The first step in finding those perfect participants is defining who exactly you’re looking for. You should develop member personas for each target group which will help in defining the messaging, channels and offer you’ll use. You may be able to utilise existing segments for this.
Recruitment is your very first opportunity to make a good impression, set clear expectations and highlight what your members will get out of the experience. Like any good marketing campaign it’s important to consider that every medium matters. You’ll need tailored resources in the form of web pages/flyers/videos etc aimed at your different target groups. Underestimate the importance of these assets at your own peril!
When it comes to your recruitment, the more the merrier. It’s inevitable that people will drop out along the way to becoming community members, and this is especially true if your community is brand spanking new. Over-recruiting helps to balance out any initial churn and means as time goes on you can always opt-out those people who aren’t actively engaged.
Your website is a great place to start your recruitment campaign as you can attract both current and potential customers. Make sure your ‘sign up’ page isn’t hidden away and consider adding key incentives into your customer’s workflow. For example, if you are offering a discount to your community members, why not have that info/sign up button right in the checkout?
"Don't hide away your community after launch, make sure its visible on your channels and regularly promoted." Som Thaentong, Insight Manager
Regular posts on social media about your community are a great way to keep membership ticking over. You should also look for followers who regularly like, comment or share your posts and try inviting them on a 1-to-1 basis with a personal message. Try paid advertising to reach specific demographic groups.
Market panel research is the technique of repeatedly collecting data from a pool of pre-recruited participants. Recruiting via a panel is quicker and easier as you are already dealing with people who are used to taking part in market research. A panel is also useful in reaching out to niche audiences. Did you know that our audience module gives you access to over 110m consumers in 85 countries and can help to expedite your recruitment process.
Variety is the spice of life and new members bring with them new experiences and new ideas. Your membership push should be ongoing with the ultimate goal being to develop a healthy community with regular interaction and tasks being completed. You hold the keys to your kingdom and carefully recruiting and curating members based on their activity can lead to more engagement over time.
Friendship is the magic that transforms platforms into communities. If you already have an established community then friendship is also a great way to continue growing. Referral programmes can help generate interest from like-minded people, but be careful that they don’t create cliques within your community.
