Sussex Hub. Community Builder & Support
The challenge
The Learning and Skills Council required a web-based community solution which could:
- bring together youth sector practitioners from different organisations
- increase online collaboration between practitioners
- increase the level of knowledge and expertise of practitioners
- deliver complex services and advice in plain, understandable English to ensure the website remained as accessible as possible
The results
A survey of practitioners found:
- 75% felt the development of the Sussex Hub had improved the distribution of information relevant to their professional needs. This is an increase from 62% the previous year
- 71% found the email newsletter informative
- 63% said the training database on the Sussex Hub had made selecting courses easier
The newsletter had extremely high opening and interaction levels, with the opening rate averaging over 51% and click-through rate averaging over 52%.
"The tools training sessions with Qube were both informative and immediately useful giving us practical things to take away and act on after the session - I really enjoyed it."
Jenny Statham - training course attendee
What we did
We decided to develop an online community of practitioners and encourage the sharing of knowledge, experience and ideas. We devised a range of initiatives to drive community growth.
- Vision Day
- Social Media Roadmap
- Community Builder
- Community Supporter
Vision Day
We held a vision day with representatives of all stakeholders in the project. We were able to set out a clear vision for the project and ensure buy-in from all parties. Outcomes included plans for a website which enabled people to collaborate online, find best practice and find the opportunities.
Collaboration Roadmap
To ensure the success of the collaboration project we used the outcomes from the Vision Day to develop a detailed roadmap for the new community website:
Community mapping
We researched and mapped the target community using various techniques including online surveys and meetings. Through this research we found key influencers and subject experts.
Technical plan
The site architecture was designed around the needs of the target audience particularly focussing on ease of use.
Marketing plan
We devised a marketing plan to promote the new site including email marketing, exhibitions, workshops and talks, pr and search.
Community Builder
Collaboration website design and build
We managed the design and build of this extensive community site which included an organisation directory, job board, forums and meeting management tool.
Community management
We developed an active forum on the website using outreach techniques to seed and kick-start conversations. We actively cultivated the community by facilitating interaction on an ongoing basis. We managed a range of content on the website, both LSC and user generated. This included a knowledge section, online jobs listings and a directory of organisations.
Promotion
We kept the community up-to-date on website activity with a weekly email newsletter and outreach campaigns.
Community Supporter
Community Training
We ran a series of training sessions with the LSC to give their staff the skills to manage the community. We introduced them to online community tools such as forums and helped them understand the dynamics of community growth.
Email us or call us on 01273 689 672 to see how we can help.