{"id":11611,"date":"2016-01-18T18:55:25","date_gmt":"2016-01-18T18:55:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/crowdcontent.com\/blog\/?p=11611"},"modified":"2019-04-15T14:21:09","modified_gmt":"2019-04-15T18:21:09","slug":"how-to-start-a-successful-online-community-in-5-steps","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.crowdcontent.com\/blog\/content-marketing\/how-to-start-a-successful-online-community-in-5-steps\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Start a Successful Online Community in 5 Steps"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Starting an online community is something that has the potential to skyrocket your corporation or business by bringing together your clientele or followers. However, for many, it is also a daunting project.<\/p>\n<p>Not to worry, in these 5 easy steps we will share how you can start an online community and get it off the ground in no time.<\/p>\n<h2>1. Appealing to User Self-Interests<\/h2>\n<p>Do not make the mistake of focusing on yourself or your business too much. Members who are there for their own reasons are what drives a successful online community. Create a community environment that caters to <a title=\"8 Questions to Identify &amp; Appeal to Anyone's Self Interests\" href=\"http:\/\/www.hellomynameisblog.com\/2009\/03\/8-questions-to-identify-and-appeal-to.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">your users\u2019 self-interests<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>A great way to cater to your users\u2019 interests is to crowd source.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Use the power of the collective to provide insight, share ideas and solve issues.<\/li>\n<li>Proactively invite your customer base to weigh in on important issues that your company has been struggling with and see what solutions they have to offer.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>2. Sustaining Momentum<\/h2>\n<p>An online community without much activity will die quickly.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-11628\" src=\"https:\/\/www.crowdcontent.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/16\/entrepreneur-593352_1920-620x410.jpg\" alt=\"how to build an online community\" width=\"620\" height=\"410\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.crowdcontent.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/16\/entrepreneur-593352_1920-620x410.jpg 620w, https:\/\/www.crowdcontent.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/16\/entrepreneur-593352_1920-320x212.jpg 320w, https:\/\/www.crowdcontent.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/16\/entrepreneur-593352_1920-1170x775.jpg 1170w, https:\/\/www.crowdcontent.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/16\/entrepreneur-593352_1920.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 620px) 100vw, 620px\" \/><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Consider how you might recruit more members or guarantee more of their time.<\/li>\n<li>Plan the first couple of weeks of community activity to ensure that activity is consistent and steadily increases.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>One of the most highly recommended methods is to develop a champion program, or a program that rewards expert contributors for their <a title=\"5 Insider Tips For Keeping Your Community Active\" href=\"http:\/\/www.socialfresh.com\/active-community\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">contributions to the community<\/a>.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Add some leaderboards, gratification features and showcase the most valuable members.<\/li>\n<li>You may even consider including reputation data to show other members how trustworthy and credible comments are.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>You may also be interested in<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.smartpassiveincome.com\/how-to-keep-a-forum-active\/\">How to Keep a Forum Extremely Active\u2014Engagement Tips from 5 Pros<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bigmarker.com\/BMCommunity\/online_Community_Active\">How to Keep Your Online Community Active [VIDEO]<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.slideshare.net\/BigMarker\/how-to-keep-your-online-community-active\">5 Ways to Keep Your Online Community Active [SLIDESHARE]<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>3. Developing a Group of Core Members<\/h2>\n<p>One of the most important tasks you will face is <a title=\"How to Find an Audience for Your Online Community Before It Launches [Case Study]\" href=\"http:\/\/contentmarketinginstitute.com\/2012\/07\/find-an-audience-for-your-online-community\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">developing a group of core members<\/a> to start your online community off. You may contact a few long time, loyal clients or send out an email newsletter to your mailing list.<\/p>\n<p>If you ensure that the community embodies something that they are invested in, then by the time you launch you will already have a dedicated group of members who cannot wait to begin using it. It also helps to involve company employees and reward customers for their contributions.<\/p>\n<p><strong>You may also be interested in reading<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/moz.com\/ugc\/how-i-built-an-online-community-from-0-to-1500-members\">How I Built an Online Community From 0 to 1500+ Members | Moz<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.socialmediaexaminer.com\/online-community-management-for-dummies\/\">How to Grow and Manage an Engaged Online Community | Social Media Examiner<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>4. Getting Members to Keep Returning<\/h2>\n<p>It is easier than not to get a member to visit one time. However, it is much harder to get them to visit a 2nd time or even more. What could you ask them to do on the first visit that would ensure they return?<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Ensure that you have provided<a title=\"Forbes | How Social Communities Are Changing Online Interaction\" href=\"http:\/\/www.forbes.com\/sites\/theyec\/2012\/03\/21\/how-social-communities-are-changing-online-interaction\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> relevant and compelling content<\/a>\u00a0from <a href=\"http:\/\/www.crowdcontent.com\">professional content writers<\/a>, and made the community easy to find.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Ensure that the community contributes to the overall customer experience<\/strong>, as well as keeping content fresh and interesting.<\/li>\n<li>In addition, you should offer a warm welcome and exclusive content offers.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>5. Timed Release of Website Elements<\/h2>\n<p>With a new online community website, you may have to resist the urge to have the website completely built before opening the doors. In fact, the timed release of certain website elements could be very beneficial.<\/p>\n<p>If you have a community website with many unused features, it could make your website look quiet. Holding back certain elements of your website will help to keep activity concentrated in certain areas and create a more active-looking website.<\/p>\n<p><strong>If you&#8217;re looking for inspiration, you may like<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.vandelaydesign.com\/community-websites\/\">Top-Tier Community Websites for Design Inspiration<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/url?sa=t&amp;rct=j&amp;q=&amp;esrc=s&amp;source=web&amp;cd=1&amp;cad=rja&amp;uact=8&amp;ved=0ahUKEwihkYXAsqrKAhXG8x4KHbq_CCwQFggqMAA&amp;url=http%3A%2F%2Fwebbyawards.com%2Fwinners%2F2015%2Fwebsites%2Fgeneral-website%2Fcommunity%2F&amp;usg=AFQjCNG64XoUHWLYoBjhytb-IIpiOeKnVQ&amp;sig2=DkO_GxyfQIRfS6GAG9z9sw\" rel=\"bf34c750 x_url\" data-href=\"http:\/\/webbyawards.com\/winners\/2015\/websites\/general-website\/community\/\">Community Sites 2015 | The Webby Awards<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/toc.oreilly.com\/2012\/12\/the-7-key-features-of-an-online-community.html\">The 7 Key Features of an Online Community<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Following these 5 steps will help you <a title=\"The Rise to the Top | 12 Keys To Building Your Online Community\" href=\"http:\/\/www.therisetothetop.com\/davids-blog\/12-keys-building-online-community\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">create a successful and active online community<\/a> website. However, it is important to bear in mind that \u2018Rome was not built in a day.\u2019<\/p>\n<p>By timing the release of certain website elements and ensuring that a systematic formula is followed, you can guarantee a successful online community is created.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Starting an online community is something that has the potential to skyrocket your corporation or business by bringing together your clientele or followers. However, for many, it is also a daunting project. Not to worry, in these 5 easy steps we will share how you can start an online community and get it off the [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":237,"featured_media":11627,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_stopmodifiedupdate":false,"_modified_date":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v22.7 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>How to Start a Successful Online Community in 5 Steps - Crowd Content - Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Get your business rolling with an active and successful online community. In this article, we will tell how to start an online community in 5 easy steps.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.crowdcontent.com\/blog\/content-marketing\/how-to-start-a-successful-online-community-in-5-steps\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"How to Start a Successful Online Community in 5 Steps - Crowd Content - Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Get your business rolling with an active and successful online community. 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