A New Framework for web3 Community Management
The importance of community building in web3
The emergence of web3 has brought about new opportunities for community management, but building and nurturing strong web3 communities requires a comprehensive strategy. With decentralized platforms and blockchain technology, communities can interact in a trustless and transparent way, allowing for more collaborative and innovative solutions. However, managing a web3 community requires a unique approach and framework to effectively educate, incentivize, engage, and retain members.
The Framework
This framework for community management in web3 contains five essential steps. The first step is Inform in which the community is constantly kepty apprised of happenings and relevant information.The second, is Educate which involves educating community members about the platform, its goals, and the benefits of being a part of the community. The third step is Incentivize, which involves providing rewards and benefits to community members for their contributions to the growth of the community. The fourth is Engage, which involves creating opportunities for community members to participate, ask questions, and provide feedback. The fifth and final step is Retention, which involves strategies to keep community members engaged and motivated over the long term.
By following this framework, community managers and owners can create a strong and active community that supports the growth and success of the platform, project or brand. The inform and education steps ensure that community members have a common understanding of the platform and its goals, while the incentivized step creates a sense of ownership and motivation among community members. The engage step builds trust and relationships among members, and the retain step ensures that members remain engaged and committed to the community over time.
Existing frameworks and why they don’t work
There are several existing frameworks for community building that are widely used, but may not work well in the context of web3 communities. This is because the focus is on traditional customer relationship management and other marketing-focused approaches. As communities are unique in their goals, incentives, and governance models, a new framework that addresses the specific challenges and opportunities of web3 communities is needed to build and nurture vibrant and sustainable communities.
Traditional Marketing Frameworks: Traditional marketing frameworks, such as the 4 Ps (product, price, promotion, and place), are focused on promoting products and services to customers. These frameworks may not work for web3 communities, where the focus is on building relationships and fostering collaboration among members. Customer Relationship Management (CRM) Frameworks: CRM frameworks are focused on managing customer interactions and building long-term relationships. While these frameworks may be useful for managing interactions with individual customers, they may not be well-suited for building and nurturing communities of users and stakeholders who want to be included in the creation process.
Community Management Frameworks: Community management frameworks, such as the Community Roundtable’s Community Maturity Model, provide a roadmap for building and managing communities. While these frameworks may be useful for managing communities, they may not be well-suited for the unique challenges and opportunities of web3 communities who are interested in interoperability between networks and data portability.
Overview of the 5-step framework (Inform, Educate, Incentivize, Engage, and Retain)
The first step in the five-step framework for community management is to inform potential community members about the community’s purpose, values, and benefits. This step sets the tone for the community and helps to attract members who are aligned with the community’s vision and mission.
Inform
The “Inform” step involves communicating the community’s purpose, values, and benefits to potential members through effective messaging. By effectively communicating the community’s value proposition, community managers can attract members who are aligned with the community’s vision and mission, and who are more likely to contribute to the community’s goals and objectives. The key to informing the community about the brand, products, and services is to communicate clearly, consistently, and in a way that provides value to the community. By providing informative and educational content, engaging with the community, and using a mix of communication channels, community builders can effectively communicate about the brand, products, and services and build a strong and engaged community. While informing and educating your community are related, they serve slightly different purposes.
Informing your community means providing them with basic information about your brand, products, or services. This information can be about the benefits of your products or services, how they work, and how to use them. Informing is a necessary first step in building a relationship with your community, as it helps establish a foundation of knowledge that members need to engage with your brand.
Informing establishes a foundation of knowledge about your brand, while educating provides more in-depth knowledge and tools to help members succeed and grow. By combining both informing and educating, community builders can create a community that is informed, engaged, and loyal.
Here are some key elements of the “Inform” step:
Purpose: Communicate the community’s purpose and the reason why the community exists. This can be expressed as a mission statement, vision, or tagline that summarizes the community’s goals and aspirations.
Values: Communicate the community’s values, which are the principles and beliefs that guide the community’s behavior and decision-making. This is expressed as a set of core values that reflect the community’s culture and identity.
Benefits: Communicate the benefits of being a part of the community, which may include access to resources, networking opportunities, knowledge-sharing, or other forms of value that members can expect to receive.
Channels: Identify the most effective communication channels for reaching potential community members, such as social media platforms, emails, or community forums.
Messaging: Develop messaging that is clear, concise, and compelling, and that communicates the community’s purpose, values, and benefits in a way that resonates with potential members.
Educate
The second step is to educate members about the community’s vision, mission, and goals. This can be done through workshops, tutorials, or other forms of training. This helps to ensure that members have a clear understanding of what the community is trying to achieve and how they can contribute to those goals. This step involves educating members about the community’s vision, mission, and goals through effective training, mentoring, and communication. By providing members with the knowledge and resources they need to contribute to the community’s goals, community managers can foster a culture of learning, growth, and collaboration that drives innovation and positive change in the world. The key to educating the community about the brand, products, and services is to provide valuable educational resources, host webinars or workshops, online training, and collaborate with experts. Providing educational content that is relevant and valuable to the community can educate and engage them thus building a stronger and more loyal community.
Educating your community goes beyond basic information to provide members with more in-depth knowledge about your industry, products, or services. Education can take the form of tutorials, workshops, webinars, or other forms of training that teach members how to use your products, or how your products fit into the larger industry landscape. Education is a valuable tool for building trust and loyalty among members, as it demonstrates that you are committed to helping them succeed and grow.
Some elements of the “Educate” step include:
Vision: Communicate the community’s vision, which is the future state that the community is striving to create. This should be expressed as a bold and inspiring statement that captures the community’s aspirations.
Mission: Communicate the community’s mission, which is the specific action that the community is taking to achieve its vision. This can be expressed as a series of goals or objectives that reflect the community’s priorities and strategies.
Goals: Communicate the community’s goals, which are the specific outcomes that the community is working to achieve. Make sure to provide measurable targets that reflect the community’s impact and progress.
Training: Offer training and resources that help members to understand the community’s vision, mission, and goals, and that enable them to contribute to those goals effectively. Consider workshops, tutorials, and other forms of training that cater to different learning styles and needs.
Communication: Foster open and transparent communication channels that enable members to ask questions, provide feedback, and share ideas. Forums, chat applications, or other forms of communication that encourage dialogue and collaboration would be useful here.
Incentivize
The third step is to incentivize members to participate in community activities and contribute to the community’s goals. This can be done through rewards, tokens, governance rights, or other forms of recognition. Incentivizing helps to motivate members to take action and contribute to the community’s success.
Key elements of the “Incentivize” include:
Rewards: Provide rewards to members who contribute to the community’s goals, such as badges, certifications, or other forms of recognition. These rewards can serve as a tangible way of recognizing members for their contributions and motivating them to continue to participate in community activities.
Tokens: Distribute tokens or other forms of digital assets that represent value and that can be used to incentivize members to contribute to the community’s goals. Tokens can serve as a way of rewarding members for their contributions and giving them a stake in the community’s success.
Governance Rights: Provide governance rights to members who contribute to the community’s goals, such as voting rights, decision-making powers, or other forms of influence. They can serve as a way of empowering members to shape the community’s future and ensuring that their voices are heard.
Recognition: Give public recognition to members who contribute to the community’s goals, such as featuring their contributions on the community’s website or social media channels. This recognition serves as a way of celebrating members’ contributions and inspiring others to get involved.
Challenges: Create challenges or contests that encourage members to compete with each other and demonstrate their skills and expertise. They can serve as a way of motivating members to push themselves and contribute to the community’s goals in new and creative ways.
Engage
The fourth step in the five-step framework for community management is to engage members by providing opportunities for collaboration, communication, and feedback. This step creates a sense of community and belonging among members, and provides a way for members to contribute their unique skills, knowledge, and perspectives to the community’s goals.
Key elements of the “Engage” step include:
Events: Organize events that bring members together in person or virtually to collaborate, share ideas, and network. Events can take many forms, such as meetups, conferences, hackathons, or webinars, and they provide an opportunity for members to connect and build relationships.
Forums: Create forums or discussion boards that enable members to share information, ask questions, and provide feedback. Forums can serve as a central hub for community activity, and they provide a way for members to communicate and collaborate on a wide range of topics. Chat applications and messaging platforms can also be especially useful for facilitating quick and informal communication, and they can help to foster a sense of community and camaraderie among members.
Social Media: Use social media platforms to engage members and promote community activities. Social media can reach a broader audience, and can provide a way for members to share content, network, and stay informed about community news and events.
Feedback: Offer opportunities for members to provide feedback and input on community activities and initiatives. This can be done through surveys, polls, or other forms of feedback mechanisms, and it can help to ensure that community activities are aligned with members’ needs and interests.
By creating opportunities for members to connect and contribute to the community’s goals, community managers can foster a culture of engagement, innovation, and collaboration that drives positive change.
Retain
The fifth and final step is to retain members by providing ongoing value and opportunities for participation. This can be done through personalized experiences, exclusive access to resources, or other forms of member retention initiatives. By providing ongoing value and opportunities for participation community owners can ensure that members remain engaged and invested in the community over the long term, and it provides a way to cultivate a loyal and dedicated community.
Here are some key elements of the “Retain” step:
Personalized Experiences: Personalized experiences that are tailored to members’ interests and needs, if executed well can lead to retention. Using targeted content, customized communications, or other forms of personalization demonstrate that the community values and understands its members.
Exclusive Access: Give members exclusive access to resources, events, or other opportunities that are only available to them. This can serve as a way to reward and recognize members for their contributions, and it can help to create a sense of belonging and exclusivity within the community.
Continuous Improvement: Continuously improve the community’s offerings and services based on member feedback and input. This can be done through regular surveys, focus groups, or other forms of feedback mechanisms that enable the community to evolve and adapt to changing member needs and interests.
Communication: Regularly meeting with members to keep them informed about community news, events, and opportunities through newsletters, social media, or other forms of communication, communities can keep members engaged and connected to the community.
By creating a community that provides ongoing value to its members and that is constantly evolving based on member feedback, community managers can foster a sense of loyalty and dedication among members that drives positive change in the world.
Conclusion
This five-step framework can be a powerful tool for community managers and owners to build and engage their web3 communities. This framework is versatile and can be applied to different types of communities, ensuring that they align with the project or brand’s goals, foster a positive atmosphere that encourages participation, and provide value to community members. By following these essential steps, community managers and owners can create strong, loyal communities that boost business growth and success. So, if you want to build a vibrant and engaged community, make sure to define your community, create a welcoming environment, establish communication channels, provide value, and build relationships.
