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Onboard Your Members

Open Social
Open Social Open Social • 4 January 2018

Onboarding is the process of guiding new users through the steps of becoming successful users. It’s about making a great first impression that leaves your users satisfied and wanting more.
Learn how to onboard your members effectively and make use of our onboarding templates. 


How To Onboard Your Members

Now that you are ready to invite users, you will need a process in place to introduce new members to the community. This section explains how to set up an onboarding process for your members, and you will even find materials that you can reuse!


 

     1) Create onboarding materials
 

The first step is to dedicate an introduction page that explains what your community is about. The best is to create a introduction or get started page for your community, and place it as a link in the menu. (Find a template for your introduction page here). Use this space to give new users an idea of what they are about to be part of. This information should contain: 

  • What are the goals of your community?
  • Who are the regular users of the community?
  • Why this community can be beneficial to them?
  • What can users expect?

Here’s a tip: share a video of your CEO explaining who you are and what you’d like to achieve with the community!
 

This page can also serve as a starting point for other introduction materials that you want to share with your users. These materials could include: 

  • Community Guidelines and Policies
  • Key Terms
  • Get Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)  
  • Platform Tips
  • Groups Directory
  • Tutorial Videos

The materials can either be in written form or video form. We have found that video introductions and tutorials are a great, interactive way for your members to learn about your community. 

We have provided materials for some of the above that you can reuse on your own community platform. Find some onboarding materials here!
 

     2) Maintain regular contact 

 

Providing initial documentation is not the only part of the onboarding process. You will need to keep tabs on the new users and see how you can help them feel comfortable enough to engage with content. 

Firstly, as soon as your users enter the site, send them a private message or post something on their profile to welcome them. You can introduce yourself and point them to the get started section or other interesting content.

Secondly, enable your email notifications so you can manage and respond to new content while building your community. Engaging with new users when they first arrive in your new community can really help kick-start an active platform.

Good luck with onboarding your members and make sure to check out our other resources: