Higher Logic Thrive Community: Preparing to Launch

Ready to launch your Higher Logic Thrive Community?

Discover the key strategies to ensure a smooth and engaging launch by exploring the outlined pre-launch steps and processes below. The strategies and configurations shared on this page typically begin 4-6 weeks prior to launching your new Higher Logic Thrive Community. From initiating beta-testing to generating captivating content that sparks excitement among your members, each step can be essential in ensuring a successful launch.

After attending the Higher Logic Thrive Community: Preparing to Launch session, take a moment to review the steps provided below. Following these best practices will lay a solid foundation for your community launch.

- Beta Testing

- Seed Content

- Moderation

- Launch Promotion

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Beta Testing

Beta-testing gathers valuable insights from your members about their experience exploring and engaging with your community site. This important step allows your team to evaluate how members interact with the community and understanding the needs of your members.

Example Timeline:

3-4 weeks prior to launch:
- Confirm with your onboarding team or advisor that your site is ready for beta-testing. During this process, you will want to create a Community Manager or main community point of contact user with a completed profile.
- Invite a diverse group of beta-testers representing your target audience (a combination of staff, volunteers, or members).
- Create an Early Adopter Community (invitation only).
2 weeks prior to launch:
- Add accepted beta-testers to a Beta-Testers Security group, then create an 'Add to a Community' automation rule. The criteria for this rule would be: Add to the Early Adopter Community every contact who is in the security group Beta-Testers, and update the 'subscribe the contacts to the Discussions' as Real Time or Daily Digest.
- Post a welcome message to the Early Adopter Community defining tasks you have pre-set for them to complete during the beta-testing timeline you've selected (typically one week).
- Review questions or feedback during the beta-testing.
1 week prior to launch:
- Review feedback and implement any improvements as necessary.
- Publish a closing message in the Early Adopter Community and then archive the community.
- Reward members that participated with an Early Adopter badge or ribbon.

View all example emails

How will your members stay connected?

Consolidated Daily and Weekly Digests can be enabled to reduce the number of community emails your members receive daily and weekly. While reviewing the digest configurations, it will be beneficial to decide whether you will be auto-subscribing members to community digests and to update the standard digest settings.

Seed Content

Seeding content from your members ensures that your community has a steady flow of user-generated content for a successful first month after the launch. Additionally, this approach provides your team with valuable insights into the topics and challenges that are top of mind for your members. While seeding content is optional, it can play a crucial role in allowing your members to witness the momentum within your community right from launch day.

Example Timeline:

3-4 weeks prior to launch:
- Select members to reach out to for seed content (with a goal of generating 30-40 quality posts).
- Create a survey to collect content (such as Monday.com or SurveyMonkey).
- Draft an automation rule or marketing communication to invite users to contribute to the community by filling out the survey.
2 weeks prior to launch:
- Send the email with the survey to the group of members you've selected to invite.
- As content comes in, use a shared document for your team to review, edit, and accept. Follow up with members if they have stated they are unsure if they would like you to post on their behalf.
1 week prior to launch:
- Organize the seed content collected and create a posting schedule.
- Turn off the Member Impersonation Notification email (Admin > Email Templates > Data Privacy category).
Ongoing post-launch:
- Post 2-3 questions/posts per week on behalf of members.
- Continue to collect seed content from new groups until organize activity reaches desired level.

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Woman sitting at desk looking at laptop with thoughtful expression

Moderation

Prepare for the unexpected by creating a standardized approach to moderation. Moderation in your Higher Logic Thrive Community can be configured in a way that makes sense for your organization and its members. Reviewing the following settings and configurations may be important when launching your community.

Community Settings: There are three types of moderation that a community can have that are set at the community type and community level. Review each community to see what moderation type is appropriate for members.
Global Settings: Review and update settings such as Watch Words, Contributor Settings, and Email Posting Settings.
Community Admins and Notifications:
- Super Admins, Community Admins, and Community Moderators, and whoever else you'd like to be added from the community, can be notified via email when new user-generated content is sent to the moderation queue. The delivery schedule for notifications can be set at specified intervals or at a specified time of the day.

Launch Promotion

Promote your community launch through engaging and exciting messages using the platform's automation rule emails, discussion posts, and/or marketing communication tools, such as campaigns and one-off messages.

Example Timeline:

4-6 weeks prior to launch: Send a 'coming soon' message to members to bring awareness to this exciting new member feature.
2 weeks prior to launch:
- Draft several posts to publish on and around the launch of your community:
  - Welcome Post from Community Manager.
  - Identify and schedule seed content to be posted on the day of and around the launch.
  - Welcome Post from Executive Director or Board President endorsing the platform (optional).
1 week prior to launch:
- Draft and send a launch announcement email that includes the launch date of the community, as well as more details on what they can expect.
  - Confirm the launch date with your Higher Logic Advisor before sending.
1 day prior to launch: Post your launch messages you've drafted two weeks prior to launch in the opposite order of which you want them to appear in the digest.

If you have the Higher Logic Thrive Platform, you can use Higher Logic Thrive Marketing Professional and send the Community Pre-Launch Campaign!

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Congratulations on the upcoming launch of your