Build an active online community for your members with the latest insights at your side. 

By: Ashly Stewart, Content Marketing Manager

The Current State of Online Communities 

  • 64% of online community visitors say they’re visiting community sites more often now than they did a couple of years ago.
  • The number of online community users rose last year as 44% said it was more important to have an online member community in 2020. 
  • Research shows that people are more likely to invest in online communities during (or in the wake of) crisis, trauma, or major life changes. 
  • A significant group of users reported grievances with the climate of social media and are turning to online communities as an alternative. 

For example, 45% were frustrated with offensive language or bullying, and 36% desired a more genuine connection with others. A third would prefer less pressure to project a certain self-image. 

Tools & Strategies to Enhance Online Communities

  • Video is increasingly effective for engagement and conversions.  

78% of people watch online videos every week, and 55% view online videos every day. 

PETA saw a 30% overall spike in visits to donation transaction pages, and 41% of online donations in September came in the seven days after launching a video campaign via social, email, and in their online community.  

  • Including a reward or incentive system can attract the attention of passive members and visitors. 
  • Providing a list of frequently asked questions to make any problems in community members’ minds clear can increase members’ confidence in the community. 
  • Appreciation of the members can lead to an increase in members’ participation in the community. 

Demographic Statistics about Online Communities

  • 62% of Gen Zers and millennials believe organizations have the power to create communities based on common interests and passions. 
  • Content generators who are the newest to the community prefer submitting entries to existing forums as opposed to opening new topics. 
  • Even among internet users who haven’t visited community sites recently, 7 in 10 of them are at least somewhat familiar with these platforms, a figure which rises to 77% for Millennials and Gen Z. 
  • Gen Z in the U.S. trust community sites (48%) almost as much as traditional news sources (51%). 
  • The top online community topics by gender —

Females top 5 online community content topics are:

1) Humor

2) Other specific interests

3) News/current events/politics

4) Food

5) Technology and gadgets 

Males top 5 online community gender topics are:

1) Technology and gadgets

2) News/current events/politics

3) Humor

4) Other specific interests

5) Movies 

Community Member Behaviors 

  • 77% of users join online communities to discover new things. 
  • 66% of users join online communities to connect with people who have similar interests.  
  • Visitors visit the website more times than entry generators, they open few topics and add few contents.   
  • Research found that more than half of users in the U.S. are actively looking for product recommendations on community sites. 

Preparing to launch your online community? 

If you’re getting ready to launch a new online community or you’re rethinking giving your online community a refresh, check out our guide to growing your online community in the first 90 days after launch.  

And please let us know if we can help you connect with the members in your community by reaching out today.  

LET’S TALK

Sources:  

1) Mobile Marketing 

2) Sage Journals 

3)  Reddit Case Study  

5) The Nonprofit Times 

6) Regent University  

7) Hubspot  

9) Personify