Digital Community Leaders - Richard Gott
"In this episode of the Digital Community Leaders Podcast, we sit down with Richard Gott, the founder and chair of the MemberWise network.
Throughout the episode, Richard shared some practical insights and takeaways from our recent report, giving us a closer look at some data and analytics surrounding online community management.
Converting Online Members into Real-Life Participators
As part of our chat, Richard spoke about how online communities can turn members into active participants. He explained how communities are different from just going to events or reading newsletters, and the benefits of keeping conversation going through community.
With communities, you can start talking about event topics before the day of the event comes. This can preemptively generate interest, and connect people before the event even takes place.
Richard also mentioned that communities can be a great place to look back at events, discuss what was good or not, and share some thoughts. Off the back of this, communities can indirectly help to increase income, as this buzz which is created can encourage people to further get involved with an organisation.
When members talk about conferences or events in the community, it often leads to more people signing up and attending, showing that community engagement can have a positive impact on generating income.
“Does community enable us to increase our income? I know that when we post about our conferences and events, that definitely turns into conversions.”
The Impact of Smaller, Niche Communities
In our conversation, one topic highlighted was around how even small, niche communities can make a big impact, especially with younger people. These communities work because people want to be part of something that matches their values.
Even small influencers on platforms like TikTok or Instagram, can create a close-knit group of people who care a lot about a specific topic, like a certain type of pen or book.
Being such a small group, they're able to discuss extremely specific things, such as software updates on a piece of equipment, or release dates for new colours and specs etc. These tiny communities can have a big effect, bringing together people who are really excited about the same thing.
“You've got a group of people who, perhaps are given an identity through community... If it enables you to have a conversation with other people who are equally interested in something, then, from an engagement perspective, that kind of goes through the roof with community, because it actually enables that conversation to take place.”
Check out the full episode of the Digital Community Leaders Podcast, available on all platforms - and you can also watch the video on YouTube!
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