Day 7 of 30: Minimum Effective Dose for Community Building

When building a community, it's not just about bringing people together, but also about solving a problem for them. This problem could be a connection issue, an educational need, or a behavioral challenge.

It's important to consider how much work the members of your community need to do, rather than just focusing on your own efforts. This is where the concept of minimum effective dose comes in.

What is the minimum amount of work that the members  need to do in order to see a positive change?

There are different levels to this concept, such as the onboarding dose (which entices people to join the community), and the dose required to get them to return and re-engage regularly..

Why do I emphasize "minimum" so much? Because everyone is overwhelmed and looking for results and solutions -- not more things to do. By focusing on minimum effective dose, you can avoid overbuilding and ensure that your community provides real value to its members.

By following the minimum effective dose philosophy, you can save your community members time and effort, and they will appreciate you for it.

No one wants to feel like they're wasting time relative to the results they are getting.

Ensuring the Minimum Effective Dose for Your Community Members

Here are three questions to help guide you through this process:

1️⃣ What is the Core Challenge Your Potential Community Members are Looking to Solve?

Identify the primary problem or need that brings members to your community. Understanding this challenge is crucial to tailor your community's offerings and ensure that they are relevant and effective.

2️⃣ What is the Minimum Amount of Work Required for Members to Start Seeing a Solution?

Determine the least amount of effort or involvement needed from members to begin experiencing positive changes. This helps in creating a streamlined path for members to engage with the community and start benefiting from it without feeling overwhelmed.

3️⃣ How Can You Incrementally Provide Additional Doses that Lead to the Ultimate Change?

Plan a structured approach to gradually increase engagement and contributions from members, leading them towards the ultimate goal or change. This incremental increase should be designed to keep members motivated and engaged, ensuring they feel progress without unnecessary strain.

Use the MED framework to fine-tune your community’s strategy to ensure it effectively meets the needs of its members with the right dosage of engagement and effort. 

This approach fosters a community where members feel their time is well spent and their goals are being met efficiently.

Win-win! 🤝

This post was part of my 30-day community series I ran on Twitter/X. Follow me for instant updates. Explore this site to learn more about community. You can work with me to accelerate your community growth.