The S.P.A.C.E. Model: 5 Secrets Every Community Manager Should Know

Community management is vitally important to any organization. Managing a community allows firms to push different content pieces or new products or services they offer. Additionally, fostering a community allows companies to obtain feedback and gather ideas from their customers and audience members in real time which can help them make better decisions.

Providing support for customers will help keep your community healthy and thriving. Having a healthy community can lead to increased brand awareness and product awareness among your target audience. There are many different strategies and types of community management out there.



We understand that this topic can be confusing, and that is why we will be breaking down how to handle community management!



The S.P.A.C.E Model for Community Management:



S - (Customer Support/ Success)

Customer support can be shown in a plethora of ways. Specifically, a forum, FAQ document, and even social media messaging are all viable options to provide stellar and prompt customer support.



1. Forum: With a forum, your audience can talk with one another, ask questions, provide feedback, and discuss a new product or service. Additionally, firms can interact as themselves to get involved in hot topics if they choose. On forums like this, companies can also answer frequently asked questions. This will provide direct and quick answers to questions that are asked by many consumers. Not only is this convenient for community members, but it also frees up time for organizations.



FAQ Document/Page: Organizing frequently asked questions in one place with direct, simple answers is an efficient way to save time for both firms themselves and community members. It plays as a one-stop shop for questions that continuously present themselves. Instead of answering lots of messages and posts, community managers can utilize FAQ pages or automated responses.



Social Media: High response rates both for private messages and comments on social media are vital to fostering a successful community. Whether the main community is fostered on social media or not, the ability to respond promptly is a rarity and a way to stand out over competitors. It also encourages members to engage on posts to learn more or get into conversations which can push the content pieces to other potential members.



Note: Before you can support your customers, you must first understand them. Before any of these steps can be taken knowing your demographic/target audience, should be your priority!



P - (Product Ideation, Innovation, and Feedback)

The product ideation, innovation, and feedback portion of the S.P.A.C.E model is a place for a firm to receive direct feedback by consumers. In order to foster such a community, a safe and comfortable space is highly recommended. This will really allow members to share their honest feedback to further improve a company’s product or service. In addition, a feedback driven community allows for companies to send surveys and ask customers to take part in focus groups.



Focus Group: Congregate members either virtually or in-person and conduct a driven conversation that pursues honest answers about a firm’s product or service. Focus groups allow a company to get feedback on different aspects of their offering that can be used to improve it.



Looking for feedback from real customers on how you can innovate your products is a critical part of the success of every business. Most importantly, taking constructive criticism can be hard but it is essential for community management: both from a community success perspective and product angle.



A - (Acquisition and Advocacy)

The acquisition and advocacy model of community engagement is most similar to an ambassador program. It encompasses seeking out a firm’s most loyal fanbase and incentivizing them to lead branding initiatives such as hosting events, delivering grants, and more. These individuals are able to spread awareness about the organization through their own efforts and are compensated in a fun, brand unique way. This model is also similar to having an affiliate model or referral network technique to incentivize word of mouth marketing.



Not only does this model incentivize individuals and leaders alike to promote the brand, but it can allow a community to grow which can have exponential growth effects.



C - (Content)

Content is KEY! Remember that.



Every successful community, especially those that are fully online, always need to prioritize creating engaging content that gets members excited. Content can really be anything from basic text to really cool videos. It should also be able to be made by anyone. It is great to have community members get involved by posting content of their own or submitting it to be shared. Content allows a brand to establish a personality of sorts, which brings an audience closer to the brand emotionally.



Finding your niche market is a great place to start and then begin creating and sharing content that is popular within the space. There is no need to reinvent the wheel all of the time. Checkout some of our social media tips below as they can assist in creating better content no matter where posts are being created.



E - (External Engagement)

Mainly fueled by content, external engagement is key to fostering a successful community. Focusing on content that is interactive enables external stakeholders such as potential and current customers to join in on conversations about the product or service. This fuels word of mouth marketing as more and more people join in. Additionally, having interactive content calls for audiences to pause and register who and what is being posted instead of having them just scroll right past.



How can you stand out from all of the clutter? Create content and challenges that motivate people to take action.



Social Media Tips:

• When facing online criticism make sure to remain professional and offer the appropriate help.
• Consider having an online brand personality. This will allow a firm to make sure they are staying consistent with the type of content they are publishing.
• Analytics help you grow! Track performance measurements to inform future decisions.
• Plan ahead! Create an outline of how and what you plan to post. Consistency is key to retaining an online audience.



Bonus: I - (Internal Engagement)

For internal engagement, firms can take similar steps just to a different audience. Instead of looking at the space outside of the business, they should look internally. Building these internal relationships creates a sense of purpose and allows employees to find others to identify with both inside and outside the organization. This, in turn, boosts company morale and overall happiness. Internal engagement also helps build a sense of community for employees with common interests and positions at the company. This helps them better serve your company by growing their knowledge of your organization's products and services, while also improving their happiness and engagement!