It happens every Jan. 1. People set goals for the new year – and most stop working to achieve them within a month.

The same thing happens after webinars, conferences, how-to articles, goal-focused podcasts, or motivational videos. People feel inspired to do something. As with New Year’s resolutions, people get hyped up and may take a step or two toward executing new ideas.

And then … nothing (or very little). Conference notes gather digital dust in a folder with a last-modified date of six months ago. That bookmarked video gets buried at the bottom of the favorite sites list. The list detailing what they plan to do sits in a notebook, never to see the light of day again. The positive effect they associated with your brand’s content diminishes.

When the distance between setting goals and achieving them feels insurmountable, progress slows and eventually stops altogether.

Meanwhile, content marketers plan event after event (they’re consistently among the most popular tactics, according to CMI research). They create content designed to help audiences learn how to do something or how to improve what they’re already doing.

And then they move on to the next event, how-to topic, and so on.

But what if, instead of moving on, you stayed with your audience, helping then change that goal-failure scenario? Wouldn’t making that change help you grow and sustain a community?

It’s all possible when you set intentions and develop specific activities to bring those intentions to reality.

Helping your audience achieve their goals is a surefire way to grow and sustain a community, says @AnnGynn via @CMIContent. #ContentMarketing Click To Tweet

Why incorporate accountability into your audience strategy

The American Society of Training and Development found 65% of people complete a goal if they commit to someone. If they also set an appointment with that person, they are even more likely to achieve the goal.

Your content team (no matter how small) can make that happen – and set your brand apart from all your content competitors.

How to set up an accountability program for events

I’ll walk you through how to create an accountability program in support of a 60-minute webinar. You can extrapolate the concept to work for an educational or inspirational event of any length.

Let’s say your brand sells project management software and plans an educational webinar. You decide to give attendees added value through an optional accountability program.

On the registration form, you’d include an opt-in choice:

“To help you execute the ideas shared in the webinar, our brand is hosting a free accountability program after the webinar. Do you want to join it?”

The answer options would be:

• Yes
• No
• I’m not sure. Tell me more.

You’ll follow up with the “Yes” and “I’m not sure” respondents.

TIP: Include the accountability program option in any post-event communication in case someone missed it when they registered for the event.

As you develop the webinar content, fill in this easy-to-replicate template. Here’s how it looks for the project management software brand’s webinar:

• Title: Get Rid of Bottlenecks and Boost Productivity
• Presenter: Internal subject matter expert
• Attendee goal: Learn how to revise their approval process to minimize bottlenecks
• Steps to achieve the goal (as detailed in the webinar):
  • Follow several projects through the existing approval process and note each completion date.
  • Identify where bottlenecks occurred.
  • Talk with the stakeholders involved to identify potential solutions.
  • Revise the approval process to incorporate the best bottleneck elimination solutions identified.
• Estimated reasonable time to complete: Two months

With these details, you are ready to set up the accountability program. At this point, you can make it as straightforward or as detailed as you want based on available resources. For example, you could handle it through an automated email program or with a hands-on approach tailored to each participant.

Conduct an automated accountability program through an email campaign

Let’s opt for the simplest version for our example – an automated program implemented through an email campaign.

Here’s how that might look:

Day 1 (the day of or the day after the webinar)

Send a welcome email thanking them for signing up for the accountability program. The email should include:

• Every step the webinar detailed (these serve as mini-goals on the way to achieving the ultimate goal of getting rid of bottlenecks in the approval process)
• Completion dates for each mini-goal
• All the resources participants may need, such as links to the webinar and slide deck
• An opt-out button that’s easy to find so they can stop receiving the emails if they decide they can’t or don’t want to participate

Week 1

This week’s email explains the first mini goal. (In our example, the first mini goal is to follow several projects through the existing approval process and note each date of completion). Remind them of the deadline. Include a few tips or resources to help them achieve this first mini goal.

Week 2

Send a final reminder about the first mini goal. Then, on deadline day, send a message with positive reinforcement, such as:

Congratulations on completing the first step toward removing the bottlenecks in your approval process. Didn’t quite finish it? That’s OK. All progress is important. Keep up the good work.

Briefly outline the second mini goal in the deadline-day email.

Week 3

Follow the Week 1 email protocol for the second mini goal (in our example, to identify where bottlenecks occurred).

Week 4:

Update the Week 2 emails (final reminder and deadline day) for the second mini-goal.

Week 5

Follow the Week 1 email protocol for the third mini-goal (to talk with the stakeholders involved to identify potential solutions).

Week 6

Update the Week 2 emails (final reminder and deadline day) for the third mini-goal.

Week 7

Follow the Week 1 email protocol for the fourth mini-goal (revise the approval process to incorporate the best bottleneck elimination solutions identified).

Week 8

Update the Week 2 emails (final reminder and deadline day) for the fourth mini-goal.

Week 9

Send a final email celebrating the goal achievement deadline. Outline the benefits participants who complete it will enjoy. Include a call to action with possible next steps (individually or through your brand).

TIP: Always include two unsubscribe options in every email – one for recipients who have already achieved the goal and one for recipients who no longer want to participate. Send a final congratulatory message that includes any next steps or calls to those who opt-out after achieving the goal.

Try a small group approach if resources allow

If you have sufficient resources, you can transform this email accountability campaign into a one-on-one or small group approach led by someone on your team.

In these cases, the participants can modify the goals and completion dates to fit their circumstances. Then, your team member can set up their accountability outreach according to the participants’ preferences.

TIP: Make sure your content marketing team doesn’t let responsibilities for this slip or stop altogether. It can be easy to let this become a lower priority because executives likely aren’t asking about it. However, a lack of attention to your audience would harm your brand credibility and reputation.

Invite readers, viewers, and listeners to an accountability program

You can set up an accountability program for content other than events. Try it for articles, podcasts, videos, etc.

You probably can’t set up a program for every piece of content you create, so select topics and assets that resonate the most with your audience.

The accountability program itself can follow a similar format as the one outlined above. However, since there isn’t a registration form to access this content, you’ll need to create a sign-up form and promote it in a call to action.

Add a community component

Whether you opt for the hands-off automated strategy or hands-on involvement, set up a community forum. It could be a dedicated Slack channel, a Discord group, or another easily accessible platform where people can interact.

Encourage participants to join the community and ask them to:

• Post their individual goals
• Ask questions about the topic
• Share their challenges in completing the tasks
• Help other community members overcome challenges

Incorporate multiple voices from your brand to cheerlead, provide expert advice, etc. Your goal for the community should be to create an encouraging place that helps hold participants accountable for doing what they said they wanted to do.

TIP: If the community converses on topics that relate to but aren’t directly connected to the goal, that’s OK. However, if they stray off-topic, move those chats elsewhere so they don’t disrupt the experience for other community members.

If the community was created for a single goal, plan to stop active participation in the group about a month or two after the goal-achieving timeframe. If the community is still active, move them onto your main channels or rebrand the goal-setting group to fit what it has evolved into.

Make accountability your differentiator

No one likes to set a goal and fail. Just ask all those people (or look in the mirror) who stopped their New Year’s resolution progress.

By setting up an accountability program for your events, how-to, and aspiration content, you send a message to your audience – we’re here to help. That’s important even if they never sign up to participate.

But for those who do, the connection you make will continue and grow long after they’ve attended your event or consumed your content. And that’s a top goal for every content marketer.

Cover image by Joseph Kalinowski/Content Marketing Institute