In the community, we can use the group of super users to help build the community or brand. In this article, the author elaborates on some operational pitfalls to avoid, and gives a checklist for the work of the "super user program".
Every community has a group of leaders, opinion leaders, who are more vocal, visible, active, or productive than other users.
The Power Admin Program allows you to leverage the knowledge, energy, and skills of these top performers to benefit your community, community, or brand.
There are eleven articles in this series, and today I will take a look at the last two.
- 1. Definitions: Causes of Failure and Crowd Terminology
- 2. "Value: Why do you need a "super user program"?
- 3. Planning: 7 Steps to Develop Effective Strategies, Goals, and Structures
- 4. "Motivation: How to Understand the Real Motivation of Super Users?"
- 5. "Departments: Operator Standards and Recruitment"
- 6. Documentation: Necessary Document Preparation (Content and External)
- 7. Communication: Building Dedicated Channels for Interaction and Communication
- 8. "Motivation: 4 Categories, 3 Structures, 1 Motivation"
- 9. "Key Points: Success and Key Factor Control"
- 10. Beware of some operational pitfalls.
- 11. Check the preparation checklist and start practicing.
Chapter 10: Operation Traps
There are some common mistakes to avoid when creating a "super user plan". Here are 6 questions that may feel familiar to you:
1. Ignore member fatigue
In the hectic real life, people often feel exhausted. However, we need to make sure that we have enough team members so that we can help each other when things get tough in real life. Therefore, build a pool of potential members to cope with the loss of members.
In addition, the nature of volunteering means that changes in personal circumstances can affect their ability to do additional work. Since work is voluntary, people tend to give up this type of unpaid work in preference to it.
Sometimes, due to the sensitivity or difficulty of the personal situation, volunteers may not be able to express their situation easily, so they may disappear out of our sight.
Therefore, savvy community managers should be aware of this and actively engage in two-way communication to intervene in a timely manner.
2. Scaling too fast
Starting small and carefully managing growth is key to maintaining quality and efficiency.
Hootsuite was launched with the idea of rapid expansion. The program was an instant hit because it was easy to join, but it also lost a unique competitive advantage. As they gained experience, they realized that downsizing and focusing on the quality of their ambassadors was the way to go. Nowadays, they limit themselves to sharing memberships with those who can maintain a close relationship with them.
Because the scale is too large, it is difficult to monitor everyone's movements, which will seriously undermine the value of the plan.
3. Don't allow ambassadors to express themselves in their own way
If the purpose of the plan is to use social proof and use spokespersons to spread the message, let them deliver it in their own way (style and words).
Reusing the same sales and marketing messages is not good for you, as it can undermine customer trust in your brand. However, that doesn't mean giving them complete freedom to play. You can develop a style and tone guide, but maintain some flexibility so that your team members can maintain authenticity.
4. Allow "toxic" members to continue to exist
Every once in a while, we come across some members who don't fit into the program. Sometimes, their enthusiasm for a brand can become too unhealthy. In order to deal with this situation, you need to make sure that you have procedures in place to deal with it. Term limits are a good way to do this: set an end date by which members need to reapply.
Be careful at the beginning when setting limits. If certain behaviors are found to be inappropriate, if they continue, they will be removed from the program. If something goes wrong, we need to document it carefully. When dealing with conflicts, we should opt for phone or voice chat instead of email to ensure better communication and resolution.
If the problem still can't be resolved, let's not be afraid to remove someone from the plan. Keeping a "toxic" person in the program destroys the trusting relationships we have with other members.
If the decision is made to remove someone, we should do so in a gentle but firm manner. Use empathetic language and avoid accusations. Removed members may still be involved in other community activities, so maintaining a relationship with them is important to prevent them from negatively impacting the brand's reputation.
5. Internal factors
Sometimes, plans fail due to unfortunate operational changes within the business.
Organizational restructuring can lead to blurring ownership boundaries or the loss of a certain resource. To prevent this failure, having a major program stakeholder is the best insurance. This person will take ownership of the plan, ensuring a smooth handover when they leave the organization.
Another internal pitfall is the inability to prove the value of the program.
For example, the Vinted Sellers Club was a huge success for a while, but it eventually closed due to a lack of hard data to back it up. Not having enough metrics to prove the value of the program to the organization is a big challenge.
Therefore, during the planning phase, it is crucial to establish data metrics and have reporting resources, which are critical for long-term survival and cannot be overlooked. Because only with the support of data can we accurately assess the effectiveness and value of the plan and provide a strong basis for decision-making.
6. Asking too much and expecting too quickly
Keep in mind that this is a two-way street. Not only to meet the goals of the organization, but also to focus on and meet the needs of our members.
- Make sure that the needs of both the organization and the members are met and that you can't ask too much too early without giving anything in return.
- Make sure your expectations are fair and reasonable, and that you are able to communicate the expected time commitment.
- Communicate regularly with program members to ensure that the workload can be completed.
- At the same time, it is necessary to actively listen to and respond to feedback and maintain transparency of responsibility.
Indeed, avoiding these common mistakes such as member fatigue, scaling too quickly, limiting the voice of ambassadors, dealing with toxic members, the influence of internal factors, and excessive demands may not necessarily ensure the 100% success of the program, but they can significantly increase the success rate of the program.
Chapter 11: End: Check the list and start acting
We have broken down the 10 parts of the "Super User Program" definition, value, planning, motivation, department, documentation, communication, incentives, elements, and operational pitfalls.
Now, please refer to the "checklist" below, take your seat, and continue to evolve to welcome the launch and transformation of a dynamic "Super User Program"!
"Super User Program" Checklist:
What is the essence of the "super user program"? In the view of the brand ape, it is a "sense of co-creation", co-building content, symbiotic traffic, co-creating brands, sharing results, and growing together. Led by this mindset shift and strategic innovation, the power of community is limitless – and those with the strongest communities will outperform!
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Note: The content in this series is from the article "FeverBee", an overseas social marketing company.
Columnist
Brand ape, public account: brand ape (ID: brand-yuan), everyone is a product manager columnist. A snooper of the new business ecology, a brand strategy consultant, focusing on brand innovation and evolution.
This article was originally published by Everyone is a Product Manager and is prohibited from reprinting without permission.
The title image is from Unsplash and is licensed under CC0
The views in this article only represent the author's own, everyone is a product manager, and the platform only provides information storage space services.