Building engagement in an online community successfully requires a clear, shared understanding of your goals as an organization. Once you have defined the goals, you will want to plan for steady promotion. Elements include:
1. Continuous communication about what your alumni/members can do in your community. Always answer "what's in it for me" first, then make the ask.
2. Sharing stories about connections made in the community platform: jobs found, mentoring relationships cultivated, reunions organized...
3. Personal connections being made continuously from the leadership team and cohort leaders to alumni through the platform (individually, in small groups, or site wide via headlines and the home page discussion board)
4. Using the community as the exclusive destination for certain types of content (e.g. events, the directory, news)
5. A long term strategy to continuously build and maintain the alumni database (email addresses, mobile numbers, social links)
6. Specific goals for the community, and a shared internal understanding of the expected return on the investment in the community.
When these elements are present we've seen tremendous success, including $1.2M in donation/event revenue, and events with nearly 3,000 attendees registered.
We encourage you to create a short and personal launch video by and for your organization, which shows your new community and what you can do in it. Here is an example of a community launch video.
Below you will find sample content you can use to promote your community via email marketing. Your Blueprint for Success guide, provided during your onboarding process, also provides helpful guidelines for a successful launch.
We’re excited to announce our new alumni community! Visit <link to your community> to activate your account and complete your profile. Once you're in, you have the entire alumni database at your fingertips, with the tools you need to make the most of it.
With the new <organization name> community you can:
- Connect and Network with Alumni Anywhere
The interactive map makes it easy to find alumni in your area whether you’re searching for a new job, moving to a new neighborhood, or just looking to meet new interesting people who share a love for <organization name>. Send messages or build lists of people you want to communicate with. It's your network, we invite you to make the most of it!
- Join a Group or Start your Own
Our community already has several groups to explore. Do you have a special interest that you'd like to build community around? Create your own group, then create lists of alumni that may be interested.
- Register for Alumni Events, or Organize your Own Meetup or Reunion
The <organization name> community is the exclusive location for alumni events. If you're organizing a reunion, you're welcome to create your own events. Search the directory for a list of classmates and invite them. Registration can take place within the community, or you can also post events where registration takes place outside. Notifications will go out to all those subscribing to them.
- Discover Exclusive Jobs or Recruit for your Company
You can post an open position in minutes, apply from the community, or network with alumni that are hiring.
<link to your community> is your online community. We invite you to <activate your account today - insert link> and invite fellow alumni to do the same.
We’ll see you there!
Calling All <organization name> Alumni
Did you know there are many <organization name> alumni right in your neighborhood? You can see them all on our new interactive alumni map and online community! Our new website gets you inside access to:
Log on to <link to your community> today to see upcoming events, view new job postings and find old friends. It’s your network. Make the most of it!
Hello <first name>!
As a new member of the <organization name> Alumni Community, I am excited to invite you to take advantage of all it has to offer. There are so many ways you can connect with fellow alumni to advance your goals. Examples include:
- Create interest groups and post discussions with others who share your passion for cooking, traveling, research, writing, and more.
- Share upcoming events, from concerts to sports games, career fairs to special interest seminars, and meet others in the area.
If you keep in touch with your classmates, please share the link (<link for community>) in your social media and encourage them to join us.
As you use our new network, feel free to send me any thoughts you may have. We’re always looking to grow our community and make it as useful as possible. See you there!
Searching For New Career Opportunities?
Over (count of alumni) share your <organization name> pride. Want to connect with the (member name, i.e. Falcons or Trojans) in your neighborhood? Our interactive alumni map lets you find them in seconds!
If you’re searching for a new job, moving, or simply looking to meet new people, <name of community, with link> has the connections you’re looking for. Easily join groups, attend exclusive events, and create your own meetups. The network was created just for you.
Discover the power of the <organization name> network. Join today at <link to community>!
Hello <name>!
We hope you’re enjoying our new alumni website! As a valued community member, we wanted to be sure you were aware of all the capabilities this network has to offer. Every month we will send out a short tip or let you know about a new feature to help you make the most of our community.
Tip of the month: You can create your own networking events or post existing events for your fellow alumni to attend. Just go to Events > Create Event to share any relevant events, from local career fairs to big alumni reunions. We encourage you to add events relative to any interest – professional, sports, concerts, festivals, etc. Your event will be reviewed and approved by our community managers.
Enjoy, and be sure to share your thoughts and ideas for developing our alumni community. Just email <email address, name and title>.
Dear <name>,
Thanks for being an active member of our new alumni community! To make the most of our community, we ask you to add a photo to your profile. A picture makes your information more personal, and helps others remember you. With career networking, this is especially important. To add a photo, simply click “Edit Profile” under your name in the nav bar, and click the camera icon to upload a new photo.
We look forward to seeing you online!
Dear <name>,
Thanks for being an active member of our new online alumni networking site!
To make the most of our community, we ask all members to share their social media links on their profiles. This lets others follow you, and helps you connect with alumni that have similar interests.
Please take a moment to complete your profile - simply click here <https://demo.360alumni.com/edit-profile/ - customize for your own domain> and search for "Website and Social Media".
Thanks for helping us make our digital community vibrant and engaged!
Hello <name>!
We hope you’re enjoying our new alumni website! As a valued community member, we wanted to be sure you were aware of all the capabilities this network has to offer. Therefore, every month we will send out a short tip or announce a new feature to help you make the most of our community.
Tip of the month: Alumni now have the ability to receive notifications when new jobs, events, groups and more are posted to the site. To see the options, click the down arrow next to your name on the top right portion of the screen and select Edit Profile. On the left you will see “Notification Settings” and click the “Edit Settings” button. Select the notifications you’d like to receive and you’re ready to go.
We’ll see you online!
Hello <name>,
We hope you’re enjoying our new alumni network! If you haven’t signed up yet, now is the time. To help get the word out about our online community (complete with job postings, events, discussions, an alumni map, and more) we will hold random drawings for active users. For every 100 alumni that sign up today, we will give away <items in promotion>!
If you are not currently a member, please visit <community link> and activate your profile! If you are are already registered, please help us grow the network by encouraging your fellow alumni to register as well. This gives all <organization name> alumni more opportunities to connect, network and take advantage of valuable career development resources.
We’ll see you online!
Hi <first name>,
I noticed that you and <name> – another alum- both work for <company name>. You can see their profile in our alumni community at <link to your community>. I hope the two of you can connect. Please let me know if you have any hiring needs, or feel free to post them directly on the job board.
Thanks for filling out your profile in the alumni community. Now we can help our people connect more easily!
Dear <first name>,
Thanks for being an active member of our new online alumni networking site! To make the most of our community, we suggest adding your career information. This will allow others in similar fields to learn about your background and connect. If your company is hiring, consider posting open positions on the job board. The more alumni working for your organization, the stronger our university name! Help your fellow alumni and current students on their path to success, and they’ll do the same for you.
To add your career information, simply click “Edit Profile” from the dropdown in the top right corner of the homepage.
We look forward to seeing you online!
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