Within any online community or network, lurkers are the largest group of participants. ‘Lurker’ refers to those who actively watch, but do not announce their presence via posts, comments, likes or other means. By definition, this group is hard to track, manage or identify. Within an online social network for a church, they are between 80-90% of users, here are some top tips to keep this group engaged:
1) Keep content fresh! Ensuring the latest post is no more than 3 days old will ensure new posts and information is always available for the next time a Lurker drops in to your home feed.
2) Make past content easily accessible. A good home feed easily shows the latest happenings of your group, but is also an easy way to see what has occurred. Lurkers are observers – make it easy for them to see past happenings in addition to the present.
3) Respond in general terms. For every 1 comment, 9 others chose not to comment. All 10 people will see any response, it is always best to post on social media in a general fashion instead of targeting the single comment.
4) Keep it casual. Lurkers will engage when they feel comfortable doing so. Complex and deep posts create an intimidating environment for someone to engage for the first time.
While comments and likes are always great feedback mechanisms, managing your feed and posts for the lurkers will drive the volume and extent of your outreach.
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