Online Community Management: A Day in the Life
Online community management is about fostering engagement, creating value, and (sometimes) generating revenue!
In an episode of The Member Engagement Show podcast, I had the pleasure of talking to Angela Costa and Kendrick Johnson, who manage the online community for TD Synnex. TD Synnex is a leading IT distributor and they leverage their online community platform, Level Up, to educate and connect their reseller and vendor partners. Angela and Kendrick shared some great tips for how to manage online an online community (and monetize it!).
Here are some of the highlights…
Boost Community Engagement with a Newsletter
Having a community digest-style email is one excellent way for online community managers to increase member engagement.
TD Synnex’s Level Up Lowdown newsletter boasts a 45% open rate among 8,000 users. Its success lies in consistent delivery and targeted content. For associations, newsletters or digests can spotlight new resources or events, driving traffic to the community.
Avoid “Random Acts of Marketing”
One of my favorite moments was when Angela pointed out that just because you build it, doesn’t mean anyone will come to it. Managing an online community doesn’t stop at creation. Associations must actively strategize to attract both members and sponsors. This means creating valuable content, sharing consistently, and ensuring easy accessibility.
Angela recommended developing an editorial calendar to prevent “random acts of marketing.” This not only aligns your messaging but ensures the platform offers fresh, relevant resources that keep users engaged.
Keep Online Community Content Fresh
If you don’t make it obvious that new content is available on your online community, members won’t have a reason to revisit it regularly.
Make sure to keep homepage content dynamic. Members expect updates—stale pages discourage return visits. Updating resources monthly and highlighting popular topics like AI ensures continual engagement.
A good online community platform – like Higher Logic Thrive – can help with this, providing an interactive feed that highlights the latest conversations and resources.
Seek Sponsorship Revenue and Resources
Sponsors are an excellent source of both revenue and resources for your community members. Community managers who keep an eye out for ways to monetize the community are in a better position to defend their organization’s investment in a community platform and have funds for continuous improvement.
Angela and Kendrick demonstrated how TD Synnex monetizes their community by offering sponsors targeted opportunities like banner ads, sponsored pages, and newsletter placements. They noted the importance of educating sponsors on crafting impactful and strategically positioned content. Kendrick found that sponsors who combined ads with newsletter features saw significantly higher engagement.
Associations can replicate this by creating sponsorship packages that balance exposure with value. For example, sponsors might contribute a blog post or webinar relevant to members, paired with a newsletter highlight.
Managing Online Community Content Access Levels
One of TD Synnex’s most effective strategies is intentionally leveraging both gated and ungated content. Gated content, which requires login or subscription, provides exclusive value to members. Meanwhile, ungated content entices potential members by offering a preview of the community’s benefits.
For associations, deciding which content is only available to members, and which content is public, is an important part of your member acquisition and retention strategies. Most organizations need to have both gated and ungated content to succeed, making members feel special, but also proving relevance to broader audiences. Angela suggested using gated content as a lead-generation tool, offering free resources initially and reserving deeper insights for members.
A Checklist for How to Manage an Online Community
Angela and Kendrick shared great advice for associations starting or revamping their community management strategies:
- Start Small and Learn: Begin with simple features like newsletters or banner ads and expand based on what works. You don’t have to launch every engagement strategy or your entire sponsorship program at once – take it one step at a time.
- Educate Sponsors: Help sponsors understand what content resonates with your audience and where to position it effectively. Helping sponsors succeed will make them more likely to invest more money with you in the future.
- Consistency is Key: Establish regular posting schedules to set expectations for members.
- Quality Over Quantity: It’s better to share fewer, high-quality resources than to overwhelm members with mediocre content.
Online Community Management is About Cultivating Connection and Value
TD Synnex’s online community journey offers a clear roadmap for associations: take time to plan ways to engage your audience. Make sure you’re consistently providing and pointing members to value. Don’t be afraid to create opportunities for sponsors to connect meaningfully with your members. With these principles, associations can transform their communities into thriving hubs of activity and revenue generation.
By adopting a thoughtful, strategic approach to association community management, organizations can cultivate vibrant, engaged member bases while creating sustainable growth opportunities.
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