The Ultimate Quick-Start Guide to Meaningful Engagement

There is a lot of rhetoric out there that sounds like “Community is great,” “It’s wonderful!”

But, as stated in an article shared by Rand Fishkin by Craig the Computer guy: User Engagement is Code for Addiction. And let’s be real. It so often is meant to be interchangeable.

I know you don’t want that. You want something meaningful, otherwise, you could go talk to someone who talks about social engineering, and they’d give you all kinds of “hacks” and “quick tips” that would increase your numbers but leave you wondering if you’re making a difference. 

So let’s talk about meaningful engagement. Meaningful engagement is anything that connects people to the 2 P’s: Purpose or People. 

In the below video, I walk you through my process for creating meaningful engagement. And this doesn’t have to take hours and hours. You can learn something to apply right away.

Looking for tons more inspiration and structure for your work? Make sure to watch the FREE training video, How to Create a Thriving Online Community.

Step 1: Write down who you serve. They may need to be separated into major “buckets” and segmented.

These are the types of people you want to serve. If the answer does not immediately stick out to you, think about: 

1. What are the demographics? 

2. Psychographics? 

3. Shared beliefs? 

4. And where do they differ? 

Step 2: Articulate the primary pain points of the group. To figure this out, ask:

1. What are they struggling with? 

2. What are they reaching out to you about? 

3. What do you see them reaching out to others about?

Step 3: Articulate the progress they want to make. To figure this out, ask:

1. What do they hope to be doing differently in a year? 

2. Who do they think can help them get there? 

Step 4: Write down 3 values you want your community to exude or three feelings you want people to feel. 

This list doesn’t have to be for forever. Ideally, you already have this written down. But if you haven’t figured out your values yet, try to whittle down a place to start from with three central values.

Step 5: Pick ONE piece of content or ONE program.

Brainstorm ONE piece of content that either: (1) educates, (2) connects people to one another and encourages sharing, or (3) welcomes members into the group.

Make sure it alleviates a clear pain point or addresses a wish, and aligns with your values. In the video, I offer examples.

Want an even deeper dive into this work and a safe space to practice it in? EXPLORE THE CMJ COMMUNITY AND JOIN NOW!

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Watch the video below for more examples and see as I walk through how to do this with a few sample clients: