Every business project needs an owner. Someone who will work with colleagues and stakeholders to develop goals and a strategy, then implement that strategy. Often these owners aren’t just single people. They’re entire teams or departments.

That’s the way it is with online communities. One person may take the lead, but it’s teamwork that makes a community successful. Which brings us to the question at hand: Who should own your online community?

While communities are organization-wide initiatives, the team directly responsible for your community has a huge impact on its success.

Have you ever come across the expression: “content is king”?

Of course you have – most of us have seen this a lot in the last few years (because it’s true) and that probably won’t change any time soon. But writing an 800-word article on a topic of your interest isn’t enough to engage your members these days. Content may be king (or queen, or fearless overlord – whichever moniker you prefer), but your topic, and how it’s presented, must interest your audience.

Traditional business models focus on products and services. Companies build up their products, advertise them, then make sales.

That strategy no longer works.

Sales are becoming less and less dependent on products and services. Instead, consumers are turning their attention to the buying experience and how they feel about your company after they become customers.

Gamification. Loyalty programs. Personal outreach. There are endless ways you could increase customer retention, most of which will probably have a positive impact on your bottom line. But how much impact will they have? If your current programs are only making small improvements, what else can you do to improve retention?

Customer data is one of the biggest advantages of online communities. As customers log in to your community, connect with peers, and start discussions, they not only become more engaged with your brand, they generate data on their needs, habits, and interests.

Your company can use that data to create better products, publish more helpful content, and improve the customer experience.

But not all community data is created equal. Your community collects several types of data that provide different insights about customers. To get the most out your community data, you need to understand what kind of data you have and the best times to use each.

An online community is a tool. It’s designed to help members get involved, make connections, and develop relationships with their peers and organizations. Community professionals know that and are engaged in keeping the community active and getting other staff members involved.

Ascend Learning uses 12+ brands to deliver custom products and services to high-value industries like healthcare. They have over 1,000 employees with over 30 percent working remotely. But two years ago, the majority of Ascend Learning employees didn’t think much about other brands in the company’s portfolio.

We know the value of trade associations – they play a vital role in social and economic dialogue. They bring competing organizations together to protect and promote entire industries, products, services, and workforces.

But like other organizations, trade associations are going through a transition period. Their role in society is becoming muddied and complicated as new competitors emerge, industries contract and expand, and technology reshapes how the world does business. As the world changes, so do the demands of members.

This brings new challenges to the trade association of today, but also provides an opportunity to make it stronger, more efficient, and more effective. Technology and engagement techniques like online communities can help.

Revenue. Customer support costs. Acquisition. Retention. These are basic examples of business metrics companies track to evaluate their performance.

They’re also metrics any online community can use to show business impact.

The best community professionals measure, track, and compare metrics to demonstrate how their communities are impacting their businesses. They start by identifying the most important metrics to their company, then use them strategically to show impact.

Your online community wasn’t a whim. You didn’t buy, implement, and grow it for no reason. You did it to make a positive impact on your business. And chances are you’ve been successful.

But have you used business metrics to prove that success?