave the community. They’re gone. You have not retained that member. I challenge you to examine your target audience. Ask them what they are looking for in the community. Are you providing it in a satisfactory way? You can send out a survey, but I find that the type of people who complete surveys tend to be the overachievers. They are that one percent of the most engaged members of the community. Find new members. Arrange a call with them and ask them why they joined? What do they hope to “get” from the community? You can also add these questions into your onboarding strategy as well. Phase 2: New Member The community satisfied the individual's need – CONGRATS! They decide to stick around. They start reading content and liking posts. The community is part of the sites they visit in their daily routine. They may mention some of the things they learn to colleagues or friends. They may start using what they learn in their professional or personal lives. This growth helps them both professionally and personally and they continue to interact with content because of this growth because of what they are learning in the community. Phase 3: Giving Back  The member becomes grateful for the community and the knowledge they have gained. They recognize their growth and success based on the community and they want to give back. The member starts sharing what they have learned and connecting with other members to share their knowledge. Even though this member really is “giving back” to the community. They are also building their reputation as a thought leader in their field. This creates increased networking opportunities and they start to see other benefits. Phase 4: Community LeaderThese members go one step further. They contact you about ideas they have for the community. They see a question and search for the answer. They go out of their way to look for resources to share with the community. They contact you about posts that they think are inappropriate. How do you guide the community journey? Recognizing the personal and professional growth of your members through this “member journey” is critical when trying to grow the community. How do you guide members through this journey? How do you capitalize on community participation? Here are some ideas

• Welcome new members: Are you sending a welcome to new members? Make sure to highlight all the resources and content available in the community? This is a great way to make members aware of the opportunities available to them.
• Encourage members to lead: Do you have personal interaction with members? Do you see discussions where certain members might be able to contribute? Send them the post and ask them to share their expertise. Sometimes you just need to ask. Once they see the rewards from posting in the community, they will be more inclined to get involved in the future.
• Celebrate participation: Did you notice someone ask a great question or share great advice? Send them a quick note to let them know how important their leadership is in the community.
• Empower Your Community Leaders: You know who they are! Find opportunities to celebrate and empower them. Ask for their input and empower them to help you create content and new community initiatives.

In closingMembership growth and retention have and will be a struggle for every organization. To grow the membership, you need to grow the member. Providing leadership opportunities empowers and retains members! I’m interested to hear what you are doing to support your members and help them grow. Please share ideas in the comment section below.