




1. Become a Part of the External and Internal Community






2. Engage and Engage Some More

An Evangelist knows that dismissing anyone in their audience isn't going to get their community work very far. Dictating instead of offering choices and acting like the audience doesn't matter won’t work either. Why would anyone return to a community knowing they are going to be ignored or have their contributions not be appreciated?

Building a stronger community, just like a family, means first being open, honest, transparent and paying attention. For example, user generated site activity (such as a simple count of the number of hits on a site) doesn't translate into a community. Being able to demonstrate regular, consistent and sustained engagement is the core of a healthy community.



As the eyes, ears and often the voice of the business organization to the outside world, an Evangelist must have passion for engaging around the brand. Passion is better than a paycheck for motivation when they deal with an inbox full of emails, mean-spirited blog comments and demanding partners. Also, they understand that just going through the motions isn't being successful. A successful Community Manager doesn't check in at 9 AM and clock out at 5 PM. Like being part of a family, it’s a 24 hour a day job. They need to eat, sleep and breathe brand engagements.


These rules are a good start for any community management initiative. A successful Evangelist lets the community develop its own personality and is willing to support what it becomes. Community isn’t about managing or controlling your peers, this is the public and they don’t work for the company. Remember there are a lot of choices out there.

A community should feel the sense of empowerment. It’s important to stand by your company guidelines, but making them too rigid will only turn people off. Communities develop from the ground up, and aren’t custom ordered, no matter how much they might need to be nurtured and encouraged to truly flourish.

Image courtesy of Mopic (Shutterstock)

Editor's Note: Interested in reading more by Thom? See his Content Marketing: Web Engagement, Evolved