Create your very own Auto Publish News/Blog Site and Earn Passive Income in Just 4 Easy Steps
Intuit knows that people ask a lot of questions about taxes.
For over 10 years, the TurboTax brand has offered an online question-and-answer support forum to address these issues. But a few years ago, Intuit recognized the potential to evolve the extensive FAQ into a year-round community to discuss all aspects of personal finance.
According to Khoros' 2023 Brand Confidence Report, expanding the community makes sense as 84% of US and UK consumers surveyed say they have turned to online brand communities for customer service, support or answers to questions and find helpful resources.
But Intuit didn't stop there. Unlike many brand-driven digital communities, TurboTax encouraged its community members to answer questions. It also launched the formal Intuit Community Champions program for its most active members.
Although Intuit is in the minority, it is not alone. Women in Tech SEO contracts with community members to lead and support outreach efforts. The Content Marketing Institute Community Slack channel operates with a volunteer host.
Read on to learn more about how these brands implement their community-led initiatives.
Create incentives for community members to increase their participation
When Intuit launched its new Community and Champion program a few years ago, the company partnered with Khoros, a digital engagement agency responsible for the annual brand trust report.
“The Intuit Community Champions program invites passionate, supportive members with high-quality responses to join a membership with recognition and exclusive offers,” said Lindsay Sanchez, Chief Marketing Officer of Khoros.
Digital recognition includes over 80 badges and ranks based on participation – writing posts, helping community members, attending events, etc.
In one year, these champions delivered 55,000 responses in 90,000 new conversations with 230,000 replies. According to Lindsay, most threads received a response in 30 minutes or less – an 8% decrease from last year.
She says the results also increased customer satisfaction among community members by 17% and community engagement increased by 35%.
Intuit has a detailed process before awarding the Champion label to community members. First, individuals must be active in the community and achieve a Level 7 rank (visible next to their username) before submitting a nomination form to join the Intuit Community Champions.
According to Intuit, a review committee reviews each nomination every quarter and reviews the nominee's current community activity. Nominees who pass the review complete an official application, sign a non-disclosure agreement and agree to abide by a code of conduct.
Once approved, the new champion receives a welcome box with freebies, public recognition for their new appointment, and access to a private forum where they can engage directly with Intuit employees, Lindsay explains.
Intuit reviews and renews champion profiles annually.
To support and reward them, Intuit sends ongoing thank you notes from leaders and hosts fun appreciation weeks. It also offers coffee chats and educational webinars to help champions expand their skills, encourages them to test new product features, and distributes free software.
Lindsay says the program works because it empowers and incentivizes members who contribute meaningfully to the community. Intuit is not alone. Khoros' brand trust research proves this. Almost all those surveyed say loyalty rewards are an essential part of an attractive brand community.
Hire community members to support brand initiatives
Almost five years ago, Areej AbuAli founded Women in Tech SEO to help women in the industry empower each other in positive, inspiring and beneficial ways.
Today the organization includes 7,000 free members and 40,000 followers online. Festivals also take place here in London, Berlin and Philadelphia.
Last year, Areej used part of the proceeds to sign contracts with 50 community members to support several projects, including the WTSPodcast, the WTSWorkshop and the WTSNewsletter.
She selected community-engaged members who were already involved in similar initiatives. For example, the WTSPodcast moderator leads another industry podcast.
“I usually reach out to dedicated community members who have been part of the group for a while and know how we work in detail,” explains Areej, pointing out that she pays per project or fee, depending on the project.
Even though Areej asks her community for help, she remains its primary caretaker. “It's one of those things that's very difficult to let go of. Even though the community is almost five years old, I am still very involved every day,” she says.
Areej regularly updates the Community Rules and Code of Conduct, solicits feedback, and updates channels. But she also finds that members voluntarily take on a leadership role. “There's a lot of member-led growth where I almost never feel the need to jump in and answer questions asked or welcome new people…mainly because most other members are faster than me,” she says.
Enlist community members to lead the conversation
Four years ago, Content Marketing Institute community manager Jeremy Bednarski asked if he wanted to host the CMI Slack channel.
“The original request was to post a question or message about once a week. I said I would post daily because if I can't think of anything to ask or discuss with this group, I'm in the wrong job,” Jeremy recalls.
As a senior manager of content strategy at Salesforce, Jeremy recently began his fifth year as a volunteer moderator of the channel and still posts daily to spark conversations. “As time goes on, we all learn from each other. This community has helped me in my career for years, from job recommendations to things I do on a daily basis,” he says.
Although running a social channel might make someone feel like they've taken on the role of hall monitor, Jeremy hasn't experienced that yet. “I never had to deal with anyone who went apostate,” he says.
He says community members who take on leadership roles should strive to be helpful and not engage in self-promotion. “Understand why people spend their time in the community. Above all, listen and be flexible,” he says.
Community leaders shouldn’t think they have to do everything either. Encourage other members to answer questions and participate in discussions. “It doesn’t necessarily have to be me running things,” says Jeremy.
But you need patience. He explains: “It takes time to build a community that shows up every day. Some brands are lucky to have an audience that follows them on every channel, but most are not. It’s about building relationships.”
Do you like what you read here? Get a subscription for daily or weekly updates. It's free – and you can change your preferences or unsubscribe at any time.
HANDPICKED RELATED CONTENT: How to Build a Vibrant Online Community [Examples]
Cover image by Joseph Kalinowski/Content Marketing Institute
Create your very own Auto Publish News/Blog Site and Earn Passive Income in Just 4 Easy Steps
