Engaging your community with S.N.A.P

So we’ve been harping on and on about community for a while — and with good reason.

If you’ve been involved in community efforts, or if you’re just getting started with building your community, this is for you. Getting the basics right, attracting members and getting the foundations running can lead to a lot of activity, but without nurturing and building on top of those foundations, it is likely that the community will plateau.

So how does one keep their community active? Well, if there was a one-size-fits-all magic-potion recipe we could share with you, we would have by now.

Spoiler alert: there isn’t — so what do you do instead?

You SNAP.

A community incentivization framework developed by Holly Firestone, SNAP stands for Status, Networking, Access, and Perks.

Here’s how it works:

Status

One of the things that keep community members committed is knowing where they stand in it. Ascribing status via titles, badges, and designations gives clarity to members about their role in the community. If these titles are achievable, even better. Some communities gamify members’ involvement by introducing a leaderboard, with various levels and incentives unlocked by increased activity.

Here’s what that might look like:

Noob: no activity needed
Amateur: 5 answers, 10 likes
Master: 15 answers, 25 likes, 1 event attended
Professor X: 30 answers, 50 likes, 3 events attended.

Networking

One of the best parts of being in a community is having access to a diverse group of people. Brand communities, in particular, tend to attract members from vastly differing backgrounds, places, and experiences. So, knowing this and fostering connections within the community will benefit its members. Creating subgroups and micro-communities, connecting like-minded people, and facilitating 1:1 relationships can go a long way in your members’ enjoyment of the community.

They will also begin to view the community as a resource — one in which their “giving” enables “getting”.

Access

Curated access to co-members is great, but access to the brand’s team is even better. Enabling your members to have special access to product managers and executives, engage in beta tests and give feedback, keeps them interested and committed to your brand. This also enables them to feel more connected with the product, as they’re invested in it.

Perks

Value-add and incentives go a long way in a community’s longevity. Think giveaways, free tickets, swag, special offers, and workshops that community members get first access to. Not only does this keep everyone happy and engaged, but it also increases the likelihood of members sharing and talking about the community — leading to its growth.

That’s all from us today.

Think over this for a minute or two, and we’ll be back with more soon.