Crap, it’s happened again. You’ve arrived at a party where you don’t know anyone, and the host is nowhere to be found. The anxious tango begins. Are you supposed to just walk in? Who do you approach? Is everything in the kitchen? Why is it so loud (yet impossible to understand a word anyone says)? Is that Ashley from college or a doppelganger you have never met who will look at you in confusion when you ask where the punch is?

Then it hits you… OH NO. WHERE IS THE BATHROOM?

Matt catches your eye right before the panic wave crashes over you. Finally, the host, in all his glory and knowledge — he’s here to save the day and your bladder! He greets you warmly and shows you around the place. You note exactly where the bathroom is before he brings you to a group of familiar faces. It’s Matt’s friends you played volleyball with that one time! You’re instantly at ease, chatting with people who share your interests and Matt, the host with the most.

Walking into a party without your host can feel confusing, alienating, and frustrating. And for your customers, joining a new community without onboarding is just as bad.

You want to make sure your new members…

• Don’t feel lost or overwhelmed
• Have the information, resources, and tools they need at their fingertips
• Discover new facets of the program or community they weren’t aware of before
• Connect with the Community Manager, so they feel supported
• Have the right expectations and understand what the journey holds for them

Here are 5 easy ways to engage your new community members from the beginning and ensure their long-term success.

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Welcome Emails

Never underestimate the power of a good welcome email series. In most cases, it’s their first impression, and we all know you don’t get two of those.

In the first email, you should welcome and congratulate them, re-introduce yourself, and inform your new member about what to expect. Sure, they know who you are, but give them a bit more insight so they can truly start to feel that connection build. Be the reason they’re excited to dive in, in fact — be their hype-human! Make sure they know you’re excited to meet them and make it as simple as possible for them to access what they’ve signed up for — and in some cases, paid for.

In the following emails, you should aim to empower them and set expectations. They’re in a new world, and with the help of your emails, they will become self-sufficient and be more willing to establish connections with members on their own, rather than having you establish those connections for them. There’s nothing like seeing someone dive in headfirst!

Use these emails as an opportunity to share resources, invite them to events, challenge them to perform an action like introducing themselves to the community, and implement exercises to help them stick to their goals. Do this throughout a couple of weeks, don’t try to fit this all into one email unless you want them to ignore 75% of what you say.

By the end of your series, they should know exactly where to start, the next steps, where to go, who to talk to, and exactly where all of the amazing value in your community comes from!

Video Calls

By now, Zoom has infiltrated every other part of our lives, so why not onboarding too?

If you have the bandwidth, a weekly onboarding call can be a fantastic way to welcome new members. With a video call, it’s easier to connect with your members because you’re practically face to face, and they can get questions answered by a real, live human. Or aliens, I won’t judge anyone from Mars trying to get in on the onboarding game.

For a simple structure, try…

• Introduce yourself, how they can expect to interact with you, and the help you provide.
• Set expectations for the call, including time, etiquette, and participation.
• Create a portion specifically to have them introduce themselves, let them brag about how great they are, and share why they joined. It’s a wonderful way for them to meet other new members and for you to understand their “why.”
• Walk them through the best way to get started. This could be a set of videos they can watch, community resources they should check out, exercises to complete, or even something as simple as a challenge to participate in 5 discussions their first week.
• Discuss Community Guidelines and what the culture looks like.
• Bonus points if you can have them leave with a small win like earning a badge, a highlight in a future post, or even just a shout-out!
• Set aside time for questions at the end, great for feedback!

After the call, your new member should feel well informed and have a task or three to complete for a nice sense of direction. Introducing them to other members and giving them the rundown you’re setting them up for success helps prevent churn and instills a feeling of belonging.

Self-Guided Video

This strategy is a new one to me but an easy favorite. You can use a video service to allow your member all of the benefits of a live onboarding call without commitment.

Using Tolstoy you can provide your newbie with a smiling face, easy-to-understand instructions, interactive conversation, and an easy way to get started on their own schedule and comfort level. It’s a Choose Your Own Adventure without turning to page 374 for the big payoff at the end.

Use the video adventure to empower your members with knowledge, introduce yourself and other moderators, show them where to go for their needs and what to expect moving forward, show off some of your favorite areas or conversations, and leave them with a plan to start engaging. By the end of the video, they will clearly know what’s next and how to be your new best friend.

Self Introduction

Encouraging your members to introduce themselves in a comfortable environment without a big commitment through an introduction thread is a simple and common way to accomplish your goal. Personally, if onboarding means I don’t have to be on video, then it’s even better, and I’m more likely to jump in headfirst.

You can create a discussion channel dedicated to introductions or a ritual post that welcomes new members and encourages interaction. It’s great for a small win; every win makes churn less likely.

Going back to the imaginary party from earlier, this thread is the host’s first stop when someone walks through the door. You want to let your guests know where to find the refreshments and essential facilities and help them find people they’ll vibe with.

An easy way to do this is to tell them exactly what they need to know and what you want to know.

• Introduce yourself
• Direct them to any goodies that are helpful for newbies
• Encourage them to introduce themselves and provide some points you would like them to hit.

I am a big fan of simplicity, so I have a nifty welcome video with a CTA in our main Group, DM Engage for Lab Members. I tag in all new members to chime in and just give them an idea of what they’re about to get into. 

For some additional inspiration, check out what Orbit asks when you join their Discord Server.

This is a wonderful way to dip your toes in the community water and build rapport.

Additionally, the Orbit team practices something I consider to be non-negotiable…

They respond, and not only with a “welcome,” but with a thoughtful response to what you’ve written! It showcases they’re listening and if I had written something they could have helped with, I guarantee a resource would have been sent my way.

If you encourage your members to share but then don’t acknowledge and engage yourself, you’re leaving them hanging, and the coolest kids at the party know you never leave a bud hanging.

Peer Welcome Wagon

A wonderfully effective way to onboard new members and make sure they’re fully immersed is by setting them up with others. Your secret weapons even…

Collect a crew of Super Users, Volunteers, Moderators, Evangelists, and other words for people who are invested in the community and raised their hands because they want to help others have the same warm fuzzies.

Have these volunteers be an extension of you by being your eyes and ears when you’re doing something important, like making your sixth cup of coffee.

They should…

• Participate in every welcome post
• Introduce themselves to new members once they raise their hands
• Respond to “lonely posts” that don’t get the love other posts do

Walking into a room where you’re the stranger is difficult, but then imagine doing that and getting up the courage to introduce yourself to everyone you see. Very scary. If all your brave newbie hears is crickets, it’s a terrible experience and makes them less likely to interact or post again. With a welcome wagon, that scenario is a thing of the past!

Mix n’ Match

For a truly powerful experience, do more than one of these. In fact, customize this until you have your own beautiful Franken-Onboarding.

Everyone interacts differently. There is no one-size-fits-all solution, and there shouldn’t be! Test, measure, and experiment until you have something totally unique that works for you and all of your new best friends.

What Happens After Onboarding?

The next step after onboarding entirely depends on your community’s needs and your mission for your community, but here are some tips that can help inform the best path to take.

• Collect feedback and act upon it, or explain the why behind your choice not to make a change. Feedback is only helpful if you use it to make informed decisions and it fits your goals/mission.
• If you have a perfect member, someone you would clone if you could, collect their feedback specifically. What did their member journey look like? What made them stay? Where do they get value? What would they change? Etc…
• Continue to empower your members with knowledge. Remind them about the extras in your community like events, tools, and resources.
• Create a 30/60/90 day plan of what they should accomplish or complete based on your research, and include how you can help.
• Never stop onboarding. That’s right, continue to engage them, check in, interact, and make sure they feel heard. Onboarding happens all the time, you just have to keep an eye out.

Communities constantly evolve, so review your onboarding process every now and again to ensure it’s still accomplishing what you want it to. Take the feedback seriously but also with a grain of salt; not all feedback aligns with your mission, and that’s fine.

Remember that not every community is for everyone, you will experience churn, and it’s all a part of the learning process. As long as you take care of your members and give them what they need, you’ll have a party that no one stops talking about and can’t wait to attend again.

The post The 5 Secrets to Community Onboarding: How to Reduce Churn and Create Super Fans appeared first on DigitalMarketer.

Now at first glance, you may think that’s Dance Moms Star Maddie Ziegler, but you’d be mistaken. 

This gif is from the trailer of a new movie, M3gan, about a lifelike robot/doll that takes her job of protecting her companion to new lengths. The trailer keeps you guessing from the tragic backstory of the main characters, the introduction of our antagonist, and the “unaliving” of innocent side characters in the name of protecting her companion Cady. 

But, nothing is more surprising than the TikTok virality of the dancing and ominous tone that is still somehow present as M3gan busts a move to Taylor Swift. This is truly where the genius comes in; stick with me. 

The trailer was posted today, October 11th, and even though the dancing and sick moves only last ten seconds, it’s quickly becoming a meme. It’s spreading across TikTok, Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook like wildfire. Here are some of my personal favorites.

In less than 24 hours, the memes alone have done the work for the marketing team. Within a week, there will probably be hundreds or thousands, and it will be an “old” meme that even your parents have seen. 

“Where did that meme come from?” Oh, it came from this movie trailer I saw. It’s amazing you have to watch it!

Not only that, but movie news outlets are eating it up. They’re excited about the film and are ready to see what else M3gan has to offer. Fangoria says…

“There’s not a single thing going on here that doesn’t have us excited… We have nothing further to report about M3GAN at this time, but rest assured that we’ll be eagerly monitoring its journey to the big screen on January 13th.”

One of the longest-running horror magazines out there is excited and eagerly awaiting its cinema release. In addition to that, The A.V. Club, a supplement to The Onion, has nothing but good things to say about this new release…

“Whether she’s crawling through the woods or performing an unforgettably menacing hallway dance routine, M3GAN can’t be bothered with anything that doesn’t involve slaying, literally and figuratively.”

What the marketing team has created is a viral campaign, and it took all of ten seconds within a 2+ minute video. This campaign is where Content and Video come together to make something beautiful and effective.  

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The publicity from the internet’s neverending memes and the hype created by excited horror fans is precisely what a marketing team would want, and I, for one, am proud of them.

Will M3gans marketing rival the likes of Toy Story 3 with their retro-themed toy commercials or The Dark Dark Knight with their fully immersive campaign that gave you things to do online and IRL?

Only time will tell, but for now, I am curious to see how the team capitalizes on the success they’ve had so far, and you better believe I will be in those seats ready to see M3gan throw down… Swingline Paper Cutter and all.

The post How the M3gan Trailer Might Actually Be Genius appeared first on DigitalMarketer.

A little birdy told me you want to know what this “Community” stuff is you keep hearing about. I promise it’s not scary, at least not as frightening as Data Tracking and Analytics. 

Ahh, Numbers!

No need to worry, you’re safe here, and the data can’t get you. At least, not in this particular post. 

Community is a tale as old as time and is simply evolving along with humanity; perhaps it’s time you join the party! 

I like curiosity so allow me to be your guide through the magical and underrated world of Community Building. By the time you finish reading, you’ll know what a Community is, why you should want one, and what a Community Builder can do for you.

What is Community, and why is it important?

If you ask the peeps at Merriam-Webster, the TL;DR version is that a community is people with common interests living in a particular area, or a group of people with a common characteristic or interest living together within a larger society. That’s not a bad definition if you ask me, but I think we can do better in this case.

Community is not a place—not even that arcade you and your friends used to frequent—and despite the common misconception, it’s not an exchange of information over the internet. Community is about a feeling and relationships built among people. As DigitalMarketer says, it’s “a segment of people who form relationships due to shared goals, experiences, and interests”. 

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Community members will have built a sense of trust, belonging, and caring for each other. 

That warm, fuzzy feeling of community comes from shared experiences and shared history… uncommon commonalities, you could say. 

Like I said, a tale as old as time. We’ve all been a member of communities in one way or another, even if it wasn’t in a platform or forum.

How can this benefit your business?

When done right, the community can most commonly decrease costs and increase revenue through higher retention, brand awareness, brand loyalty, ticket deflection, content development, and member advocacy. 

When a sense of belonging is created, a relationship is built between your members and each other. Even better, one between you and your members. We’re all partying together!

A Community can be the most potent customer feedback loop you’ve ever seen! In our largest Community, DM Engage (for our DM Lab members), I know I can always count on honest and constructive feedback from our members, and they’re not shy about asking for what they want. 

The power of user-generated content? Unmatched. Imagine seeing this testimonial on a landing page.

I don’t mean to toot our horn, but you can bet that after an experience like this, Michael “Buzz” Buzinski will be a lifetime DigitalMarketer member. With the right environment, you can grab tons of screenshots like this and, even better, videos! 

As a bonus, Buzz and I will be buddies for life!

What is a Community Builder?

This one is a doozy, not because it’s difficult to define, but because there can be so many definitions! 

For me, it’s someone who nurtures connections and relationships on a small or large scale. It can be one to one or one to many. They’re strategic, semi-organized, unafraid to be the bad guy, and empathetic. They create a “home” for people to gather.

If you ask one of my favorite Twitter people to follow, it’s…

“A community builder can be someone who works to create a structure that will hopefully enable a community to thrive. The platform, the processes, and the important, sometimes difficult choices.” Patrick O’Keefe, Community Lead at CNN

A Community Builder is an architect of experiences and relationships, as cheesy as that may sound. Without one, you’re probably not achieving what you set out to do. 

A Gatekeeper, a People Manager, a Content Moderator, a Ring Master in your circus…whatever you call them, are the ones building the house your members will live in and that your members will help decorate to their needs and tastes. 

What does a Community Builder do?

A better question is ‘What don’t they do’?

Your ironing, probably. Their own ironing, maybe. (I am both of these people.)

They plan, write, structure, promote, burn out, create momentum, are really in their feelings, and don’t do anything without a reason. 

No matter how silly or unnecessary something might seem, there is a reason behind the madness.

Note: Don’t talk to your Community person when they’ve got that look on their face, they’re plotting, they’re in the zone, and something amazing or horrific is about to happen. You’ll love it. 

The big thing here is that everything in Community is about intention. It’s in how your members choose to show up and interact, and how your Community Builder architects the conversations, events, and overall experience. They’re like mad scientists, only they’re not angry, just lots of heart and not enough caffeine yet.

In Community, some things happen by chance… or do they? If you intended to start a conversation that ended up being a meaningful moment of connection between your members… is it really just luck? This is what I call vibing together.

This is where the magic happens; your Community person sets the stage for the right conversations. How? Well, with a sprinkle of inviting copy, a dash of one-on-one chats, a pinch of puppy posts (because puppy posts always get the job done), and a whole bunch of strategic content that guides your members to complete the actions you intend them to… 

…Just call me Community Witch because that’s a potion that will provide.

What skills or traits does a Community Builder need?

If you’d like to replicate yourself a Michelle, it’s about: 40% irreverence, 40% hard work, 10% wanting to show the haters they’re wrong, and another 10% of hard work (just not on Friday afternoons). 

What you’re looking for is a people person who enjoys the freedom of creativity, has a curious streak, and knows how to get shi*t done. Imagine a customer service professional with project management and content skills. Sounds cool, right? That’s because it is. 

Let’s talk about skills.

This may sound like an oxymoron, but it takes strong soft skills to make a great Community Professional. Let’s start with some of the more obvious ones. 

• Organized. Community can be messy. You’re in twenty different tabs, three different platforms, with multiple conversations running, and Slack pinging all at once. You’ve got to be organized enough to know what is going on at any moment. Sure it can be exhausting, but boy, oh boy, is it fun!
• Communication. How can you build relationships with someone if you can’t communicate? I’m sure it’s possible, but imagine the difficulty! Excellent written and verbal communication is essential when you’re the mouthpiece for the brand. Let’s not accidentally promise 3k worth of bonuses when it was actually 1k. 
• Empathetic. It’s similar to Customer Service; you’re not always hearing from people on their best day. You must be able to take in what the other person is saying, listen, and understand their point of view. That way, you can provide them with honest response to their issue. Often in Community, the bond and relationship become so strong you deal with things you wouldn’t expect. You’re an advocate for members and an advocate for the brand. It’s a balancing act; the base is your ability to empathize and communicate. 
• Leadership. As a Community Professional, you’re building paths for your members to take, and you’re leading by example. Members look to you to calm the chaos, enforce the Guidelines, and to learn how to interact in the beginning. 
• Boundary Setting. Because Community roles are so heavy on emotion, we also need to be fully aware and able to set boundaries with not just members but also our coworkers and ourselves. It’s okay to be the bad guy once in a while if you’re protecting what has been built. While the community is for the members, it’s your house, and they’re just living in it. Your Community Professional should know when to advocate for the community and when to advocate for the brand. 
• Creativity. You’ve got all this feedback, so now what? Time to get creative and put that feedback to work! There is no one-size-fits-all solution to Community, and they should be able to whip up some short-form copy and think up new opportunities when needed.
• Curiosity. One of our old core values here at DigitalMarketer was to “know the why,” and I think that applies to Community. Adaptability is the game’s name, so when you see something wonky with the Community, your KPIs, or member interaction, you have to figure it out ASAP. Not only that, but the world of Community is developing at a break-neck pace. You have to be able to keep up with the progress and roll with it. 
• Storytelling. You may not be able to tell from this post, but I can spin up a mean story here and there. You want someone who can paint a picture, set the stage, and control the narrative. You want all the things that require wordsmithing so they can tell a story that brings forth action. The other important part of storytelling is how your Community person will bring stories from the community that leadership and stakeholders care about. Testimonials, feedback, content ideas, etc..… You know, all the good stuff. 

Where can I find one?

While this one might have found her forever home, many Community Professionals are available to be adopted hired!

• Remote Digital Jobs
  If you’re remote-friendly, I highly recommend this one. It’s not Community specific, but the Group is, as they say, fire. Quality candidates, quality group, and a world of opportunity!
• CMX
  The company responsible for my Community spark has a few options. There is a job board, a Slack group, and a Facebook Group; all are free job postings!
• Community Club
  Another company offering the trifecta, job board, Slack group, and a Community!
• The Community Roundtable
  A staple in the Community world, and they have their job board!
• We Support NYC
  Let me just preface this with; I am obsessed with their newsletter. Sign up for that while you’re emailing them your job listing. 

While I’m sure there are more, these are some of my favorites! Now go out there and find yourself a perfect match for your brand and your members.

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