4 Ways Member Contribution in Online Communities Can Boost Business Growth

Online communities have become the ‘nucleus’ of customer interactions for organizations across the industry.

Brands, today, are leveraging online communities to build authentic relationships with their customers by addressing their issues. This holds true when we look at communities from an organization’s point of view.

Turning the tables, when we look at communities from the perspective of its members, it becomes a space where they connect with like-minded peers. They get the opportunity to cross-collaborate and generate information that helps fellow members in resolving queries.

For members, communities are platforms where they can share knowledge and empower brands to achieve customer success indirectly.

Fascinated by the multi-dimensional nature of communities?

Let’s deep dive into the concept and understand how member contributions in communities can empower businesses to scale.

Types of Members in Online Communities

Members are the lifeblood of an online community.

But not all members are the same. Communities comprise a range of members who play diverse roles and responsibilities. Below we’ve defined each type of community member and the role they play in your online community:

• The Consumers: The consumers are not active members. They visit your community and consume the content that’s available without showing any activity. They are often referred to as lurkers.
• The Advocates: The advocates are your brand loyalists. They are repeat buyers who spread good words about your products and services using word-of-mouth marketing. They are active participants in your community.
• The Creators: The creators contribute to your community by engaging with the content that you post in the community. They also participate in discussions and activities and are the key generators of user-generated content.
• The Super Users: The superusers are the formal leaders of your community. They are the expert users of your products and services. Superusers empower fellow community users by providing knowledge and guiding them.

4 Ways Member Contribution in Online Communities Can Boost Business Growth

Research suggests that 64%[i] of users were visiting online communities more often than before.

The growth of your online community depends upon engagement that happens in the community. And that largely depends on how actively the members participate.

Here are 4 ways your community members contribute to your community and empower you to grow.

1. Turns Your Community into a Goldmine of Information: Members in your community share ideas, opinions, and issues, which leads to the generation of data. This turns your community into a hub of information. The creation of user-generated content gives your community a humane touch, which is essential for your users to resonate with your community.

2. Helps in Increasing Customer Base: Your community members are your true brand advocates. When satisfied with your products/services, they spread awareness about your brand using word-of-mouth marketing. This enables you to target more users and grow your customer base.

3. Increases Engagement in Your Community: More members. More engagement. When members in your community cross-collaborate, it leads to better engagement. Your community thrives and attracts more members, all while reaping you repeat business and more customers.

4. Improves Brand Recognition: When members contribute to your online community regularly and engage in valuable conversations, your community thrives with quality content. This, ultimately, makes your community a trusted source of information and helps your organization to strengthen its reputation and credibility.

Every online community shares different goals. And the presence and contribution of every member matters. Because when members collaborate, participate, and consume content, your community becomes successful.

As a community manager, ensure that you motivate your community members to contribute to the community by adopting a humane approach. When the members resonate with your community, only then will they come back for more.

Wish to Create Vibrant Online Communities and Take Engagement a Notch Higher? Talk to Us!

References:
[i] https://peerboard.com/resources/online-community-statistics#users