Launching an online community is one challenge, and relaunching a community is another. But for inactive or lifeless communities, a relaunch might be exactly what is needed to engage members.

Tirza Austin from the American Society of Civil Engineers writes on Community by Association that the first step to a successful reintroduction of your online community starts with a solid rebranding initiative. Another key factor: finding the right community ambassadors.

“One of the biggest issues we had [in our old community] was members being upset about staff rejecting or editing their posts,” she says. “You need a team of members to take this responsibility on. We were so blessed with wonderful moderators who love our organization and saw this as a great opportunity to give back. It’s a low-cost, easy time commitment for your members. They are flattered to share their expertise.”

Other than the structure of the community itself, it’s also important to market the relaunch appropriately. The truth is, some members might be reluctant to jump back into the new community based on their experience with the old one.

“Gaining trust is hard. Don’t go back to the angry members to say, ‘Look, it’s new,’” Austin says. “You need to gain excitement from others who aren’t familiar with the concept. Their excitement of the new product will give the previous users a reason to revisit the failed concept.”

What Your Employees Really, Really Want: Career Development

Gallup‘s Jim Clifton: “Great leaders have a higher purpose than just profit.” with Phil Laboon https://t.co/lFWeoxlM89

— Mohamed Younis (@younism19) May 7, 2019

Most leaders approach their work with two goals in mind: employee productivity and organic growth. But a new study from Gallup shows that productivity at organizations worldwide has stalled over the past 20 years, and more than 8 in 10 employees aren’t engaged.

The problems with productivity and engagement are “very fixable,” says Gallup Chairman and CEO Jim Clifton in an interview with Thrive Global. “It is most directly influenced by great front-line managers, who are the ones most responsible for engaging teams. And it is also about the people who manage the managers. … Leaders everywhere in the world have a tendency to name the wrong person manager and then train them on administrative things, not how to maximize human potential.”

And maximizing human potential is exactly what makes a great leader great.

“What [employees] really want is career development,” Clifton says. “They want someone to take a real interest in their development, [so] change your management and leadership culture from being bosses to being coaches.” Know each person’s strengths, and build their work and careers around those strengths, he advises.

Other Links of Note

Protect member data with this checklist from the Wild Apricot blog.

Social media can be key to your marketing strategy—but your efforts might also be annoying to members. Social Media Today explains the social media habits likely to result in an unfollow.

ICYMI: Instagram’s donate sticker is here. Here’s what you need to know about the new feature, from the marketing firm M+R.

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