Cultivating your loyal base
Feb 17th, 2009 by Amy Southerland
One of the most challenging aspects of embracing social media is acknowledging that you have to let go of control and let your base talk about you. In fact, you don’t just want to let your supporters talk about you - you want to empower them to do so. Anyone who has tried this knows it’s a lot like herding cats. But you don’t have to lose control of your identity or message. With the right tools you can have the best of both worlds: the value of consistent messages and grassroots support.
Your supporters will use the path of least resistance.
Most people will use the information you provide about your organization as long as it’s easier than developing something new on their own. The trick is to give your supporters the ability to customize things, so that they feel a sense of ownership. The way to make this easy and scalable is with an online dashboard.
An online dashboard can provide your constituents with access to communications materials and the capability to customize them. The goal is to provide your supporters a rich library of building blocks that reflect your identity and promote your messages while still allowing them to have a say in how they use and distribute information. Your dashboard might include templates, logos, fact sheets, photos, messages, and design elements - all in formats that are easy for anyone to use and adapt. The good news is that you get to control the extent of the customization. The resulting communications and conversations will have a combination of thumbprints: yours and theirs.
In the event someone goes “rogue” and makes something “from scratch”, you need to understand that their investment in creating something original gives it a very high personal value - higher than normal. Be careful about trying to correct what you see as errant thinking. Instead, focus on tapping into their enthusiasm and commitment. Try to figure out what was missing from your online dashboard and make sure it is available in the future.
You can play a guiding role in helping groups grow and evolve.
Creating an online dashboard for disseminating marketing communications will allow a wide range of supporters to personalize their experience, including creating and joining groups with shared values and priorities. As groups form and leaders emerge, you will be able to monitor what your supporters need by tracking their interactions. You’ll be able to see which materials are popular and how they are being customized.
What you learn from watching and listening (without interfering) will allow you to strengthen your relationships and quickly provide better communications materials. Furthermore, your vantage point will allow you to track commonalities between groups and individuals and play the role of matchmaker, suggesting and encouraging fruitful new connections. The results? More groups, greater advocacy, faster growth, and consistent communications.
