Online Community Events
Community is, and has always been an important aspect of our lives. It is what allows us to come together and form groups that can achieve great things. But in the age of Covid-19, community has taken on a whole new meaning. Communities can now be formed online, and they can be just as strong as in-person communities.
In this blog post, we will discuss the very definition of community and how to create, grow and manage one. We will also talk about virtual events and how they are excellent at keeping a community connected. Finally, we will give you a few tips on how to make your yearly, must attend, face-to-face event a celebration of the community as a whole!
Here we go:
The definition of community
How to create a community
How to grow a community
How to manage a community
Virtual events and communities
Face-to-face events and communities
Virtual event ideas for your community
1- Define Community
Communities are social units that have defining similarities, including shared places, values, interests or identity. This can be anything from a small community of coworkers from the same department, to a community of people who like the same rock band, or simply a community of neighbours who live on the same street. There are also professional communities who are grouped around professional interests.
A community is often based on a shared sense of place, and at Precision Communities we'd like to think this can be both physical or virtual. More on this below.
2- How to create a community
Although its generally a self-forming entity, there are many ways to facilitate the creation of a community. And its also true that there's always a leader at first, who gathers a core group together. This could very well be you.
Quick hint, if you have to think long and hard about the first few people you want in your core group, you might NOT be part of this community you're trying to create. This might end up becoming an uphill battle and you might want to reconsider your decision.
But if you can create a long and short list of people with ease and actually have to leave people out of the core group at first, you're most probably on the right track and are a member of this community already!
What are virtual communities examples?
One of the most obvious types of community is to gather people around a common interest. For example, there are many online communities dedicated to specific hobbies or interests. These communities allow people to connect with others who share their passions, and they provide a place for people to learn new things and share their knowledge. Virtual serves this type of community perfectly, as the members tend to come from many different geographies.
Another way to create a community is by gathering people who share a common geographical location. For example, there are many online communities devoted to towns and cities. These communities allow people who live in or near the community to connect with one another, and they provide a place for people to discuss local news and events. These communities have better chances of organising face-to-face get togethers but still need a virtual component to stay organised.
Finally, community can also be defined by shared values or identity. For example, there are many online communities devoted to causes or social movements. These communities allow people who care about the same thing to connect with each other, and they provide a place for people to organise and take action. These communities are generally served by associations, and other types of entities. They generally have a calendar of virtual and face-to-face events.
3- How to grow a community
In this blog post and video, Emma Glazier, Global Head of Marketing for Crowd, a global Digital Agency, defines a five step approach to community growth:
1- Start with listening
2- Think beyond social media
3- Join before you create
4- Give creators a voice
5- Define your value
The most important thing for a community is to keep its members engaged and membership growing. Most of the time, a community that isn't growing is a community that's dying.
Active members create content, interactions and value for other members, and value is the number one driver of new member acquisition. So, identify your active (Core) member group and focus on their wants and needs, they'll keep your community healthy and attractive.
Once you've got the core group going, you need to give exposure to them and your community to recruit potential members.
There are many ways to do this, but one of the most effective is through events, virtual or in-person. Events can be anything from small meetups to large conferences. They provide a way for members to connect with each other and they give community leaders a way to share information and gather feedback. More on this later
4- How to manage a community
The best way to manage a community is by using a community platform. A community platform is software that helps you build and manage your community. It provides a place for members to connect with each other, and it gives community leaders the tools they need to keep the community running smoothly.
There are many different types of community platforms, but the two most popular are forums and social networks.
Forums are a great way to build a community around a specific topic. They provide a place for people to ask questions, share information, and connect with others who share their interests. Forums can be private or public, and they can be moderated by community leaders or left open for anyone to join.
Social networks are a great way to build a community around a group of people. They provide a place for people to connect with each other, share information, and stay up-to-date on what's happening in the community. Social networks can be private or public, and they can be moderated by community leaders or left open for anyone to join.
You can also go for a virtual events platform that takes a community platform that puts both these tracks together and adds a virtual event element on top. These are potentially harder to manage but offer so many more possibilities. These are much more advanced than the virtual version of social media groups.
You might want to check out these two:
5- Virtual events and communities
This is our bread and butter at Precision Communities. We build virtual events & experiences
for your communities as we believe that Global Brands need to foster living, thriving communities around them to create meaningful relationships with their customers. If this is you, click here.
In one of the communities we're serving, Agency Growth Events, we've covered the topic of The Future of Events, and virtual events and communities was a hot topic. You can view the recording and read the blog here.
We believe events deliver on three main pillars that support community engagement:
Content
Networking
Experience
In person events are great at delivering all of these, but at a cost of time and travel. Virtual events on the other hand can deliver great content at nearly zero cost of attendance but are limited at delivering, networking, and overall experience.
The future of events in 2022 and beyond is expected to be a blend of the two, which points to hybrid as a strategy for most communities out there.
There are three main advantages to Virtual Events over In-person events:
Sustainability
Accessibility
Time to market
Sustainability is a key topic for communities in general. But its particularly important for communities who’d like to attract a younger audience, as +90% of millennials would be willing to pay more for an experience that's sustainable. There are three types of sustainability communities need to consider:
Environmental Sustainability
Social Sustainability (DEI)
Economic Sustainability
Virtual Events have incredibly low carbon footprints compared to in-person events with no need to travel and no logistics. They also tend to include more speakers from disadvantaged groups with a much lower cost of attendance (and speaking). Overall communities can create great online experiences with very little cost.
We can approach event Accessibility from two angles: 1- Economically, as actually getting to the event and perhaps flying internationally for it, and 2- Accessibility in a broader sense with up to 25% of the general population experiencing a form of disability at some point in their life.
A virtual event is clearly easier to get to, and much more accessible if held on a proper platform that caters to the needs of different types of disabilities. They help keep the remote attendees, remote teams and the larger audience engaged, extending the support system of the event beyond the venue. They will encourage members of the community who are introverts to create as many connections as extroverts. This levelling of the playing field will help your community members on a personal level and put everyone on the same page.
Here's the recording of an event we've produced on Web Accessibility and the blog associated.
Time to market in an ever faster changing world is a key differentiator. The usual event planning operations of a 12 month build-up and logistics is not adequate for communities who need to move fast with their following.
Virtual events can be put together in mere days if the need is there and communities are ready to work with professionals. (like us!) This gives unprecedented flexibility to community managers on their events strategy.
Overall, an in-person event must focus on things that can only be delivered in-person, and nothing else. It is widely accepted that content delivery is better online, therefore in-person community events should be focussed on, networking, and experience.
Here are 5 Essential Steps to Virtual Event Success
6- (Face-to-face) In-person events and Communities
Face-to-face is the (undisputed) king of human interaction. The next best thing, a video call is a distant second.
Its in-person, spoken in real-time and an ephemeral, thus unrecorded and confidential nature is the most natural form of human interaction. The undivided attention of in-person event attendees allows them to build trust and solve problems together, thus negotiate and conduct business. Read more about in this article here.
In-person events will never go away, but their role has changed.
Pre-Covid, in-person events were a community's yearly celebration, where the community came together to learn from each other, network and socialize. Outside the main event, the community mainly existed in community portals, forums in a more media setting.
Post-Covid, in-person events have become a community's premium offering, where the community has been gearing up for with many virtual touch points throughout the year. This makes the in-person event the most important get together of the year among many other virtual ones.
What's also change is that communities now expect their yearly get together to be hosted as a hybrid event that they can attend remotely if the need arises.
7- Virtual Event Ideas for your Community
There are many virtual community events you can choose from for your community members. These could be educational like a webinar, or online entertainment and engagement focussed or a workshop of sorts where the community comes together to do something.
Virtual Social Events are a great way to keep community members engaged and connected. Here are some online event ideas:
Virtual Cocktail shake up / Virtual Coffee / Virtual Happy Hour
Virtual Networking / speed networking
Virtual Campfire
Online Office Games
Online game shows
Online scavenger hunts
Virtual Challenges
Virtual Open Mic
Virtual Workshops & Training, Panels & Webinars are excellent for featuring community experts and thought leaders.
Webinars
AMAs (Ask Me Anything) with industry experts
Panels and keynotes with experts
Product demos
Breakout rooms
Remember, best virtual events are not simply a face-to-face event projected onto the virtual format. You need to treat them as a standalone event with its own strategy and goals. The fact that its virtual does not mean it's not a live event with its own challenges for event planners.
Community Online Events going forward
Community events come in all shapes and sizes. There is no one definitive way to create, grow, and manage a community. However, with the rise of online communities due to Covid-19, virtual events have become an important tool for brands to keep engaged with their customers.
Virtual events are excellent at keeping a community connected. They can provide great content at nearly zero cost of attendance and are less expensive to produce than in-person events. Additionally, virtual events are more accessible for people with disabilities and can be produced in a shorter amount of time than in-person events.
The future of community events is expected to be a blend of in-person and virtual events, with hybrid as the most common strategy. Community managers should consider environmental, social, and economic sustainability when planning community events. Additionally, community managers should focus on content delivery, networking, and experience when planning in-person community events.
By following these steps, community managers can create successful virtual events that will engage and connect their community. Virtual events are a great way to keep your community connected and engaged, especially during times of social distancing.
If you're a community manager looking for online event ideas, talk to us today on getting started with your community virtual events and strategy. We'll make your next virtual community event a success.
