Community Advice: How to Attract and Retain New Users
Community was a hot topic at the Web 2.0 Expo in SF last week and I wanted to share some advice I learned from a presentation called Sparking a Crush, focusing on how to attract and retain new users to your online community. The presentation was presented by Alexa Andrzejewski, who works for Adaptive Path. Alexa was gracious enough to share her presentation here and I’ve outlined the highlights below:
Alexa speaks of retaining new community members as a ‘crush’ because when you have a crush on someone you:
- can’t get enough of them
- can’t stop talking about them
- think they are amazing, when maybe they are just really so-so
- assume that the bad parts will get better
Here is a brief list of how NOT to spark a crush on your community. I’ll follow up on the next page with instructions on exactly how to attract and retain new community members:
- Move to fast
- Pester them
- Act desperate
- Stalk them
- Focus on yourself
To “Spark a Crush” with your website, keep in mind:
1. It’s not about you:
It’s about your website users. What’s in it for them? Speak to their needs. For example, list the ways the service will full fill their needs.
(Flickr)
2. Don’t move too fast:
Get new users to want to give you information; it can be awkward when you are rushed to make a commitment and you’ve only just met someone.
Let them get to know you first, like Scrapblog did. Scrapblog allows you to make a digital scrapbook on their site before you even sign up. Then, after the visitor has invested time and energy into the site, they can sign up to receive additional services.
3. Hand Holding is good:
Provide a path to guide new users through your website. Blogger, for example shows users that they can setup their blog in three easy steps:
If the website is down for an hour or two, let them know it’s going to be okay and it will all be over soon. Twitter, is famous for doing this with cute pictures, like the now famous Fail Whale.
Helpful hints are also never a bad thing. Facebook does a great job at this with roll over messages and easy to follow next steps.
(Facebook)
4. Don’t make them wonder: Once a user has made a commitment, make the next steps clear. Let them know what to expect from the site and what they should do next, whether it be adding new friends or Digging an article. You need to take it one step at a time though. We can use another Facebook example because when you first sign up, the site highlights portions of your profile that still need to be completed.
You might think next steps are clear to the visitor, but it never hurts to give examples. Show them the potential of the site experience, like the Spotlight Videos section on YouTube or an awesome example of a user profile.
5. Be a part of their world:
Allow users to invite their connections to the site and facilitate even more connections for them. Remember not to act ‘too desperate’ or ‘stalk’ though, because it’s important to remember that just because a visitor loves your site, it doesn’t mean that it’s their core social network.
6. Cheer them on:
Make the user feel good about doing what you want them to do. Alexa recommends counting their achievements on the website, commemorating milestones, and encouraging others to cheer them on. For example, running tally of followers, connections or friends. Enabling comments and compliments from other group members is also a great way of making the visitor feel more confident and connected on your website.
7. Make Memories:
Alexa recommends you plan for memorable moments that users will want to share with others. Dopplr is such a great example. In January, they emailed every member of their community an annual report of their travel history, with interesting stats and charts. Here is the annual report Dopplr created for Barack Obama:
Another way for users to make memories is by creating a space that is uniquely theirs, like a profile, avatar or cool background.
And lastly, be yourself. Provide a unique look and feel to the website to show who you are, in a way that your users can connect with. Alexa gave the great example of the video site Vimeo. Their theme is consistent throughout and I think it makes you feel like you’ve entered another world full of fun people who love video and want to share it with the world.
(Vimeo)
Now…
I hope you found Alexa’s advice as interesting as I did. What are your thoughts on attracting and keeping new users? We can continue the conversation in the comment section of this blog or on Twitter, where you can follow Alexa and the CiscoEos team.
Cisco Eos is a hosted, white-label software platform that provides Media and Entertainment (M&E) companies with the ability to create and deliver a community-driven entertainment experience online. You can learn more about it here or just ask us about it in the comment section, we love to talk about it 
Posted by Johanna Fry at 04:00PM PST
Johanna Fry
Cisco Around the Web