How to increase engagement when everybody is working from home
In the previous article How to increase community engagement, we focused on in-person communities. However, especially these days, when everybody is working remotely due to coronavirus, it’s important to engage your community online. How do you do it? Find out below.
The first step when you try to increase your online community engagement is to think about the goals of your community members. Do they want to learn something? Do they want to connect with others who share the same beliefs and values? Do they want to contribute to something big and positive? If you know your community members and their motivations, interests, and needs well, you can more easily create an online environment that helps you to fulfill your community members’ goals.
Here are four ways to drive and maintain engagement in your community:
Introduce gamification
If recognition drives your community members, you can take some inspiration from gamification. One of the elements of gamification might be a contest or quiz. Create an online contest, bring people together and build a real sense of community. The winner will be announced and receive an award. Be creative with the challenges and rewards!
Especially these days, Spaceflow can help with community building in your space. In the Spaceflow app, you can run contests, quizzes and ask users their opinions in polls.
Profiles, pictures, photos
Remotely-connected communities are often not quite as “strong” as in-person communities because they are less personal. While we may agree that nothing beats face-to-face meetings, in online settings real photos, and profiles filled in with relevant information can help to eliminate anonymity.
In Spaceflow every user can create a profile with a picture and other important information. You can interact with your occupiers in chat or post interesting content with real, not stock photos and pictures to make the online life more vivid! You can empower your tenants to ask and offer help in the news feed with the 'Join me for' feature.
Exclusive content
One of the biggest challenges for every community manager is to continually deliver the most relevant, interesting and inspiring content, which is why it is important to have the tools and methods to get to know your community members. If you know your community, you will more easily provide content that keeps your members engaged. It is essential to make your members feel special and that being a part of the community is a must, not just an optional perk.
PRO-tip for those using Spaceflow already: The ability to convey a message quickly and seamlessly, in selected buildings or portfolio-wide, is even more crucial these days for property managers. We’ve noticed many of them use Spaceflow to share tips on how to protect their community members and present the precautions they have introduced. Have a look!
In the Spaceflow app, you can create a poll and ask your tenants what topics they want to read about or what they want to learn these days. You can promote the hottest news and updates from local service providers to keep your occupiers up to date. Last but not least, another way to deliver valuable content is to host an online event. Let's do it!
Space to interact
Above all - create a space where your community members can chat, share experiences, comment, express their opinions and inspire others. Put simply, space where they can interact. Without meaningful interactions, there can be no community, even if your gamification and content efforts are out of this world. So give your group a place to spread their wings and make friends!
In a remote-centric world, people still need to connect with their community in real-time. As they don’t have the chance to actually connect in a physical space, help them out in the digital world. In the Spaceflow app you can communicate directly with occupiers, especially tenant representatives. Your occupiers can comment and like your posts, so empower and encourage them to do that.
One last thing: David Spinks from CMX has written an inspiring article called A Comprehensive List of Tips, Tools, and Examples for Event Organizers During the Coronavirus Outbreak. There are a ton of resources here for planning and executing virtual events, so be sure to check it out!
