"The greatness of a community is most accurately measured by the compassionate actions of its members." – Coretta Scott King

Congratulations on launching a new online community! Your organization has put in a lot of effort and has high expectations for this new venture. To ensure a successful launch and a sustainable community, it's important to focus on showing the value for community members and helping them get engaged quickly. During the launch, take the opportunity to educate others about the reasons behind your organization's investment in the community, its benefits for everyone, and what kind of behavioris expected from members.

1.   Initiate with small group first

It may be tempting to launch the community for everyone simultaneously, but consider starting with a smaller group. Conduct a soft launch with a select group of individuals who comprehend the concept of community and are committed to its development. Having a smaller, dedicated group of members to begin with will establish community standards and foster conversation.

2.   Highlight the launch at an event

Utilize your annual conference, whether virtual or in-person, to educate your customers or members about the community. Instead of making the launch the center of attention during the conference, kick off the community 4 to 6 weeks before the event and use the conference to further raise awareness. To maximize the impact, be innovative and understand your organization's culture to determine what approach will have the greatest effect. There is no one-size-fits-all solution, but some ways to incorporate the community launch into the conference include:

i. Offering raffle prizes for those who post in the community

ii. Hosting a meet-and-greet where early adopters share their experiences

iii. Including a mention of the community and inviting participation in executive sessions by leadership

iv. Providing dedicated sessions to demonstrate how to access and navigate the community. Even if the community can't be the main focus of the conference, it should still be prominent. Consider these tactics:

v. Extending the conference to the online community platform by creating an event community and directing attendees to the community for post-conference materials

vi. Starting discussions based on session topics or hosting an "Ask Me Anything" with the keynote speaker to extend the life of the conference beyond the event dates.

3.     Encourage community adoption

The launch of an online community is not a one-time event. It is important to continue promoting it to maintain engagement among members. To encourage community adoption, you can use automation rules to establish a structured onboarding process, keep FAQs updated, add relevant discussion topics, and provide support channels for members.

4.   Generate community awareness

Think of your community as a new product - create some buzz and entice your audience to see what the excitement is about. This can easily be done on social media or in an email blast.

Launch your community on the go!

That concludes the top 4 tips for a successful community launch. Customize and improve these ideas to put them into action. By implementing these strategies, you can establish a vibrant and engaging online community that aligns with your objectives.

At NbliK, we offer a comprehensive community platform to design, participate, and oversee your community all in one place. Our platform provides tools for boosting engagement, such as polls, Q&A, leader boards, and much more. For further details, get in contact with us right away.