Unleashing the Power of Digital Communities: Insights on Community Strategy

09.06.23

Laliv Hadar, VP, Marketing
InVision Communications

Unleashing the Power of Digital Communities: Insights on Community Strategy

With the constant evolution of the B2B space, digital communities have proven themselves as influential tools for fostering engagement, building customer loyalty, and driving business growth. They give consumers a safe space to form connections and communicate authentically about business challenges, something we all crave in the post-pandemic virtual-centric world.

In part two of the InVision Xcast podcast, “The Future of Marketing: Exploring the Power of Digital Communities,” we continued our discussion with guest Michael Cooksey, Head of Community at Qualtrics XM, highlighting the important insights he shared with us about the essential strategies that drive successful digital community building for the long-term:  

The Foundation of Successful Digital Communities
Imagine embarking on a journey without a clear map or destination in mind – the chances of reaching your desired outcome are slim. The same principle holds true for digital communities. Intention is everything with digital communities. Experimental and unstructured ideas won’t serve in the long run. Drafting a plan for categories, segments, and incentives for participation is critical during the first steps. It all begins with purposeful and well-informed strategy-makers. Don’t be afraid to fully dive into building up community expertise; becoming familiar with the unique nuances of digital communities will set you up for long-lived and successful journey.

Measuring the Impact
Metrics are the north star guiding your community's progress. Engagement metrics such as time spent on page, bounce rate, conversions, and enrollments provide a comprehensive view of user experience. Analyzing traffic sources and localization needs offer insights into your community's global reach. But don't stop there – embrace the concept of Return on Investment (ROI) for a holistic perspective. Metrics such as lead identification, reduced customer service costs, and productivity figures can paint a more holistic picture on the greater value of communities. While financial gains are an undeniable benefit, don't lose sight of the organic advantages that brand communities bring including loyalty, retention, engagement, and renewal.

Utilizing Experience Management
The key to effective engagement lies in understanding your audience. This is where surveys and experience management tools come into play. Audience needs act as your compass, their experiences and feedback steering you towards optimized community evolution. Combined with metrics, sending out regular surveys can bring insights that help shape your strategy. While this allows you to create an engaging experience that resonates with your customers, it also reinforces that you’ve created this community for them and to support them.

Innovating Content for Enhanced Engagement
In a world bustling with information, capturing attention requires innovative strategies. By embracing video content, you're not just providing information – you're offering an experience. Written programming complements this approach, delivering in-depth knowledge that fuels engagement. The key? Keep it digestible, ensuring your audience craves more. This mix of formats allows you to cater to diverse learning preferences, empowering your community members to engage on their terms.

Bridging the Gap Between In-Person and Digital Engagement
The impact of digital communities doesn't stop at virtual borders. In-person events can be supported by the digital community, allowing members to communicate from wherever they are and foster relationships long after events are over. The community serves as a conduit, connecting conversations from the digital and physical realms. From webinars to in-person conferences, the community becomes the heartbeat that sustains these interactions. The result? A cohesive and holistic engagement experience that transcends time zones and geographical boundaries.

The Evergreen Presence of Digital Communities
As you wrap up your exploration of digital communities, remember this: the journey doesn't end here; it's just the beginning. By creating an aligned starting plan, embracing meaningful metrics, and prioritizing customer needs, you're setting the stage for a community that not only flourishes financially but transforms the way you can engage your audience over the long run.

If you missed part one of our blog on successful digital community building, you can read it here.