5 Steps to Building an Online Community Connection

In order to have a successful online community connection, you must have things in place that will keep people coming back for more. It must be created with the visitor in mind. The online community should be something that makes them feel special.

You don't have to be a computer geek to do this, but if you feel timid about creating one, then you may have to hire a computer expert to help you set it up.

Here are five steps to use to start building your online community connection:

1. One of the first things you should do is to create a discussion board. As mentioned, you don't have to know any foreign computer languages to get started. There are many software interfaces you can use. The directions for some of them have been simplified enough that a 10 year old could probably figure it out. Custom design the site so that it will stand out.

2. Have a FAQs page. You can direct visitors to it as they come on the site. State as much information as you need to. There will be some things that you may not be able to include. However, it's important to have the basic stuff covered. This can prevent redundant questions being asked and can save you and the visitor time. It's also a good idea to set up a search function, where they can find answers to some of their inquires.

3. To make it interesting, have some webcasts and teleseminars. You could have experts or business people from a related profession talk about their careers and how they got started. You should give yourself a few weeks prior to the event and start advertising. The more you advertise the more people that may come. Send e-mails, do word of mouth and any other effective advertising medium.

4. Allow the audience to ask questions during the teleseminar or webcast. There may be some things that the guest didn't cover and need to be answered. This will definitely make them feel like they are a part of the community.

5. Get feedback from participants for these types of events. Not only that, get feedback and suggestions for other things as well. You can ask them for ideas on how to improve the online community. You won't be able to use every suggestion, but the favorable ones should be given serious consideration.

These steps can help you forge a tighter bond with the people that visit your site. They will be glad to be a part and will respect you even more.

 

I was just stating in another post how many people are getting into webinars now, I guess if you got the time for it it can really build up your community connection, I think one of the most important things is to get people commenting and active on your website/board. Ask questions in your post so readers respond

 

Thanks for the tips given.
All the best.

 

Thanks for providing Online Community Connection tips. It is really good.

 

This post is great. Thank you for sharing tips on how to build a connection within the online community. I really appreciate it.

 

Awesome post Kevin. I really like the FAQ part. Makes sense to have this and to avoid all the redundant questions.

Much appreciated.