Member Communities have become a popular tool for professional associations and Trade-Based Association to engage with their members and partners. Communities provide a platform for members to come together and share information, knowledge, and support. By establishing communities, associations can build stronger relationships with their members, increase member satisfaction and loyalty, and ultimately drive revenue growth.
One of the primary benefits of an online community is that they allow associations to engage with their members in a more meaningful way. By participating in online conversations and answering questions, organizations can continue to build trust and credibility with their members, and establish themselves as the leading experts in their field. This can help with membership retention and provide the ability to upsell different products, like trainings, books, publications and more.
Associations can benefit from online communities because they offer a useful feedback and insights into their members’ needs, preferences, and pain points. By monitoring the conversations and discussions taking place on the community platform, organizations can gather valuable information that can be used to create targeted sessions at conferences, develop training around specific topics, and more. The insights gained through community engagement can also help associations stay ahead of industry trends and ensure that they are providing relevant and valuable services to their members.
Another benefit of communities is that they help associations build a sense of community among their members. By facilitating conversations between members, organizations can create a space where people can connect with one another, share their experiences, and offer support. This can be particularly valuable for organizations that operate in industries where community and support are important, such as healthcare, legal and education.
Communities can also be a valuable tool for providing member support. By offering a platform where members can ask questions and get help from other members or staff, associations can reduce the burden on their member support teams and improve response times. This can help to increase member satisfaction and loyalty, as members are more likely to renew their memberships due to fast and effective support.
What are the downsides?
There are also some potential downsides to using Communities. One of the main challenges is moderating the conversations to ensure that they remain productive and respectful. Associations need to have clear guidelines and rules in place to prevent inappropriate or offensive behavior, and to ensure that conversations remain focused and on-topic.
Another potential challenge is keeping up with the volume of conversations taking place in the communities. Associations need to have a community manager to monitor the conversations, respond to questions and comments, and ensure that the community remains active and engaging.
Recommendations for organizations that are considering launching a member community:
Develop clear guidelines and rules: Associations should have clear guidelines and rules in place to prevent inappropriate or offensive behavior, and to ensure that conversations remain productive and respectful. These guidelines should be communicated clearly to users, and enforced consistently.
Assign a community manager: Associations should have dedicated staff member to monitor the conversations and respond to questions and comments as they arise.
Encourage user-generated content: Organizations should encourage users to create and share their own content in the community, such as publications, tutorials, or trainings. This can help to keep the community active and engaging, and reduce the burden on association staff to generate content.
Use analytics to monitor engagement: Associations should use analytics tools to monitor user engagement on the discussion board, and track key metrics such as the number of active users, the frequency and duration of visits, and the level of participation in discussions. This can help associations to identify trends and areas for improvement, and adjust their strategies accordingly. It can also provide additional information on which members are most likely renew and those that are not.
What does Salesforce offer for Member Communities?
If your association is considering building an online community, consider Experience Cloud by Salesforce. The Salesforce Experience Cloud is a powerful platform that can help associations build, launch, and manage their member communities. With a range of customizable templates and tools, organizations can create engaging and personalized experiences for their members, while also benefiting from robust analytics and reporting capabilities. In addition, the Salesforce platform offers seamless integration with other Salesforce products, such as Sales Cloud, Service Cloud and Marketing Cloud, making it easy to manage all aspects of the member journey in one place. Overall, the Salesforce Experience Cloud can help associations to drive member engagement, increase revenue, and build stronger, more connected communities.
About Systems Rewired:
Systems Rewired is a Salesforce consulting company providing professional service solutions to associations and nonprofits. If your organization is considering launching a community, contact us today to find out how we can assist.