RE: 4 Ideas for Engaging Customers within Communities

Former Member — Tue, 06 Feb 2018 21:38:32 GMT

I love your 4th bullet point! "Highlight the fans"

Community members give freely of their time, to help others and contribute to the cause of the community with whom they've affiliated. More often than not, these members are intrinsically motivated to give, to share, and to help! I feel like a time will come, with any community contributor, where if they do not feel they are adding value, they will withdrawal and move along.

It's a very small cost, on the side of community management, to dig into your data and find a handful of your community advocates, and highlight them! By putting the spotlight on them and their valuable contributions, you do a few things:

Provides positive reinforcement to your contributing members
Increases "contributor" and even "participant", and possibly even the "consumer" commitment to contribute
Triggers an instinctive incentive for others who see this recognition, to participate and aspire to achieve similar accolades
Develops a deeper sense of your Community Culture... a culture of recognition and reward for the sacrifice of time and energy that your members offer, to contribute to your cause

What is the cost of a compliment? What is the benefit? And which of these far exceeds the other?