Expert insights. Personalized for you.
So—you want to make the most of your community forum SEO to increase your visibility and drive more traffic? Smart move! At Vanilla, we know the ins-and-outs of forums, and we also know how to apply SEO specifics to your forum for prime optimization. As a result, we've got the answers you're looking for. Here are some commonly asked questions regarding forum SEO. Community Search Engine Optimization MORE
61 Engagement is the biggest challenge that organizations face, and this is no different when it comes to community. Although community managers still struggle with engagement, statistics do show that community can help organizations improve engagement by up to 21%. But of course, you can't just slap together a community and expect it to garner engagement right off the bat—you've got to put the effort in. Community News MORE
Forward-thinking organizations know their brand communities help with support, marketing, and retention. These are all worthwhile reasons to start their community efforts. There is a large gap between investment and results, as many have learned through wasted resources and time. MORE
Good customer service teams all have one thing in common—their habits. In the world of customer service, there are very clear rules about what you should and shouldn't do, however it's still hard to find good customer service these days. Support Customer Service MORE
There’s a rule of thumb that 1% of the members of an online community create new posts, 10% make comments and the rest only consume. If you are one of the few creators, thank you. Your content is what makes the internet such an interesting place. When you do post a new discussion, here are 10 quick tips on how to make it a great one. Community Marketing MORE
So, you’re here because you want to get a snapshot of what your community implementation process would look like with Vanilla Forums. Completely understandable, and you’ve come to the right place; this blog will provide you with an overview of what your journey with us would be like. MORE
A knowledge base has quickly become a must-have for any organization looking to deliver a stellar customer experience. In fact, a recent study found that 92% of people would use a knowledge base for self-service support if it was available. MORE
“What actually is Developer Relations?” is a question that I see almost every week as I’m compiling tweets and articles for DevRel Weekly. The confusion doesn’t stem from the fact that it’s never been defined (narrator: “It has!”), but rather from the fact that if you ask 10 different people in the tech industry for a definition of Developer Relations, you’re likely to get 12 different answers. Community Developer Relations MORE
63 
Like any marketing, engagement, or support program, Super Fan programs require operational rigor. We use the word “program” because success comes from building a structured, planned effort that takes into account the combination of strategy, daily operations, and staffing that ensure the engagement efforts yield the hoped for results. In part 1 of this 3 part series, we introduced the core concepts of a Super Fan program. MORE
If you’re considering getting an online community forum and are wondering if it’ll help your brands search engine optimization (SEO), the answer is YES! Well, “yes” if you choose to go with a branded community forum —not just any community will do. MORE
To remain a top choice for your customers, you need to be informed. You need to know what your customers want (and don't want!) and use this information to ensure that you're creating the best customer experience possible. MORE
The first thing that most members are encouraged to do when they join a new community is to check out their community guidelines. Most community managers and/ or moderators will point new members in this direction so that they get a feel for the community before they dive in. This is because community guidelines are essentially the template for how your community acts and behaves—these will (or, rather, should ) tell your members what type of conduct is acceptable and what isn't. MORE
Real person, fake person or logo? This is one question I get often. It really boils down to the following: “How should the community manager be presented in an online community ?”. I have always been a big believer that every community needs a clear person or team that seems real. MORE
64 
The KPIs that you choose to measure in your community will (and should!) vary depending on the type of community that you have. MORE
53 
While these terms are often used interchangeably, there’s a difference between simply having an audience and having a community. MORE
You spend a ton of time brainstorming a great angle, recruiting your early members to join and seeding the community with helpful content and conversations. Your community is steadily growing. Members are referring their friends, and even strangers are hearing about it. That’s great until you realize that all of these new members don’t know the story and mission behind your community. Community MORE
62 
Recently I’ve become obsessed with knowledge bases. More specifically, I’ve been fascinated with how they get constructed, what knowledge gets included, how they are structured and where the source of the knowledge comes from. Community Knowledge Base MORE
For many organizations looking to navigate the uncharted waters of building a community as part of their digital strategy , a Community Manager, and their responsibilities, is often a foreign concept. MORE
I really like being a moderator. Do you want to learn how to be a moderator? Because we are going to talk about being a great moderator. Welcome to the inner lair, chosen one. Moderators are a special breed, and are some of the most important people in online communities today. MORE
Super Fans are a powerful, a necessary component of any successful online community. They drive the community, represent the larger community to you and your team, help connect the members to each other, share insights, and generally provide huge value to the community. MORE
68 
Prompted by social distancing amid the COVID-19 pandemic, people are seeking online communities more than ever. Smart organizations are meeting that demand by creating digital spaces where customers, stakeholders, and partners can interact digitally. MORE
Managing a community can take a huge toll on your energy and mental health, no matter the size of the community. In order to manage an online community, you must often absorb and hold others’ emotions as you look to find solutions. You also have to do this in the absence of seeing your members face-to-face, which can be isolating and cause miscommunications. Community MORE
54 No matter what kind of work you do, measuring progress is a challenge. Many organizations set arbitrary measurements for the results of their work. In fact, less than one-third of the 3,200 executives that MIT Sloan Management Review surveyed actually believed that what they measured matched their organization’s strategic objectives. Determining what to measure is even harder for community professionals, who sit at the edge of a still-nascent profession and must carve out a new path. Community MORE
All platforms, strategies and processes in your organization need to be measured in order to identify areas for improvement and areas to build on. MORE
You may have heard you can roll out a community platform in just a few days. What you have heard is 100% true. But the platform is just the tip of the iceberg of successful community investment. The other pieces - even more important than the digital home itself - will take several weeks or even months. Done correctly, however, these are the most rewarding parts of a community-building journey. Community Marketing MORE
All companies look for ways to deliver customer support that's faster and better than their competitors because that's what customers want. And when customers get what they want, they're less likely to leave. But most companies also think that delivering superior customer services comes with a hefty price tag. These companies, as it turns out, are happily mistaken. MORE
While most Community Professionals may think that coming up with what KPIs should be measured is a difficult task, I’ve actually seen more failure in how the KPI measurement is executed and how the data is reported. Community MORE
A good content strategy can give your online community forum a huge boost and help turn it from an inactive, unengaged community to a thriving and vibrant one. A good content strategy will be carefully planned, well researched and implemented immaculately. Community Marketing MORE
Nonprofits do amazing work—there's no question. From providing healthcare to those in developing nations, to ensuring that people have access to mental health support services wherever and whenever they need it; the work these nonprofits do is endless. Community Nonprofit MORE
63 
Vanilla Forums
JULY 29, 2020
All companies look for ways to deliver customer support that's faster and better than their competitors because that's what customers want. And when customers get what they want, they're less likely to leave. But most companies also think that delivering superior customer services comes with a hefty price tag. These companies, as it turns out, are happily mistaken.
Vanilla Forums
SEPTEMBER 17, 2020
So, you’re here because you want to get a snapshot of what your community implementation process would look like with Vanilla Forums. Completely understandable, and you’ve come to the right place; this blog will provide you with an overview of what your journey with us would be like.
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
Vanilla Forums
SEPTEMBER 22, 2020
The KPIs that you choose to measure in your community will (and should!) vary depending on the type of community that you have.
Vanilla Forums
SEPTEMBER 9, 2020
All platforms, strategies and processes in your organization need to be measured in order to identify areas for improvement and areas to build on.
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Vanilla Forums
SEPTEMBER 3, 2020
If you’re considering getting an online community forum and are wondering if it’ll help your brands search engine optimization (SEO), the answer is YES! Well, “yes” if you choose to go with a branded community forum —not just any community will do.
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Vanilla Forums
SEPTEMBER 16, 2020
Recently I’ve become obsessed with knowledge bases. More specifically, I’ve been fascinated with how they get constructed, what knowledge gets included, how they are structured and where the source of the knowledge comes from. Community Knowledge Base
Vanilla Forums
AUGUST 18, 2020
Super Fans are a powerful, a necessary component of any successful online community. They drive the community, represent the larger community to you and your team, help connect the members to each other, share insights, and generally provide huge value to the community.
Vanilla Forums
JULY 24, 2020
While most Community Professionals may think that coming up with what KPIs should be measured is a difficult task, I’ve actually seen more failure in how the KPI measurement is executed and how the data is reported. Community
Vanilla Forums
SEPTEMBER 10, 2020
A knowledge base has quickly become a must-have for any organization looking to deliver a stellar customer experience. In fact, a recent study found that 92% of people would use a knowledge base for self-service support if it was available.
Speaker: Esther Kieft, Delivery Manager (Group Technology) at Domino's Pizza Enterprises
It is well known that empathy is a key ingredient in creating lovable products, yet not all products offer the best customer experience. From meeting stringent deadlines to insufficient resources being available to carry out customer research, there is a range of reasons why customer empathy could be missing in product development. Join Esther Kieft, as she breaks down using empathy at a distance to evaluate the problems that customers are experiencing during this global health crisis.
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Vanilla Forums
AUGUST 19, 2020
Nonprofits do amazing work—there's no question. From providing healthcare to those in developing nations, to ensuring that people have access to mental health support services wherever and whenever they need it; the work these nonprofits do is endless. Community Nonprofit
Vanilla Forums
MAY 27, 2020
I really like being a moderator. Do you want to learn how to be a moderator? Because we are going to talk about being a great moderator. Welcome to the inner lair, chosen one. Moderators are a special breed, and are some of the most important people in online communities today.
Vanilla Forums
SEPTEMBER 1, 2020
To remain a top choice for your customers, you need to be informed. You need to know what your customers want (and don't want!) and use this information to ensure that you're creating the best customer experience possible.
Vanilla Forums
AUGUST 4, 2020
A good content strategy can give your online community forum a huge boost and help turn it from an inactive, unengaged community to a thriving and vibrant one. A good content strategy will be carefully planned, well researched and implemented immaculately. Community Marketing
Advertiser: ZoomInfo
Every sales forecasting model has a different strength and predictability method. It’s recommended to test out which one is best for your team. This way, you’ll be able to further enhance – and optimize – your newly-developed pipeline. Your future sales forecast? Sunny skies (and success) are just ahead!
Vanilla Forums
MAY 28, 2020
For many organizations looking to navigate the uncharted waters of building a community as part of their digital strategy , a Community Manager, and their responsibilities, is often a foreign concept.
Vanilla Forums
AUGUST 14, 2020
Due to a number of competing strategic priorities, enterprise organizations often have to make difficult decisions regarding where to allocate budget and resources, and assess which areas should be invested in
Vanilla Forums
AUGUST 25, 2020
Prompted by social distancing amid the COVID-19 pandemic, people are seeking online communities more than ever. Smart organizations are meeting that demand by creating digital spaces where customers, stakeholders, and partners can interact digitally.
Vanilla Forums
JULY 16, 2020
“What actually is Developer Relations?” is a question that I see almost every week as I’m compiling tweets and articles for DevRel Weekly. The confusion doesn’t stem from the fact that it’s never been defined (narrator: “It has!”), but rather from the fact that if you ask 10 different people in the tech industry for a definition of Developer Relations, you’re likely to get 12 different answers. Community Developer Relations
Advertisement
A great customer experience drives customer loyalty. Learn how to keep your customers happy this holiday season by helping them through their channel of choice with seasonal support experts.
Vanilla Forums
JULY 2, 2020
So—you want to make the most of your community forum SEO to increase your visibility and drive more traffic? Smart move! At Vanilla, we know the ins-and-outs of forums, and we also know how to apply SEO specifics to your forum for prime optimization. As a result, we've got the answers you're looking for. Here are some commonly asked questions regarding forum SEO. Community Search Engine Optimization
Vanilla Forums
JUNE 1, 2020
Real person, fake person or logo? This is one question I get often. It really boils down to the following: “How should the community manager be presented in an online community ?”. I have always been a big believer that every community needs a clear person or team that seems real.
Vanilla Forums
MAY 26, 2020
You spend a ton of time brainstorming a great angle, recruiting your early members to join and seeding the community with helpful content and conversations. Your community is steadily growing. Members are referring their friends, and even strangers are hearing about it. That’s great until you realize that all of these new members don’t know the story and mission behind your community. Community
Vanilla Forums
AUGUST 12, 2020
Like any marketing, engagement, or support program, Super Fan programs require operational rigor. We use the word “program” because success comes from building a structured, planned effort that takes into account the combination of strategy, daily operations, and staffing that ensure the engagement efforts yield the hoped for results. In part 1 of this 3 part series, we introduced the core concepts of a Super Fan program.
Speaker: Angelica Coleman, Community Lead, Snowflake
In order to establish a robust community, you need to have strong community objectives in place that are supported with the proper types of programs; programs that will help your community succeed. But narrowing down on your community objectives can be difficult, let alone knowing how to structure your community programs and offerings in a way that supports them. Join Vanilla Forums on Friday, October 8th at 12 PM ET for a webinar led by Angelica Coleman, the Community Lead at Snowflake, as she walks us through the 5 E's that are essential to establishing your key community objectives: Education, Enable, Expand, Engage and Evangelize.
Vanilla Forums
JULY 8, 2020
So, you've got your program structure mapped out for your new Super User Program, and you're ready to launch. Just one small detail that you've got to work out—who will be admitted into this program, and based on what criteria? Community
Vanilla Forums
JULY 7, 2020
Forward-thinking organizations know their brand communities help with support, marketing, and retention. These are all worthwhile reasons to start their community efforts. There is a large gap between investment and results, as many have learned through wasted resources and time.
Vanilla Forums
JUNE 3, 2020
The first thing that most members are encouraged to do when they join a new community is to check out their community guidelines. Most community managers and/ or moderators will point new members in this direction so that they get a feel for the community before they dive in. This is because community guidelines are essentially the template for how your community acts and behaves—these will (or, rather, should ) tell your members what type of conduct is acceptable and what isn't.
Vanilla Forums
JULY 30, 2020
Good customer service teams all have one thing in common—their habits. In the world of customer service, there are very clear rules about what you should and shouldn't do, however it's still hard to find good customer service these days. Support Customer Service
Advertiser: Skilljar
Whether you’re looking to kickstart or expand your customer education program, you need access to a budget. Learn how you can demonstrate the positive ROI of customer training and make the case for securing a larger budget in our latest eBook!
Vanilla Forums
JULY 22, 2020
No matter what kind of work you do, measuring progress is a challenge. Many organizations set arbitrary measurements for the results of their work. In fact, less than one-third of the 3,200 executives that MIT Sloan Management Review surveyed actually believed that what they measured matched their organization’s strategic objectives. Determining what to measure is even harder for community professionals, who sit at the edge of a still-nascent profession and must carve out a new path. Community
Vanilla Forums
JUNE 5, 2020
There’s a rule of thumb that 1% of the members of an online community create new posts, 10% make comments and the rest only consume. If you are one of the few creators, thank you. Your content is what makes the internet such an interesting place. When you do post a new discussion, here are 10 quick tips on how to make it a great one. Community Marketing
Vanilla Forums
JULY 28, 2020
You may have heard you can roll out a community platform in just a few days. What you have heard is 100% true. But the platform is just the tip of the iceberg of successful community investment. The other pieces - even more important than the digital home itself - will take several weeks or even months. Done correctly, however, these are the most rewarding parts of a community-building journey. Community Marketing
Vanilla Forums
MAY 21, 2020
Managing a community can take a huge toll on your energy and mental health, no matter the size of the community. In order to manage an online community, you must often absorb and hold others’ emotions as you look to find solutions. You also have to do this in the absence of seeing your members face-to-face, which can be isolating and cause miscommunications. Community
Speaker: Donald Fan, Senior Director of the Global Office of Culture, Diversity & Inclusion at Walmart Inc.
In the digital era, rife with uncertainty and ambiguity, innovation plays an essential role in sustaining organic growth and outperforming the global competition. Research proves time and again, there exists a robust bond between innovation and diversity & inclusion (D&I); our challenge is to help our leaders understand how to plant the seeds of innovation in the fertile D&I garden in order to drive a strategic and competitive advantage from the office and in the digital landscape.
Vanilla Forums
AUGUST 7, 2020
Engagement is the biggest challenge that organizations face, and this is no different when it comes to community. Although community managers still struggle with engagement, statistics do show that community can help organizations improve engagement by up to 21%. But of course, you can't just slap together a community and expect it to garner engagement right off the bat—you've got to put the effort in. Community News
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