#WDS2013 Resources

====== Jodi Ettenberg & Steve Kamb ====== ===== Creating Audience Engagement ===== * http://www.legalnomads.com/ * http://www.nerdfitness.com/ * http://twitter.com/legalnomads * http://twitter.com/stevekamb Community building: think about difference between broadcasting and having a conversation (reaction vs. engagement) === Three elements needed for community === - People - Personality - Belonging * People want something that they can attach themselves to. * Don't let yourself be perceived as something that you're not (e.g. "I'm not a trainer"). * Remove the sense of ego. === Building community === * Define what you want your brand to be * Create something interesting and unique around this * Leverage (e.g. monetize) If community is built organically, they will eventually want to reciprocate value (e.g. pay you: "make an ebook so that we can give you some money!"). Build the audience first; opportunities to make money will eventually come. === Trust === Key for attracting community. "Trust is currently trendy, but it never goes out of style!" * Every comment, post, etc. is an opportunity to either build trust or to lose trust. * Think long term (e.g. years in the future), not short term === Community building === * Niche and tone * Understand your own message; stay true to your voice * It's okay (and good) that some people don't resonate with the community message - don't try to please everyone * Not a one-shot thing, but a continual process * Connect deeply with each member of the community (e.g. personal emails to new members - templates can help make this more efficient) * Ask good questions and care about the responses * Reader meetups when possible * Reward the readers that you have - make them feel special * Give shoutouts and (genuine) compliments when you can * Empower community members (e.g. raise up community members as moderators, even employees) * Treat them well by asking the right questions - don't "like-bait" * Negative comments: take care of your community. * Try to diffuse situations in a non-threatening way. * It's okay to kick out people that are detracting from the community - don't think twice about this (advice from Adam Baker) === Takeaways === * Community can start with just three people * Grow from deep roots * Value and trust * Understand your message, keep it clear and consistent * Take care of people in the community (best marketing tactic) * Manage expectations: transparency **People follow people!** Provide value, and stay transparent.