I’m definitely not an expert, but I do know a thing or two about developing and cultivating online communities. More or less a year ago now I started the Oh, Hello Stationery Facebook group and it’s taught me so many things I had no idea about when it comes to building communities that last.
- Don’t try to force it. Nothing’s more annoying than a company overdoing it or trying to make a community pop up out of thin air.
- It may not work the first few times. I’ve tried to build online communities before and none of them stuck. Whether it was my fault for not guiding it more or the audience just wasn’t there, quite a few of my first efforts failed. If it doesn’t work the first time you’ll just have to get creative when trying something new.
- Let the group guide itself once their’s an audience. My group more or less runs itself. Although there are still a few rules, people post the content and create the discussions themselves.
- Be genuine and not out to make a few extra dollars or promote yourself to death. This is definitely something difficult to toe the line on as most communities start because of either you, your blog, or your business. Just be honest, let people see the real you, and don’t always make it about selling.
- Be open to change. My group started as a way to communicate sales and changes, but quickly became more of a planner forum for people to share spreads and ideas. Sure I still post sales and things, but the group has become its own thing and I am not trying to force it back to what it once was.
- Give the community something to join together on like a charity or group event. My group does a lot of group weekly spreads where we all decorate our planners to a theme, but we’ve also raised money after the Paris attacks and help each other out when someone is in need. Giving your group a common thing to work together on creates a bigger bond and a point to the group beyond just sharing a hobby.
- Let it build itself over time. Your online community isn’t going to pop up overnight. It’s going to take time for people to find your platform, get interested and active in the community, and find value in it.
- Give it a name. We call ourselves the Helloigans. Once the name was given things got so much more real. I definitely feel like I’m part of something bigger and everyone likes a cool nickname.
There isn’t a science to building online communities, but as long as you’re honest and kind you’re already a step above the rest.
xoxo Kayla
