4 Ways to Identify Your Community Super Users

Here’s a scenario:

You have an online community that is full of loyal brand advocates. They aren’t just well-versed with your product/services but are motivated towards helping out fellow community members and converting them into long-term buyers for your brand.

Sounds fascinating, doesn’t it?

These enthusiastic community members are known as super users and are a critical part of any online community. They contribute to spreading awareness about your products and services and providing you with key insights about your customer’s needs.

But is there a way to get the best out of your community users and make your market-standing more impactful? Let’s find out!

Identifying Your Community Super Users and the Role They Play

“Super users are the real heroes here—at the moment, they answer half of the questions asked in your community, so it’s incredibly important to pay attention to these individuals and create a sense of belonging for them with the company.” –Erik Tagiev

It’s a fact. Every community group has some exceptional members who are more motivated than fellow members to participate and engage. This is because they are well-versed with the nitty-gritty of your products and services or are simply passionate to talk about a topic of their liking.

Community super users display leadership qualities that make them stand out. Super users bring value to your online community and your customer base as a whole. Since they are quick to respond to user questions, they tend to be great brand advocates and keep your community engaged with a plethora of insights and content.

4 Ways to Identify Your Community Super Users

When you’re looking for community champions, you’ll want to identify members with shared traits and characteristics. There are different ways that you can use to identify super users but to do that, you will have to lay down the exact goals that you wish to achieve through super users.

The key factor to consider here is that it’s easy for almost anybody to acquire product knowledge and spread the learnings. However, for a community member to qualify as a super user, they must possess leadership abilities. Also, they should be efficient in establishing and improving community relationships.

Let’s take a look at a few ways to identify your community super users:

1. Identify Active Community Members: Not all members participate actively in your online communities. Some lurk around and watch from the sidelines. The first step in the process of building a super user army is to identify those members who are the most active contributors in your community. Keep an eye on who’s answering the most questions, helping fellow members, or posting cool stuff in the community.

2. Track Users Who Post Product Reviews Regularly: Many of us check reviews before we buy a product. If the reviews are not that great, we move ahead to explore a different product. That’s the power that a customer review can hold. Product review sections are the easiest way to find out who your superfans are. That’s because the most useful reviews come from people with first-hand experience that are looking to share the knowledge gained from using certain products or services. These can be your super users, particularly for ensuring engagement in your community.

3. Monitor Your Super User’s Social Activity: Social media platforms are where almost all your audience is. Thus, identifying who your community super users can be is easier on social media. Find out who is mostly engaging with your posts, or who is adding insightful comments for a product, or sharing feedback. These people hold the power to influence others and boost brand awareness for higher visibility.

4. Check for Members Who Flag Posts: Another smart way of identifying your community super users is to check for members who report inappropriate content in the community and who bring toxic user behavior to your notice. Community moderation is a critical element to ensure a positive user experience. Identify those members who flag posts that require moderation.

Remember, your super users should be people you can depend on to portray your brand in the right way. They should resonate with the vision and mission of your company. Also, diversify your selection criteria so you are including members from different demographics. This enables you to grow your customer base, win your customer’s trust, and cement deeper ties with them.

How to Get Started With a Community Super User Program

Now that you know who your community super users are and how to identify them. Let’s cover the next step in the process – setting up a community super user program.

Here’s what you should do:

• • Identify Your Super Users: The first step in the process is to identify your community super users on the basis of their contribution and participation in the community. Ensure that you ask your super users if they can officially fulfill the role and inform them about their responsibilities.

• • Make Formal Announcements: Ensure that you make formal announcements in your online community introducing the super users and establishing their roles & responsibilities. This gives them a feeling of getting recognized and keeps them motivated to help others. Not only will this create a buzz in the community but will also encourage peers to contribute more to the community.

• • Create Exclusive Super User Groups: Create a closed group for your super users within the community so that they can openly express and brainstorm ideas, discuss community challenges, and find possible solutions.

• Set Up Beta Testing Groups: You can also create beta testing groups for your super users to share prototypes for new releases. They can review new releases, give you insights into what they think about your product, and suggest enhancements. Also, they can act as advocates of new releases as they are announced in the community.

So, start identifying your super users and work with them to explore the right way to grow your online community and make it more vibrant.

Wish to build a stellar super user program for your online community? Talk to us!