Tips for building an online community

Building a strong online community in is not easy. It's a lot of work but can be a very rewarding experience.

These tips are based on my research, experiences, observations and opinions. Consider them suggestions if nothing else but hopefully you find some value here!

1. Identify your ideal community member....
I don't see many people talking about this but it may help to consider who you would like to have in your community. If nothing else I think it could be a great learning experience.

2. Meet them where they are....
Taking the time to identify your ideal community member helps with this. maybe your future community members aren't on twitter, instead of expecting them to come to you, go to them. Make it as easy on them as possible.

3. Be authentic & on brand....
If you want to build a strong community, build a strong foundation. Be authentic and from day 1, make sure everything you do aligns with your project / art / collection / brand.

4. Share your teams story or your story....
People want to connect, share your story with them. Of course how specific you get depends on you and your specific project. Not everyone wants to be fully doxxed but people get that for the most part.

5. Focus on what set's your project apart from others...
Highlight what makes your project special and focus on it. This is powerful as it sets the tone for everything. Your community won't be excited if you aren't and you want them to be able to easily explain this to friends.

6. Address community concerns in the open....
Encourage community members to speak openly about concerns they may have. THEN be open while providing or working towards a solution. The value of doing this can NOT be overstated.

7. Create a path to leadership...
An example of this could be rewarding active members or choosing admins or mods from within the community. Loyal community members want to be valued and appreciated, and they should be.

8. Engage and be attentive....
This may seem obvious but engage with your community and pay attention to the people who support you.

9. Encourage community created content....
If you have a community that feels inspired to create because of you, you are doing something RIGHT! Nurture this and if members are ok with it, share community created content on your social media media pages.

10. Create a "place" for your community to gather...
The tips above should be implemented as soon as you decide you want to build a community. Throughout this journey it may become clear that there is a specific platform that fits your community best, discord is just one example.

This is your project, take the time to build it the right way.
If you need help building an online community, contact me. I would love to hear more about your project!

J. Gray Digital