Online Community Industry Trends 2022
The Community industry has entered the spotlight with new leaders building, launching, and growing global communities. This article will highlight interviews, data, and research about the future of the community industry in 2022.
In the 7th edition of the Community Predictions Report, Vanilla’s Head of Community, Adrian Speyer, interviewed several community leaders who shared what they think will be the community’s future in the “new normal.”
“The new normal is going to suit the community. We’ve seen the impact it can create through chaos, and now, as things begin to calm, we’re only going to see more and more value garnered.”—Jeff Breunsbach of Grow Gain Retain.
Members want deeper conversations.
Yamini Arora from SearchUnify explains, “Companies are working to create long-term and meaningful relationships with customers that outlast at least one customer service hiccup. And for this, focusing solely on transactional support doesn’t suffice. Organizations need to go the extra mile to build collaborative relationships.”We will experience a renewed sense of people, purpose, and place.
Social Pinpoint’s 2022 Community Engagement Trends article highlights the evolving virtual ecosystem. “After reflection, we are poised to reimagine what’s possible. This will involve harnessing technology, embracing new ideas, and revitalizing our skills, resources, and capabilities. We will focus on fostering connectedness to cultivate resilience, prosperity, and adaptability.”
Transparency in a community cultivates inclusivity.
Majorie Anderson, a Community Professional, stated that being transparent about the culture of a community creates clear boundaries with members. “We have to be transparent in the way we build our communities. Nothing should be hidden.”
Members of brand communities expect reliability.
According to an article that collected data on community-building shares, users have specific expectations when interacting with community brands. Reliability is the most essential trait community users expect from a brand, with 57% expecting that. The other most popular expectations were trendy/cool, funny, exclusive, and bold, expressed by 36%, 29%, 29%, and 27% of community users.
Monetizing an online community with grit and integrity
In an interview with Lisa Johnson, the Passive Income Queen, she’s asked what the Secret of Your Extraordinary Growth is.
Here’s her answer:
“It’s based on two things: I’m frank about my mistakes, and I believe everyone is still on track. We all know different things and can teach each other those skills. If people think they’re always looking up to somebody, they don’t believe they can get there. The second thing is that I have come at it from a different angle. In my first year online, I saw many things I didn’t like in the industry; some things felt unethical so that I would leave the industry.
Then, an excellent mentor told me, “You can leave the industry and moan about how corrupt it is, or you can make so much money in the industry that people listen to you, and then you can change it.” So, I’ve come at it in a different way, which is “How can we show everybody else that you can make just as much money as these big Gurus with more integrity and without using things such as scarcity marketing, pressure selling, and all the other things that we see on a day-to-day basis.”
Get people to attend virtual events
Tom Norman from Kickstart, Your Community shared some practical tips for getting more of your audience to attend a virtual event.
“Zoom burn-out is real. For me, it helps to do a couple of things. Base your speakers on what you find on the intake forms -if you realize 60% of your audience is talking about the same headache, could you align your speakers with that? I would also align their wants and dreams from a year ago with the speakers.
Create an event where the experience is catered to the audience’s needs and wants. I don’t prefer large-scale events with less than 150 speakers – there are too many messages. How do you build intimacy with that? Theme your event on the result or outcome your attendees need, stay in your lane and not in 40 others, and it creates a better experience for everyone.”
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