Feat: Marketing channel strategy for repositioning OAI

[RCheesley]

Parent: #67
Related to: #71

Given current capacity, OAI does not need a complex multi‑channel marketing plan. A focused approach using LinkedIn and email is enough to support the repositioning work, amplify member programmes, and keep members engaged. LinkedIn is where key decision makers are likely to be, but also a lot of ICs and Managers and folks from across the tech industry who can help amplify the messaging, and also analysts. OAI also already has a presence there.

There's already great work being done to share content from the blog and re-share relevant posts on LinkedIn so there isn't a big lift needing to be done here, just some small tweaks to balance the content, with a little bit more focus on thought-leadership and write-ups of the specs in use.

The aim is to keep both channels light but consistent - a small number of good, on‑message touchpoints each month, rather than high volume.

Social media

I’d recommend trying to aim for 1-3 posts a week (which could be achieved by batching (writing a group of posts for the whole month in one sitting, then scheduling them up across the month).

I’d suggest a mix of 60% of your original content, 30% of re-posting and celebrating the community, and 10% curated / shared content from other channels/sources that are relevant to OAI. This would mean:

• 4-12 posts per month total (currently posting 6-10 per month, on average)
  • 2-7 original posts per month
  • 1-3 community re-posts per month
  • 1-3 curated posts from outside the community per month

Based on analysing the previous years’ content on the blog, there’s an average of 1-2 original content (from your website or direct content posts) per month, including:

• Monthly newsletters
• Member announcements
• Community Hero features
• Specification release announcements
• Event announcements/updates

This would be the biggest area of lift from the current content creation to what would support this strategy (and the content strategy in #71) as the number of resources being created right now is quite low.

In terms of what additional content we’d want to be creating for sharing on social media, this might include:

• 1-2 thought leadership articles per month, 800-1200 words, future focused on strategic topics

• 1-2 member/community spotlights per month including new member welcomes / renewals / contributor highlights / implementation stories

I would envision these would come as an output from the members' clinics and/or webinars, so there shouldn't be a big additional demand here - but if you have content writers / members wanting the visibility, it's a great place to start by pointing them at the content areas and giving them some ideas for what you want to be showcasing. Also a nice low/no-code contribution pathway.

LinkedIn posts being shared right now are on average 4-8 posts per month including:

• Sharing blog posts from OAI website
• Reposting personal posts from contributors with relevant news and updates (e.g. 10 year anniversary)
• Resharing previews of upcoming webinars from OAI members (e.g. Jentic session on OpenClaw)
• Event-related reposts

In addition to the articles / community spotlights already mentioned, i'd be good to include:

• 4-8 quick insights / community reposts which might include observations from events, links to external content with perspectives shared from OAI, behind the scenes from SIG work (there are on average 2-4 per month depending on whether there's an event happening or not)

• 3-4 engagement posts per month, designed to stimulate engagement - could include polls or questions to the community, discussion starters, invitations to engage in debate on features, etc. These don't happen much right now, but it's a good way to keep engagement up and also to get input on topics that might, for example, be surfaced in the Member's Clinics to see if it's a wider problem.

Measuring success

We’d want to monitor in a lightweight way (perhaps quarterly)

• Follower growth
• Engagement rate (likes, comments, shares)
• Post reach
• Inbound enquiries
• Mentions/citations in industry conversations

Resource requirement

• Content curation - Already being done, might need 1 hr/wk to refine content output from clinics/webinars
• Engagement/response - Already being done
• Batching strategy - create initial four weeks worth of content, then keep a month ahead with content, scheduling content every 2-3 weeks.

Email

Email is currently underused beyond the monthly newsletter. Used carefully, it can:

• Deepen engagement with existing members
• Nurture potential members who show interest
• Drive attendance for clinics, panels and events

Objective

• Build ongoing relationships with members and prospects, without creating a heavy editorial burden.

Cadence

• Keep the existing monthly newsletter.
• Add:
  • One short members‑only update per month (benefits, clinics, SIGs, governance opportunities).
  • Event follow‑up emails to relevant contacts using the templates provided.

Members list

While there are already members signed up, many of them aren’t actively engaging, attending meetings, or contributing. A monthly members-only segment email would help to activate their benefits, build loyalty and demonstrate ongoing value.

It might also help us to develop our membership growth, because referrals are one of the cheapest ways to gain new business - asking our happy members to recommend other companies (and who we should speak with at the company) could help to drive further growth.

These emails could include:

• Monthly clinic invitations with topic previews, previous session highlights, and links to register for upcoming clinics

• SIG updates as needed, including opportunities to participate and technical insights

• Benefit reminders - ensuring they are using their benefits and being featured on the blog / social media, remind them of upcoming opportunities

• Governance updates - voting opportunities coming up, motions being proposed in the BGB, strategic decisions being considered, opportunities to provide input

Measuring success

While there’s the standard metrics of open rate, engagement rate, click rate etc we’d also want to have some practical metrics of success, which could include:

• Increase participation in BGB meetings
• Clinics booked up in advance and well attended
• Increased participation in SIGs
• Increased engagement with content
• Higher renewal / lower churn
• Creation of content required for the social strategy through member engagement

Resource requirement

• 2-3 hours a month for routine communications
• 1-2 hours a month if there’s a major governance update or if there’s a taster month happening

Future idea proposal

New member magnet

Blocked by #69 / #70.

Create a separate list segment for potential members within the main membership list, who we want to target.

To nurture this list, run new member ‘taster months’ perhaps twice a year, featuring valuable benefits like drop-in clinics. Use the clinics as a lead magnet requiring registration (with max numbers) and drop attendees into a membership nurturing sequence focused on benefits and ROI. We can also directly request LF to help us in connecting with potential members, inviting them to send their team to these sessions.

The sequence includes pre-clinic emails, a follow-up with resolutions/resources, an invite to other clinics, and a feedback question. Further follow-ups will explore other membership benefits, include a brief survey on taster week value, a testimonial, and a soft CTA. As the taster weeks end, a stronger push to join, with process explanation, will be sent.

Personalisation based on organization size may also be possible via Hubspot.

Used together, LinkedIn and email should give OAI just enough reach and continuity to support the new positioning, without demanding a large marketing effort. They amplify the concrete programmes (clinics, panels, events), surface member stories, and keep both members and prospects in the loop, driving better adoption of benefits and more perceived ROI for membership spend.