Digital Community Leaders - Max Pete

This week our guest on the Digital Community Leaders Podcast is Max Pete, a seasoned online community manager. Max shared some valuable expertise he took from the report, and spoke about some of his experiences in the world of community management.

Reporting Metrics

Max highlighted the need for community managers to move beyond fluffy stats and focus on metrics that matter to the higher-ups. Community managers often need to take the lead in reporting, even if not explicitly asked.

Max emphasised the importance of understanding the right metrics that align with broader business goals, making community managers more than just marketers. It was also pointed out that focussing on these impactful metrics not only makes reporting easier, but also helps in planning and achieving community goals effectively.

Reporting metrics is a significant way to showcase the value of community efforts and contribute to overall business success.

“When you know what you have to show, in terms of return on investment, it helps you come up with plans and strategies to hit those. So if you're sitting there like, I don't know what to focus on with my roadmap or whatever it is, those metrics are going to help you to do that.”

Road Maps and Sprint Planning

During our conversation, Max touched on the use of roadmaps and how a community can achieve the desired goals. When asked about the ideal timeline for a roadmap, Max suggested a year, but mentioned the adaptability needed when in a startup environment.

In his past role with a small team of 16 people, they embraced frequent "sprint planning" sessions for a quick focus. Max stressed the importance of having a plan, even if just for six months, to provide direction amid the fast pace.

The use of "sprint planning" in this context was fascinating to me. This is a term usually seen in software design, which Max has carried it over from previous lines of work, and adapted it for community management.

Max explained that short sprints has helped previous teams that he's worked in to stay focused and aware of everyone else's workload. While beneficial for consistent reporting, Max pointed out that the short cycle may not capture the full impact of initiatives, requiring a follow-up to reveal the complete story.

Finding a balance between short-term planning and understanding the long-term impact of community initiatives can be crucial, especially when feeding back to the C suite.

“I think because our small team was spread across the globe, it was easier for us to focus on sprints, and to know what we're all working on and how much bandwidth each person has.”

Max Pete shared some brilliant takeaways from the report, and his insights are definitely worth a listen. To listen to the full episode, check out the Digital Community Leaders Podcast on all podcasting platforms - or watch the video version on YouTube.