From Here to 365

A Guide to Year-Round Community Engagement

Get the PDF

Begin the Journey to Year-Round Community Engagement

Read the short 9-page guide now to begin the journey From Here to 365. You’ll learn:

Why following your organization's North Star is important online and off
What you can do year-round to keep people coming back to your online home
How to choose community platform software that increases the value for members
How AI and machine learning support member value by recommending personalized networking, education, and experiences

Start here, start now.

Every Journey Starts with a Direction

Level Out the Peaks and Valleys

Modernize packaging

Technology Paves Way for 365

365 Platform Checklist

From Here to 365

Where The Journey Begins

For too long, membership associations have existed on peaks while surviving the valleys. The in-person annual convention served as the ultimate calendar pinpoint, with programming, volunteering and marketing pushing up to that date. Then, the dropoff: the connection and networking that happened during the event is lost, the education and learning experiences from guest speakers are forgotten, and the overall joy and connection from that experience dwindle away into the oblivion of memory. People then turn elsewhere for the connections that drive their businesses, for the education that fuels their advancement.

Based on a lifetime of community experience and research from JUNO Founder and CEO Josh Hotsenpiller, we’ve created a guide so you can start here, start now. Start creating ongoing engagement peaks by leveraging Content, Networking and Experiences.
‍

Associations that put an emphasis on year-round content, networking and experiences are able to level out the peaks and elevate the valleys into lush ecosystems for 365-day community engagement and connection.

Every Journey Starts with a Direction

Know what your members need, first, so you can fulfill this purpose, your unique value proposition. As any community forms, the Desired Outcome must be defined. In general, people come to associations and their events for networking, commerce, education and experiences. It is vital you understand why they come to you. That tie creates loyalty and will guide the path on which you’re about to embark. People come back because an organization is able to create something memorable and unique. The core of your brand, the vision, is about offering people the opportunity to learn and network through what that association knows best. With a 365 experience, the terrain of your unique world becomes a rich landscape of glorious peaks, that main annual event where your resources are on full display, plus lush, green valleys in between.

What is Your North Star?

How do you act on your mission?
Why do people come to you?

Level Out the Peaks and Valleys

To keep engagement leveling up year-round, incorporate iterative, consistent, and some surprising elements into the journey.

Roundtable Discussions:

2 monthly
Topics should be laid out by the association

Networking Events:

1 per month
These should be themed events with 3
discussion based questions from the association

Networking Recommendations (Using AI and Machine Learning):

1 free monthly network recommendation
5 per week with a upgraded membership

Recycled Long-form Content:

Should be created when available at least once a month alongside learning courses

Fun Engaging Experience

(Like Wine Tasting):

1 per month

Learning and Certification Courses:

1 micro course a month
Recycled long form content can also be used to create learning courses

Your Annual Event

Start with Discovery

How often do you create content across your organization?
Where and how is that shared?
How are members generating content that could become solutions for others?
Do members value being able to connect with each other? How often?
What is happening in siloed departments that could benefit the whole? With each other? How often?

Once you have a solid understanding of the content you can leverage, you can incorporate both variety and consistency to strategically map out the topography of your event landscape to keep members engaged, connected, informed and delighted.

Daily content doesn’t have to be extensive, but it does remind people to depend on you. There should always be something that drives users to interact with the platform. When it comes to managing this 365 engagement, associations could invest in a dedicated community manager who loves interacting with people but who also understands how digital tools can remove physical and perceived boundaries.

As far as paid and upgraded memberships, a 365 experience should offer free content to keep users interested, but it should also offer upgradable paid memberships that can offer an array of different customizable perks.

Engage Audiences Year-Round

The 365 Community Experience: What Does a 365 Community Feel Like?

Digital Event Strategy: A Master Class in 365 Community Engagement From PCMA’s Sourabah Kothari

How Do You JUNO? A Flight Plan to Launch a Single Destination Platform for Events & 365 Community

Modernize packaging

Sometimes creating engagement is not about making new content, but rather introducing new opportunities to consume it. Content should be to-the-point and informative, but simple and digestible.

Really think about how users consume content these days; it’s quick and it catches peoples attention.

At the end of the day, the people who choose to be part of your 365 community are there for learning, networking, and experiences. They want to advance their own goals, their own businesses in many cases. Above all, they want to belong.

With technology, everyone can participate in content creation. Say your organization creates an opportunity by hosting a roundtable discussion on the topic of governance. The organization offers a free roundtable and simply gets the word out to their members. The discussion is created within the platform and is a big success.

At no cost to you, you now have a 30-minute discussion with community members talking about governance that can be turned into a piece of content for the on-demand library. With the added benefit of AI and machine learning, that free content can then be recycled and recommended to other users who have similar interests but couldn’t make the live discussion.

365 Platform Checklist

Member Connections
Immediate Chat and Video
Discussion Forums
Events
Webinars
Gamification
Cohort Groups

Certification Opportunities
Seamless Video Delivery
On-demand Learning Library
Mobile Capabilities
AI and Machine Learning
Tech Support and SSO
Data Analytics

Technology Paves Way for 365

With technology always at our fingertips, we know that people are consuming content 365 days a year.Far too often associations are actually creating high-quality content on a consistent basis but are delivering it in a sloppy, rushed or disparate manner. The presentation never feels quite right. When we are not delivering an overall best in class presentation, why would people come back? Are we presenting everything that represents our vision and our purpose to serve members with networking and education?

Whenever anyone joins a community, there is always an experience that particular person seeks to gain. Everyone in a community may share the organizational vision, but when it comes to the experience, people are looking for something very personalized. his is where technology really shines. Dynamic experiences can be created based on personal needs using Artificial Intelligence and machine learning. A 365-day community platform can enable your audience to experience and learn exactly what they want, when and how they want it.

Three vital questions about AI and machine learning in 365 Platforms

How are you utilizing your technology and software to offer personalized experiences and meaningful network connections?
Is the AI, machine learning and data driving content, experiences, and networking to keep people engaged?
Is the machine-generated content rich enough to entice the audience to come back?

From Here to 365

Community engagement never ends, so associations and technology partners must always be thinking about tomorrow.

This guide is a template ripe for innovation and customization. Try new types of content that make people remember their experiences and leave the platform excited about what’s next. Even with long-form and recycled content, find unique and innovative ways to repurpose that content so it can have even more value for users.

And as the months and years go by, your 365 community will expand; so be patient and cultivate it. Embrace digital transformation as a tool for engagement. Soon, community members will begin to create and host their own courses and roundtables.
‍