The Calm Guide to Onboarding Members into your online community: Step 2 — Selecting your onboarding method
The Calm Guide to Onboarding is based on experiences I’ve had with clients who I help build, launch, and grow an online community as well as my experience as a Community Manager.
I put this step-by-step guide together so you can learn what onboarding is, methods of onboarding, identifying your process, and creating your unique onboarding plan.
This is the second step in the five-step guide to creating your onboarding plan. In this step, I’ll explain different methods of onboarding your new members and it will depend on the number of people you are inviting at a given time, as well as your ability to invest time to connect with members. Knowing your ideal members’ learning styles will allow you to customize the onboarding experience for them.
The Video Walkthrough — Good for verbal and auditory learners
You can create a video that walks members through how to navigate the Mighty Network, where content will be, how they can connect with other members, why they will want to participate in events and share in the activity feed. This allows them to learn on their own time when they have the ability to access the tutorial.
Orientation Packet — Good for visual, solitary, and logical learners
You can create emails and posts inside the Mighty Network telling members how to access content, why they will want to attend events, and how they can connect with other members. Using photos, screenshots, and clear step-by-step instructions to help members know where to go, what to do, and why they will want to join, participate, and connect with other members. You could create an orientation email sequence or point them to an orientation resource within your Mighty Network. (Whatever method works best for you and doesn’t take a ton of time/energy)
“Learn-by-Doing” — Physical & Social Learners
You can create an event, course, or challenge that encourages them to upload a profile photo, write an introduction, connect them in the network, and through social events such as a Welcome Party or Orientation to your network. This can be a great way to connect your members right from the start of a course, cohort, or meetup to create lasting bonds.
Concierge — Solitary, verbal, and auditory learners
You can personally welcome each member individually via phone, video, emails, or texts. This takes time to do on your part but if you’ve got a higher-priced membership community or course, with a small cohort, or people in different stages that need additional hand-holding for support.
Resources
- 5 Inspiring Interactive Walkthroughs To Improve Your Onboarding
- Different Learning Styles
- User onboarding: 11 best practices and 15 examples
The Calm Guide to Onboarding Members into your online community (coming up next)
Step 3 — Identify your onboarding process
Step 4 — Create Your Unique onboarding Plan
Step 5 — Going beyond an invitation
About
Deb Schell is the Founder of Find Calm Here LLC — As a consultant, designer, copywriter, and strategist, she helps entrepreneurs find calm in building, launching, and growing their paid online communities.
Inside the Find Calm Here Community, she brings together community-builders who feel overwhelmed with launching a community, cultivating contribution, and creating an onboarding plan with the tools, resources, and support they need to find calm so that they can confidently create a community.
As the Host of the Find Calm Here Podcast, Deb shares conversations she has with community-builders and offers resources that have helped them find calm in building a paid online community.
