#10-community

Thread

Shelly Ryder September 05, 2025 at 06:47 PM

Hi all and happy Friday! We just signed on with Gainsight and are getting ready to launch our new Community in late October. Wondering if any fellow Community Managers have a swag program for customers who sign on to help out in your Communities (making & responding to posts especially). I'm thinking of not just an earned badge in the Community, but maybe a swag pack for the highest contributors. Any ideas for items and what level of participation garners a gift?

Mary Green (Owner CMAweekly) September 05, 2025 at 07:04 PM

Love this, I hope people share as I think community members should get more rewards 🙂

Shelly Ryder September 05, 2025 at 08:10 PM

Thanks <@U07U1ME4ML0> I notice that Unqork has switched from sending swag to gift cards. That sure is easier, and globally friendly too if you use something like Tango Card.

Jeff Campbell September 24, 2025 at 02:54 PM

@Shelly Ryder this is a great idea! I suggest you first map out your desired behaviors. Start with acquisition - rewarding community registration, referrals etc. Once they're in, be careful on rewarding participation - you might incentivize "noise" instead of value. I prefer rewarding the "likes" to contributions, so it rewards people for adding value to the community (as seen or observed by the other members).

Branded swag can be a good fit, but gift cards have low efficacy in building brand loyalty. People often forget where they came from. Take a look at the SAPS framework (Status, Access, Power, and Stuff). It's a great model for balancing rewards for different interests.