Dive into the heart of web3 community management with our insightful interview, exploring challenges, strategies, and the art of connecting people.
What are some of the biggest challenges you face when building a strong web3 community?
The biggest challenge with a web3 community is carefully tending to a diverse and expansive digital garden. Each community is a unique plant, requiring care and conditions to bloom.
The most significant challenge? It's not just about watering this plant – it's about helping it intertwine its roots and branches to create a vibrant ecosystem. This is what we call the art of connecting people with each other.
Each project I work with presents a distinct toolkit that we, as community managers, use to cultivate the strongest connections possible. Some community members might gravitate towards the spotlight of public forums, while others may prefer the intimacy of direct messages. Similarly, some members might flourish with the help of educational resources, whereas others might find growth in the social soil of regular events and gatherings.
As a community manager, it’s important that we are in the trenches with our members every step of the way the project grows, troubleshooting issues and nurturing growth opportunities.
What strategies have you found to be most effective in engaging and retaining community members?
This question comes up often, and the answer does indeed vary. One size doesn't fit all when it comes to community engagement, and what works brilliantly for one community may not resonate with another. But you're right on the money when you say that our approach should align with the project's goal and vision.
So, here's my golden rule: turn your project's unique value proposition into an engagement engine. Think of it like this - your project isn’t just offering a product or service, it's providing a story, a mission, and a journey that your community can be part of. Your job is to ensure they see their role in this story and feel empowered to contribute to its success.
This could involve regular communication about project updates, opportunities for members to learn and grow, encouraging active participation, and recognizing the efforts of community members. Essentially, it's about creating an environment where your community feels informed, involved, and acknowledged. This dynamic, I've found, is most effective in engaging and retaining community members across a wide range of communities and projects.
How do you balance the needs and interests of your community with the goals and objectives of the company?
It’s not difficult and here’s why. The clarity in a company's goals and objectives does make a community manager's life easier! You see, a well-defined vision acts like a lighthouse guiding both the community and the company towards the same success shores.
But I wouldn’t discourage any side interests that keep the community content in the short term. That's an important aspect to consider, but it's like a delicate balancing act. These interests need to be managed in a way that doesn't compromise the company's long-term vision.
This is where transparent communication steps in. It's essential to communicate openly with the community about the company's objectives and how certain decisions or activities, even if they seem divergent in the short term, align with the bigger picture. At the same time, it's equally crucial to relay the community's needs and interests back to the company to ensure these are being considered in the company's planning and decision-making process.
Balancing the needs and interests of the community with the goals and objectives of the company isn't always a straightforward path. It requires open dialogues, mutual understanding, and a shared commitment to the journey of success. But, in the end, when both the company and community move forward together, that's when we see the most impactful success stories unfold.
How does Lunar Strategy work with helping projects build strong communities?
At Lunar Strategy, we believe in combining a project's vision with a well-crafted community strategy. Here's how we do it: We act as a bridge between the community and the company.
We make sure there's a clear line of communication flowing both ways. We listen to what the community is saying, what they need and desire, and relay that back to the project team. Simultaneously, we take the project team's updates, visions, and responses, and make sure they're communicated effectively to the community.
We see ourselves as co-pilots to the project team, steering the community in the same direction as the project's vision. The goal is to build a community that's not just strong, but also deeply connected to the project's mission.
What advice do you have for other community managers looking to build a strong web3 community?
Begin by taking a closer look into your community, akin to an audit. It's about identifying what's clicking and what's missing a beat. Analyze your engagement metrics, seek feedback, and map out both the bright spots and the areas for improvement.
With these insights in hand, strategize your path forward. It's about seeing where the current is going, and not just going with the flow but steering the ship. You've got to anticipate the community's direction and take decisive action.
And lastly, embrace the AI revolution. Leverage it to manage and scale your community effectively, but remember, it's there to support you, not replace the human touch. The future of community management is a blend of human intuition and AI efficiency.
