Looking for the leaders of your community.

A thriving community is built on the backs of its influencers and advocates. Without these vital people, a community will never thrive.

Your influencers and advocates bring immense value to your community. They provide other community members with their expertise and their help. This positive influence encourages others to participate in discussions actively. It lets users know that there are people who can answer questions, enrich a conversation and give guidance within the community.

The right influencers and advocates amplify your community messages and help shape and create the community culture you want. Engagement and the foundation of your community are built on these few influencers and advocates.

What influencers and advocates bring to your community?

Driving Engagement - your influencers/advocates are the most active participants in your community. They will not only create discussion topics but also actively contribute to others, answering questions and creating a vibrant community atmosphere.

Trust and credibility - It is one thing for you to say your product is excellent; it is far more impactful when an influencer or advocate gives the same message. When a customer asks about a feature or even a flaw, an answer from a community member will be taken as far more credible than directly from the business.

Content - Influencers and advocates tend to be content creators themselves. From reviews and articles to video tutorials, if the content serves the community, your advocates will create it.

Increased Reach - your influencers and advocates have a wider reach than your community platform. They will bring others connected to them to your community to share in their love for your brand.

Amplify messages - often, you will send a message to your community. Your influencers and advocates can move the community towards your goals if they believe in them. They can promote ideas, events, products and even campaigns simply by saying they are excited about them. Their interest piques the community’s interest.

It is obvious how important these influencers and advocates are for building your community, but how do you find them and more importantly, how can you nurture and retain them?

Develop your influencers and advocates.

Finding your influencers and advocates is an essential part of building your community, and the question of how is something all my clients ask me. There isn’t enough information out there for community managers to draw from.

1 - Start with your purpose - You must fully define your community’s values, goals and purpose. The subject matter must be straightforward, and what you guide your community to focus on should stem from this. Having a clear purpose will attract individuals who are passionate about the topics of your community.

2 - Feed initial content - Giving content is the key to receiving input from your influencers and advocates. They won’t come to a space simply because it exists. The starting point of your community will need to provide a reason for your influencers and advocates to visit. Content is key here. Create a catalogue of informative articles, resources and discussions that address common pain points and provide solutions that align with your community purpose. This will start to engage future community advocates and influencers.

3 - Actively engage - Your advocates and influencers won’t simply start talking to each other. They want to engage with you, the brand that interests them. You must be responsive and give your community and advocates insights that they can’t find anywhere else. Sharing data about your business or products is a great way to get people talking. It also builds trust that the corporate veil of secrecy is down.

4 - Identify Activity - You will start to see engagement happening. Keep a close eye on who and how people interact in the community. Identify individuals that contribute valuable insights and help other people.

5 - Reach out - The active members will welcome your direct contact. Something as simple as a message thanking them for their input into the community shows that you appreciate their efforts. This will begin a relationship between your brand and the influencer/advocate. From here, your community will continue to benefit from their active involvement.

6 - Create opportunities - Organising events for your key contributors, giving influencers/advocates guest posting opportunities and inviting them to participate and contribute to projects will strengthen the relationship. It will also allow you to understand which individuals have particular qualities that can be used to help guide the community

7 - Real engagements - Provide places for your members to connect and engage with each other outside of the traditional community setting. This can be through hosted live or web-based events, allowing members to meet and grow as a community.

8 - Ask - One of the most significant benefits of having advocates and influencers is that they will tell you what they think. Not only does this provide you with feedback on your brand, but it also fosters greater engagement. By asking your community’s opinions, you show them that they are valued and that it is their brand. They matter.

9 - Look outside your community - Search for active participants of similar communities with shared interests. Actively asking them to join your community is crucial to developing your influencer network.

Once you have developed your network of community advocates and influencers, the work isn’t done. You must continue to keep them engaged and ensure you are providing the right tools for them to help your community thrive.

Finding your influencers and advocates is your first task. Nurturing the relationship and providing the right technology to keep them engaged will keep them actively engaged for the long term.