Audience: Community Managers, Social Media Managers

One day you are going to fail.

That’s not a possibility, it’s an inevitability. At some point you’re going to spell something wrong, blow a release date, anger a customer, or otherwise screw up. No matter how much you plan and double-check your work, it will happen.

How you respond to failure will shape the future of your community. Try to hide it, lash out, or double down and take it out on your fans and you’ve damaged relationships, often irreparably. You only need to search for “social media fail” to see the impact a misplaced campaign or response can incite. So how do you deal with the inevitable?

When building your business it’s tempting to use any and all methods to gain a leg up on the competition. It’s rough out there for new businesses, and every bit can make a difference. When establishing your business online, you may be tempted to apply this to the realm of reviews. By kicking off with a few pristine 5-star reviews from you and/or your staff, you’ve set the stage for a great public reception, right?

Don’t do that. That’s what we call, a ‘dick move’.

But why, you might ask?

User Generated Content

User Generated Content (UGC) is anything from wholly user-created and initiated (ex. fan art), to that content which the user creates using the tools you’ve explicitly provided for that purpose. User Generated Content features and campaigns are often seen as a compelling way to get players engaged, and when executed well can help extend the life of your product. It’s almost inevitable that with any successful game, someone will eventually pitch the idea of doing a UGC feature or social campaign. They’re a fun idea and have the potential for creating great marketing stories.

…They’re also an absurd amount of effort for often dubious ROI.

Creating content for social media is a daunting task. Every community behaves differently, and content that worked for one brand can completely flop when applied to another. The only real solution is to take an educated guess and create content that you think will resonate. From there it’s a process of throwing things at the proverbial wall, measuring success, and seeing what sticks. Getting started can be a struggle, so here are some quick content ideas that I’ve used in the past to help kick off brainstorming!

You’ve built a great game. You’ve created social share features that your audience will actively want to use. You’ve set up your official social media channels and have ensured that it’s easy for your audience to find them. You’ve scheduled in at least 15-30 minutes a day in which you’re going to interact with your community.

…So now what?

Embracing Failure

Reviews are for Your Customers

User Generated vs. User Driven Content

User Generated Content

Patreon Pick: Quick Content Ideas

Connecting With Your Fans: Part 1