Community Management That Works
BOOMITY|Health Weekly Blog
by Joan Kincaid on July 12, 2024
Why Some Online Health Communities Thrive and Others Languish
We've all seen it: vibrant online health communities buzzing with activity year after year, while others fade into virtual ghost towns with posts dating back years. What makes the difference? How can you ensure your new online health community thrives? Let's dive in.
Setting Your Community Up for Success
Successful online health communities start with a clear strategy. It's not just about creating a space and hoping people will join. You need a game plan that aligns daily activities with your goals, measures progress, and allows for adjustments along the way.
The main goal? Providing emotional support, sharing valuable health information, and empowering members with tools to manage their health. But an active community goes beyond that—it's about engaging members in polls, surveys, health tracking, and more, gaining insights that drive continuous improvement.
Key Elements of a Strategic Plan for your Online Health Community
Here’s how to set your online health community up for success:
Know Your Why: Understand why you're starting the community and what success looks like for you. Document these goals to stay focused.
Make it a Priority: Treat your community as a strategic priority within your organization. Allocate resources, including dedicated community managers and the right technology platform.
Framework Support: Ensure your organization's structure supports the community effort. It's about more than just plugging in a generic platform and hoping for the best.
The Online Health Community Life Cycle
Online communities have a life cycle, evolving over time. In the startup phase (first 6 months to a year), focus on building a foundation:
Invite members to join and actively engage.
Establish a welcoming tone and style.
Recruit and nurture a core group of active members who can be community ambassadors.
Best Practices from Thriving Online Health Communities
Learn from successful examples like tu Diabetes and the Canadian Cancer Society:
Engage Volunteers: Train early members to seed conversations and welcome newcomers promptly.
Immediate Responses: Implement systems for quick responses to ensure no member feels like they're talking into an empty room.
Optimize Engagement: Use notifications and encourage core members to help improve the community experience.
Why Boomity|Health?
At Boomity|Health, we specialize in intuitive platforms designed specifically for online peer-to-peer health communities. Our tools integrate best practices, providing community managers with actionable insights to foster growth and engagement.
Ready to Start Your Community?
If your health organization is considering an online peer-to-peer health community, let's chat. Reach out to me at joan@boomity.com or visit www.boomityhealth.com for more information.
Let’s build a thriving community together!
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