This document provides guidance for community managers on building and engaging online communities. It discusses what community managers do, the difference between community management and PR, key strategies for community managers, how to engage community ambassadors, and ways to encourage users to continue engaging with a service. The strategies emphasized include focusing on user benefits rather than features, reacting to user needs, connecting people, being personally engaging, experimenting with communication methods, ensuring the product is useful, and empowering community members to spread messages.

1. A practical guide to
COMMUNITY BUILDING
brought to you by
@kathmography

3. What it takes to be a community manager:
// What is community management and what do these people do?
// What are the key strategies for community managers?
// Everyone’s talking about ambassadors, but how does that work?
// What can CMs do to make people come back to their service?
@kathmography

4. @kathmography
What’s the difference between
community management and PR?
// PR managers inform journalists and bloggers
about the latest product development updates and news.

5. Community managers engage people. They
facilitate active participation and contribution.
// CMs create a participatory circle; not a waterfall of information.
@kathmography

6. What are the key strategies for community managers?
// Five ground rules to excel as a community manager
and encourage growth of organic referrals.
@kathmography

7. Talk about benefits, not features.
// People are busy. Your role is to explain to them how
your service helps them personally; not what your
service can do.
01
@kathmography

8. Don’t pitch. Be reactive to what people say.
// Everyone wants to be heard. React to people’s
needs. Try to help them.
02
@kathmography

9. When your service isn’t the answer,
point them in the right direction.
// Build connections by helping people find
what they’re looking for.
03
@kathmography

10. Connect people with common goals and
interests.
// People are wonderful & everyone’s looking for other
people, the next possibility, their next step. Help them!
04
@kathmography

11. Be human, it’s your job.
// Show the humanity of your team. Acknowledge
mistakes. Communicate eye to eye.
05
@kathmography

12. @kathmography
Everyone’s talking about community
ambassadors, but how does that work?
// How to engage your inner circle, because you
cannot do everything and you shouldn’t try.

13. Talk about the people who
you want to see talk about you.
// Don’t ask people for a favour. Help them on their way up.
They’ll return the favour and you won’t even have to ask.
@kathmography
01

14. Focus on the people who identify
with your message the most.
// Do anything for them to multiply their excitement.
Some of them might become your best friends, but that’s another story.
@kathmography
02

15. Be welcoming and open. Make your
achievements a shared effort.
// Ask people for help, give them the possibility
to contribute to the success of your business.
@kathmography
03

16. Don’t just say thank you.
Show your gratitude.
// Include your ambassadors; enable
access to things, people and events.
@kathmography
04

17. Establishing relationships takes time.
Don’t expect wonders over night.
// Keep in touch with your ambassadors regularly.
Show that you care.
@kathmography
05

18. @kathmography
What can CMs do to make sure people
come back to their service?
// Five things there are to say about
retention and organic growth.

19. Don’t be scared to experiment with different
forms of communication.
// Try something new regularly. Track your successes.
Stop when you don’t receive promising results.
@kathmography
01

20. Work closely with the product team
to make sure people find your product useful.
// Your communication skills can be extraordinary, but remember,
in the end it’s your product that people see. Get feedback, get better.
@kathmography
02

21. In advertising, people must see a
commercial several times to remember it.
// CMs aim at making you hear their message
through several people. Don’t rely on one technique.
@kathmography
03

22. The smaller your community is geographically,
the more people feel part of it.
// Try to establish circles, not lose ends.
@kathmography
04

23. Scream as loud as you want, it won’t be as well
received as when your community shares your message.
// Help and engage people to spread your cause.
Give them the right tools. Talk to your product team (!)
@kathmography
05

24. LET’S DISCUSS.
@kathmography monika@somewhere.com
Images in this presentation feature Somewhere’s community members and strangers. We love all of them!