For community managers who want a great community management tool that's easy to use
IS YOUR COMMUNITY READY TO TAKE OFF?
Are you just starting a community and suddenly discovered how much work is actually involved?
Is your existing community struggling to find all the important conversations and trainings you've given them?
Are you finding it difficult to manage your community because the software you're using just doesn't get how communities work?
The goal of this page is to provide you with resources that will help you in your work as a community manager. And we talk about Circle, which is our community management tool of choice.
Hi, I'm Trudy Rankin
When I first started a community, I didn't know what I was doing. I just had these vague ideas of who I wanted to help and how.
I wish I'd known the five key questions to ask before starting a community.
The second time I tried building a community, I used a WordPress plugin called MemberPress. It was SO complicated! I really struggled with it.
And then I discovered Circle. It was brilliant. We used it to replace our MemberPress set up and it was so easy to do. I fell in love with it because it made my life as a community manager so much easier.
And then one of my friends reached out and asked if I could help her set up her community. And it was so easy to do, I ended up helping another friend set up her community on Circle. And I've been telling people about Circle and how easy it is to use ever since.
There are 3 phases to setting up a community. Having a good community management tool is going to make each of these phases easier for you:
PLAN
- What will the community vibe be like?
- What kind of experience do you want your people to have when they are part of your community?
- How will you manage situations where people step outside the boundaries?
- What will your onboarding process be for new members?
BUILD
- Set up the various parts of the community, including membership tiers if you have them.
- Establish automated processes which save you time, especially during onboarding.
- Set up your payment gateway and integrations with other tools.
- Invite new members to join you and tell them what to do next.
MANAGE
- Monitor membership experience and make sure it meets your (and their) expectations.
- Manage contentious and challenging conversations and/or behaviour.
- Ask and answer questions.
- Give support and encouragement
- Keep an eye on engagement
- Hold people accountable
Here is an excellent resource that can help you with the PLAN phase. Jillian Benbow is the Director Community Experience for Pat Flynn's SPI communities.
Jillian and I collaborated to create a resource that will help you get started with community management or to rethink how you're managing an existing community that may be struggling.
You will learn:
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What it takes to run a digital community that stands out from the crowd
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How to leverage your existing skill set to grow your community
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Ways to grow consumer trust and experience through community development
“Having a community management tool like Circle has made all the difference in helping me help the people who need flexible working options the most.”
CIRCLE HELPS YOU GET YOUR COMMUNITY MOVING
Answer Questions
Get automated notifications that a community member has asked a question.
Send automated messages when you've answered a question.
Create Connection
So many opportunities to create connections with people in your community … all in a way not possible over social media.
Give Feedback
Give your people a place where they can post examples of their work and ask their peers for feedback on the spot.
Learning Opportunities
Circle makes it easy to create courses, challenges, workshops and other types of training so your community can learn.
Nurture Discussions
Set up one or more private community forums. Great for discussions on potentially sensitive topics.
Accountability
You can quickly schedule events or weekly co-working sessions where you can focus on getting stuff done … and enjoy a little social chit-chat as well