What are some of the most effective community engagement campaigns a client can run?

I get asked this every once in a while or they ask what other clients are doing. I really only have a vague idea what to say or a few generic ones I might have said before like newsletters or email blasts talking about the community. I thought maybe if everyone gave ideas of stuff other clients have done or just things you thought of now it might help us all out.

-Incorporating community posts into Newsletter
-Blog article announcing the forum/community
-AMA events (though these always tend to be a bit awkward with our platform)
-Community Contests, such as "what is your innovative way to use product X".

Comments

    • Physical invites
    • Including community content/invitation to join with any transactional email
    • Podcasts
    • Interview with thought leaders
    • Physical events/meetups

    I am also free to consult with any customers you have that need help to brainstorm :)

  • Unknown
    edited April 2018

    A critical one that's often overlooked is making sure the community can be found easily where customers congregate. If it's the website, then there should be a clear link to it that is persistent in the main navigation.

    Curating content from existing members is also a great way to bolster engagement and get people participating and discussing.

    Another tactic that I've seen used often is inviting SMEs (subject matter experts) to respond to specific posts in a private message. The message needs to explain why their contribution is needed, instead of just being a random @ mention.