One of the most effective ways to define something is to both define what it is and what it is not. This is a common exercise to set expectations, understand the scope, and simply manage the direction you’re heading. Digital Engagement is no different… it’s good to know what it is and what it isn’t. So let’s take some time to map out our two lists.
Drive to Relationship - it should always be moving people from technology to personal relationships (much more on this in other posts).
Uniquely Personal - it should be unique to each person and tailored to who they are as a person.
Grassroots - is should have the ability and grow from the bottom up (or democratized) so the community can own, shape, and grow organically.
Guided Process - the overall experience should be guided and constructed by you to guide people well.
Measurable Activity - it should give you the ability to measure how people are engaging, where things are falling off the map, and unique insights into your audience.
Known & Intentional Next Steps - it should constantly be showing people their best next step and the easy ability to reach that.
Multi-Directional - it should include what you push out to your audience, means to respond back to you, and means to engage one another in the community.
Simply Social Media - it’s not simply leveraging social media platform to be present and reach people.
Simply Pushing Content - it’s not just pushing out content (social media plus other means) to your audience.
One Directional - it’s not just communication on directionally to your audience without abilities to receive feedback and connect with others.
Two Way Communications - it’s not just speaking to you audience and them speaking back with you… it must include them speaking with each other.
Purely Online - it’s not all online and in a digital format.
You’re probably seeing a trend here in what Digital Engagement is and is not. In some ways, Digital Engagement is a tough strategy because ultimately we believe that the goal shouldn’t be digital at all. We believe that life is all about relationships and the digital resources in life should be bettered our relationships.
I heard a story once of a man who had over 700 friends on Facebook. One day he decided to invite all of them to a party and to connect in person. He set up an event and invited everyone… all 700. A few registered to meet up at the park that day, but not as many as he had hoped. When the day came, he sat on a bench waiting for people… not a soul showed up. How do we begin to live in a world where we have “700 friends” yet not a single one of them shows up in person. That’s why a clear definition of Digital Engagement is so important and how you as a leader should be helping people build a nurture true relationships.
Cause Machine Solutions
The entire Cause Machine platform is designed around the principles expressed in this article. The Cause Machine’s goal is to equip community leaders with great tools to connect with their audience and connect their audience with each other. The greater goal for us at Cause Machine is to see your members making amazing personal connections because of the tools of the platform and your great engagement. Schedule a demo today!
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