An online community is just that: a community. But Marjorie Anderson from Community by Association says its purpose also extends far beyond community members.

“Your online community adds a tremendous amount of value to your association,” she says. “Your strategy should reflect that value as well as the benefit of engagement it provides to community members.”

To create value with your online community, it must be aligned with your organization’s larger business strategy, with the metrics to match, Anderson says.

“There should be some correlation that shows that your online community is providing tangible value, not only to members, but to the association as well,” she says. “And those metrics should be flexible enough to still exhibit value when there are shifts in the overall business.”

And as your organization’s business strategy changes, your online community should shift with it.

“The worst thing you can do is be so shortsighted that you don’t see the opportunities for growth and continued value for your online community because you’re not keeping the bigger picture in mind,” Anderson says. “Have conversations with other parts of the business to see where they are pivoting and be forward-thinking.”

The Secret to More Effective Note Taking

Science says you'll remember more if you take notes with a pen and paper instead of a laptop. https://t.co/KysFxE9AD8

— Inc. (@Inc) April 7, 2019

Want to remember what’s discussed at your next meeting? Check your laptop at the door. You’ll eliminate the temptation to scour the internet, but there’s a more important reason: Those who put pen to paper can better recall information. Although you might not be able to write as fast as you type, you’ll be more deliberate about the information you do write down, and studies show this “act of thinking about what was being written was a key part of the way the information got absorbed better into their brains,” says James Sudakow on Inc.

Other Links of Note

Does your Snapchat strategy need a boost? The platform announced new features to try, from Social Media Today.

Managers need to trust that remote workers are productive, but a remote assessment plan can also keep employees on track, says CMSWire.

Social media reports show the value of your marketing efforts. The Hootsuite blog outlines what an effective report should look like.

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