So you have an online social community...but nobody’s using it! You can practically hear crickets every time you log in.

What are you supposed to do?! Allow us to help. Check out these three tactics for boosting online community engagement:

1. Conduct a poll

Polls are great for a number of reasons. First and foremost, they get people talking - which is exactly what you want in your organization’s online social community. Not only that, but they’re also a great way to gather insights about your members - what they like/dislike, what their goals are, what they’re concerned about, etc.

A few questions to consider asking in your organization’s online social community:

• What type of event would you like to see us host next?
  
• What topic is of high interest to you right now?
  
• (Note: Whatever people say could make a great educational session and/or content piece.)
  
• Which of these would you most like to attend: a webinar, a lunch and learn, a happy hour, or a Twitter chat?

2. Tease your upcoming event

If you want to grow your online community AND boost member engagement, this is a great way to accomplish both. In fact, I’ve joined several online communities (and social media groups) for this reason alone. I like to see “sneak peaks” of things. Why, you ask? Well, it makes me feel special (like I have private access to something) and helps me determine if I actually want to purchase/attend something.

So how do you make this work for your association? Try dropping hints about your upcoming event - where it’s going to be, what the theme will be, what type of swag will be available, etc. Little things like this can really get people excited - and talking!

3. Provide an exclusive offer

This may help generate some engagement, but mostly, it will attract people to your organization’s online social community (and the more people that use it, the more engagement you’ll generate down the road). Put simply, this tactic is all about growth.

What do we mean by exclusive offer? Well, we just mean something special for those who are members of your online social community - an incentive, if you will. For example, you could offer a special discount on your next event. Or access to information about your annual conference before anyone else gets it. This will encourage people to join your online community, and more importantly, stay.

This article was originally sourced from Association Universe and was written by Callie Walker.