A thoughtful content strategy can mean the difference between a thriving community of engaged members versus crickets. Communities bring a wealth of benefits to our companies. Sales and marketing, customer service, product development and customer intelligence all benefit from customer communities. Your content strategy may vary depending on who owns your community however the goal of providing an incredibly awesome experience to your community members should not vary. Below in light of a podcast I recently did with Feverbee’s Caty Kobe I have six tips to create a compelling content strategy for your online community.
1. Outline Your Goals for the Community
Do you have a transactional community of one-off interactions or a meaningful community where you’re continually building relationships? Is this a support community where people go to get their problems solved? Is this a community where customers convene around a hobby? Asking what the purpose of the community is will help tell the story of the content. A big part of the content story is understanding the community members. What are they there for? What keeps them up at night? What do they need help with? Earning a following by providing useful content, not just continually selling what you do is a way to earn a growing community.
