Show:
Content
Events
Group Leaders
Best Practices
Wildcard
100

True or False: Questions in a post are the best way to get reactions and comments.

True.
Tips:
- keep it relevant to the group topic. i.e. running a car in Ask SMB will not do well
- specific questions (don't make it too general)

- anything that gets members talking about themselves (i.e. telling their story, answering their business question)

- geared towards majority of members (niche questions struggle with engagement)
- keep post straight to the point

100

What is a Quick Connect?

What is a virtual networking event where you split up into breakout rooms with 1 or 2 other people. Usually lasting for 60 minutes. 

100

What is the difference between a group leader and a group moderator?

  • Groups are maintained by both Leaders (a.k.a Admins) and Moderators. We usually recommend a team (1-2 Leaders & 1-2 Moderators) for each group, dependent on size. Profiles can be accessed on the group directory.
  • Responsibilities
    • Applies to both: build group culture/programming, keep group engaged with new value, moderate content, invite members to group, remove/hide members
    • Only applies to Leaders: access to group settings, remove/hide moderators, approve members to private groups
  • Benefits
    • Applies to both. Below is the language we use with members:
      1. Increased visibility: Unlock a leader badge and give your business a boost.
      2. Host Events: Be able to host exclusive virtual or in-person events within your group
      3. Build Your Network: Receive free credits to connect with other leaders in the group and increase referrals
      4. Exclusive Group Membership: Leaders are invited to an exclusive group with special content only available for our top leaders
    • Only applies to Leaders: exclusive introductory post with graphic . Moderators only get a simple post.
100

How many pins are allowed? What are best practices for pinning?

1. two items can be pinned at a time. 1 post & 1 event or 2 events
2. best practices:
- content that is relevant or valuable to the entire group should be pinned. i.e. events, rules/guidelines, announcements
- Once it is no longer relevant, it should be unpinned.
- Pinning a new post or new event will replace the current pinned post.
- only moderators and GLs can pin content 

100

True or False: Introduction posts are hidden. 

True 

Introduction posts add no value. There are other ways to introduce yourself (i.e. Hello! from barbara, comments, etc.)

200

When is the best time to post content?

Group discussions & discussion-posts perform best early in the week. Engagement begins to peak from Monday to Wednesday and starts to decline from Thursday to Friday.

during work hours

200

Who is able to host a group event?

BOTH Group Leaders and Moderators

200

How can someone become a group leader or moderator?

  • Applications are hosted in Airtable. 
  • Here’s a brief overview of how we foster the best Group Leaders:
    1. Recruitment: Automated or personal outreach
    2. Application: If approved, sent automated email with training materials
    3. Onboarding: Training involves 2 steps: watch videos (5 min) and fill out post-training form (1 min)
    4. Success:  Introduction post to group, Onboarding checklist, Leader Intro Video, Invited to Group Leader meetings, Connect with other leaders, Host events,…
200

What are best practices for naming a group?

- short & clear on what the group is 

- nod to the value that the member will receive 

- shouldn't be named after your business/product/service

i.e. Group about marine research is named "For the Love of Dolphins"

200

Besides Ask SMB Anything, what is the next biggest group?

  1. Business Operations
  2. Elevator Pitches
  3. Marketing for the Small Business
  4. All About Networking

Based on Active Members, 

Marketing for the Small Business! (~65k)

- Elevator (50k)

- All About Networking (31k)
- Business Operations (30k)


300

What makes a post promotional?

A post is considered promotional if it exclusively sells a product/service. Here are some questions to ask yourself when writing a post:  
  1. What is the intent behind what I’m sharing?  
  2. Is this post useful/valuable/relevant to other group members? If not, how can I reframe it to add value to the discussion being had?
- no links in post 

300

Can event hosts follow up with event attendees in an email?

  • After an event, attendees will receive an email with recommended events coming up.
  • Leaders cannot follow up directly with attendees in an email. They can send an announcement after the event ends. However, we encourage attendees to share their profile URLs via chat and connect with others after the event.
300

Can Leaders set up email notifications for all posts in their group?

At this time, Leaders do not have access to email notifications.
But, when there is a new post in their group, the red notification dot will show on the my groups page. 

they can currently only opt out of the group emails

300

When is the best time to host an event?

Events perform best on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays. Best start times are between 3-5pm ET

300

Daily Double! How many likes or comments does a post need to land in digest emails to group members?

There is no set number. Digests are based on sorting which has a number of criteria.

400

List 4 possible ways a group discussion can be seen. 

1. daily digest : sent around 2pm ET.

2. weekly digest : sent on Thursdays from 3-6pm ET.

3. individual groups feed

4. combined groups feed

If a post is hidden, it will not be shown anywhere.

400

What are at least 3 best practices for hosting an event on Alignable?

1. the event has to provide the member with value and not be a sales pitch 

2. start the meeting on time (open the meeting a few mins early if possible!)

3. pinning the event in the group & sharing and inviting your contacts

4. a well thought out event description with an image to support the event for visual learners 

5. post the event minimum 5 days prior 

400

For a new group, how often does a Leader need to post to activate their group? 

Newer groups naturally tend to have fewer discussion starters. While we generally recommend a frequent and consistent posting cadence, we also don’t want to the group feed to be entirely taken up by the admin. In these scenarios, we recommend posting a few seed discussions to get the group rolling. While you wait for members to comment and start new discussions, you can actively promote the group or recruit members to join as well as connect with members to encourage them to post in the group.

400

Why are some groups are more lenient than others regarding selling and promoting?

1. Every group operates differently so we recommend the approach that feels right to the group. If a group is saturated with bad actors, it may be necessary to enforce stricter guidelines.
2. Lack of strong & diverse leadership

400

When are Quick Connects run in the All About Networking group and who is the host?

- Every other Tuesday at 4pm ET

- Al Wagner

500

How many new posts are created across all group on average each day? What % are hidden?

During week days, 1,600 posts are created. 19% are hidden. 

500

What features are available to boost event visibility to gain attendance? (must name 3/5)

  1. Pin post
  2. 2 Emails are sent. The first is sent 15 minutes after an event is created in a group (see example here) and the second is sent when waiting room opens.
  3. Notifications.
  4. Share directly on Alignable. Members can invite others to their event via direct message.
  5. Announcements. Only the original host is granted 3 announcements per event. Once an announcement is made, it is shared via email to all registrants and posted as a comment under the event post.
  6. post early -- at least 5 days prior to the event for max visibility
500

What are 3 things a Group Leaders can do to successfully get their group members involved?

  • We advise Group Leaders to:
    1. Post consistency & frequently. 
    2. Host events every month. If they are unsure where to start, try hosting a Quick Connect event! 
    3. Connect with group members
    4. Learn from experts at bi-weekly Group Leader meetings
500

What are at least 4 signs that a group is doing well (what makes a successful group)?

  1. 5 Unique Discussion Starters per week. 
  2. 10 Active Discussions per week. Posting Cadence should be frequent and consistent.
  3. 1 Event Hosted in last 30 days with at least 5 registrants

  4. # of admins proportional to member count

500

What are the 3 types of post you can make a group member?

- discussion post

- request for referral 

- job posting