I’ve been working long hours in the factory. The content factory, that is! Here at DNN, our content machinery is in full force. This summer, we focused much of our attention on branded online communities (with customer communities being a subset).

We produced a few webinars on our BrightTALK channel: one on selecting an online community platform and another on the benefits of customer communities. I also participated in a #CMGRHangout (video-based discussion), where I chatted with community management experts on selecting an online community platform.

The purpose of this blog post is to provide you with a summary of the eBooks we’ve produced. There’s a short registration form in front of each one.

Why a Branded Online Community?

“We have an active following on Twitter and Facebook. Why would I need a branded, online community?” I hear this question a lot. 

Hence this eBook, which details what an online community can do for your organization to supplement the great things you’re doing on social media.

Download: Online Communities: What's In It For Me?

Also, we created an infographic that lists 21 incredibly valuable ways Marketers can use a branded online community. Visit our blog to check out the infographic.

Selecting an Online Community Platform

You have budget and approval to select and deploy an online community. How do you go about finding a solution? Do you build it yourself or go with a commercial product? 

That’s where our buying guide comes in. We highlight some of the available options, then dive deep into selecting a commercial solution. We give you a framework for how you can go about your evaluation and selection process.

Download: Buying Guide for Online Community Platforms

Recently, I moderated a webinar with online community expert Richard Millington, Managing Director at FeverBee and author of the popular book "Buzzing Communities." 

Richard provided his methodology for selecting an online community platform. You can view this webinar on-demand on our BrightTALK channel. There's a 10+ minute Q&A portion at the end - be sure to catch Richard's answers to some interesting questions.

Let’s Get This Party Started

Congratulations on selecting an online community platform! Now it’s time for the fun stuff: assembling the right set of features to get your members engaging with one another. 

But where do you start? 

We created this “Ready, Set, Go” guide to give you a set of tools. It includes a 10-point checklist and a 90-day plan.

For clients who are launching a branded online community for the first time, these sorts of prescriptive checklists are very helpful. They can take the checklist, remove items that are not relevant and add todo's that are unique to their environment or organization.

Download: Ready, Set, Go: Getting Your Online Community Started

Let’s Keep the Party Going

Some online communities fail in their first month: they’re not able to reach 100 members, a baseline of activity is never established and they either shut down or sit idle. 

Other communities have a big splash (like the Grand Opening of a restaurant) and rocket ahead to 100+ members quickly. 

So now the challenge becomes: how do you continue member growth, while increasing community engagement? 

This is where community managers can prove their worth. Our eBook provides eight tactics community managers can use to create that sustained engagement.

Download: 8 Ways to Sustain Engagement in Your Online Community