Unless you’re a Coca-Cola of this world, if you want to launch an online community, your user acquisition strategy will be key. No one will accidently stumble across your page, like it and become a lifelong fan.  You need to work, and work hard to get people to commit to you – and even that commitment can be transient if not managed correctly.

The problem is, gone are the days of social media novelty. As consumers, we are now inundated with brands in social media slowly pushing themselves further and further into our social spaces – both on and offline. The consumer can now afford to be picky, with brands really having to earn the all-important like or follow. This takes time, and solid organic growth will only happen once a community has been established. Without numbers, the visibility of page suffers; low levels of engagement and sharing means less reach and, good content, which may have taken time and money to develop, can dissolve into the ether when posted.

And, dare I say it, PR is not always enough to drive that traffic, unless you’ve got a premium piece of content, a fantastic incentive or you’re searching for a bloke that you accidently gave the wrong number to after snogging him in Ibiza!  The approach to recruitment has to be multi channeled, with each channel playing the role of ‘content vehicle’ or ‘signpost’. Many brands are already exploiting their social media platforms at the end frames of their TV ads and in print advertising, but signposting can go wider than this; on all other marketing collateral and even on products themselves. Those brands that do it well also know that sticking a platform logo everywhere isn’t going to work.  It’s about driving traffic, therefore giving the consumer a reason why they should visit your community by implementing a clear call to action.

PR comes to the fore when the message is all about the content existing within a community and/or when there is a schedule of tactical ideas which are set to generate content, (events, interviews, Q&A sessions). Here the opportunities to push traffic to a page or profile are generated through driving awareness of that content.  Some larger brands, with bigger spends will also leverage PR with a paid for seeding strategy – just to ensure that their content gets the eyeballs and can guarantee traffic driving results.

And then, there is social media advertising, specifically designed to drive traffic and engagement of a page or feed. If you want an immediate boost to numbers, this can work but comes with a significant price tag. And with smarter ways to incorporate content within these ad formats (sponsored stories on Facebook and sponsored Tweets as an example), creative thinking and strategic community posting becomes even more important.

So, user acquisition needs a plan and one that has an eye on the longer-term objective of interaction and engagement. A plan that evaluates all potential routes into a community and one that positions great content and compelling community management as essential in encouraging long lasting commitment.