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WHAT I LEARNED FROM DOING 10 SKOOL COMMUNITY AUDITS š¤āØ
(Nā those Unexpected patterns I didnāt see coming)
Over the past week, I offered a handful of Christmas community audits to the epic members in THE BACKROOM. I went in thinking Iād mostly be supporting other community owners, helping them spot gaps, tweaks, missed opportunities. What I didnāt expect was how much it would teach me too.(this bit surprised me more than I thought it would, if Iām honest)
Seeing different communities from the inside, back to back, gave me an outside perspective I didnāt have before. When youāre inside your own space every day, you often stop seeing certain things. You assume things are obvious, and forget what it feels like to arrive like a newbie, slightly awkward-ish, not wanting to get it wrong. (that slightly hover-y feelingā¦ weāve all been that person, right?) [did-you see my POSTAPHOBIA post?]
We cannot make assumptions, all the answers are often there for us, through the comments, the data, the analytics etcā¦ (and yet we STILL assumeā¦ iykyk)
Basically none of what Iām sharing here is right or wrong. This defo aināt judgement. Itās just PATTERNS I noticed repeating and looping, and a few things that made me have those little LIGHTBULB moments where I stopped and wentā¦ huhā¦ ok thenā¦ and rethink how I build and lead community too.(also yes, I saw myself in some of these, not exempt here)
āāāāā
THE BIGGEST SURPRISE GOING INā¦
I kinda expected to see lots of content problems. Weak posts. Not enough value, conversations etc etc. Messy structure all that jazz.(you know, the usual suspects)
But what I actually saw, over and over again, was this: almost nobody has a content problem. What most people have is a MOVEMENT problemā¦.
Beautiful spaces. Gorg solid branding. Thoughtful heart-led badass leaders. But many members sitting quietly, watching, unsure what to do next. (lurking, saving posts, thinking āIāll come back laterāā¦ and later never comes pfffttt)
āāāāā
PEOPLE DONāT ENGAGE BECAUSE THEY DONāT KNOW WHAT TO DO NEXT (often)
This was the most common pattern I saw. Communities looked really effinā good on the surface, content existed, conversations had happened at some point, but the majority of members were stuck at LEVEL 1. (Level 1ā¦ Level 1ā¦ still Level 1ā¦ weeks later)
(This pattern I saw in nearly every community I visited, which took me down another rabbit hole, I will share laterā¦ because oooofing)
It was defo not because they didnāt care. Not because they were lazy (pffffttt agen). It was mainly because they didnāt know where to go NEXT. It was not clear.(uncertainty = pause = no actionā¦ thatās just human stuff)
Most communities assume, āIf people want it, theyāll explore.ā From my experience, this rarely happens.
They wonāt. People donāt explore when they feel uncertain. They WAIT to be led, and thatās our role as a community owner. (Iāve made this assumption myself before, btw)
The missed opportunity wasnāt motivation. It was CLEAR guidance through one tiny micro next step at a time.
āāāāā
START HERE POSTS ARE TOO BIG (AND TOO POLITE)
Almost everyone had a Start Here post. Almost nobody made it IMPOSSIBLE to skip.
Common themes I saw were too much information, too many links, no obvious action step, or a gentle ādrop a comment if this helpedā, which still requires thinking.(thinking = frictionā¦ friction = nope)
Many have a list of 10 things to do. We know too many choices = brain overload = step back.
JUST ONE STEP AT A TIME (micro steps beat huge LEAPS)
If someone doesnāt take a micro-action in the first 24ā48 hours, engagement drops FAST. How does the saying goā¦ the longer you leave it, the less likely it gets doneā¦ something like thatā¦(either way, the brain agrees)
Thatās just HUMAN behaviour.
āāāāā
CLASSROOMS DONāT WORK WITHOUT CONVERSATION
This surprised a few people. Classrooms were often really well built. Trainings were TOTES solid. Resources were there. But hardly anyone was using themā¦ (which hurts when you know how much effort went into them)
So why? Because classrooms donāt sell themselves. They need BRIDGES. People donāt explore content hubs. They follow PERSONAL direction.
When classroom content isnāt woven into comments, conversations, and DMs, it becomes INVISIBLE, no matter how effinā good it is.
āāāāā
LEVELS ARE BEING IGNORED (AND THEYāRE GOLD)
Levels are so powerful in Skool, but most communities treat them like decoration. I saw 70ā90% of members sitting at Level 1 in a lot of spaces, with no celebration of movement and no explanation of WHY levels matter. (no reason = no movement)
Levels should create EASY momentum, normalise progress, and be talked about openly, not hidden in the background.
āāāāā
ENGAGEMENT ISNāT ABOUT POSTING MORE
Low engagement wasnāt because leaders werenāt posting enough. It was because posts didnāt invite response, questions were too broad, and conversations ended too quickly, with no reason to continue.(every comment is a doorwayā¦ if you donāt open another one, it closes)
Also, from my world, posts are a WE space.
Engagement grows through CONTINUATION, not volume.
āāāāā
MOST PEOPLE ARE AFRAID TO DM (AND THEY SHOULDNāT BE)
This came up again and again. The fear of being salesy. The fear of being annoying.(I used to have this fear too, big time)
The communities with the strongest engagement had leaders who personally checked in. Not pitching. Not pushing. Just HUMAN HUMANING.
DMs arenāt sleazy when theyāre supportive. Theyāre one of the FASTEST ways to build safety and connection.
āāāāā
MOST COMMUNITIES ARE BUILT FROM THE HEAD, NOT THE BODY
This oneās subtle but really important. A lot of leaders were overthinking structure, waiting for clarity, trying to feel ready. Meanwhile, members were waiting for PERMISSION.
Your behaviour sets the tone. If you invite openness, vulnerability, fun etcā¦ you have to MODEL it.If you hesitate, they hesitate. (this is psychology, not strategy)
āāāāā
THE BIGGEST BOTTLENECK OF ALL IS ASSUMPTION
This might be the biggest one. Assumptions like ātheyāll find itā, āthey know where to startā, ātheyāll comment when readyā, āthey know what this is forā.
Sorry not sorryā¦ often, they DONāT.
Nothing is obvious to a new, slightly nervous human entering a space.CLARITY beats clever. Every. Single. Time.
āāāāā
WHAT THIS TAUGHT ME TOOā¦
Doing these audits didnāt just highlight patterns across other communities. It made me reflect on my OWN. Where I over-assume. Where I skip steps. Where I forget what it feels like to be new.(humbling AF, actually)
Most people donāt need more content. They need more GUIDANCE.
ā Iām totes curiousā¦
What do you think it would feel like to arrive fresh and new in your spaceā¦ and what would YOU need if we removed the assumptions?
Humans donāt explore when they feel uncertain. They WAIT.
BUT IN HERE WE GO - LFG! š
āāāāā
PS - If reading this stirred somethingā¦ like a āoh sht, yeahā¦ thatās me Mimiā moment, then this is exactly why the Backroom Community exists.
Itās the safe space where we talk about the stuff we donāt usually say out loud. The numbers we donāt brag about. The doubts we tidy up everywhere else. The half-hmm-formed thoughts that donāt belong on a polished post.
And if youāre reading this thinkingā¦ āok Mimi, how the eff do I get eyes like this on my own community?āIf you want one of these badass Community Audits ā no fluff (well, unless it's a dog, that's more than welcome duh), no ego stroking, just real patterns, blind spots and needle-moving stuff ā then holla. No pitch. No pressure...
Just letās chit-chat and see if it makes sense.
Wooping together. Winning together. Obvs. IYKYK
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WHAT I LEARNED FROM DOING 10 SKOOL COMMUNITY AUDITS š¤āØ
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