If thereās one strategy I came up with, tried, and STILL use to this day, itās the ERG DM Campaign. This method has been a game-changer in how we engage ERG members, ensuring that people feel seen, valued, andāmost importantlyāengaged in a way that works for them.
This might sound obvious, but you have to engage people the way they want to be engaged, not just how you want to engage them. Too many ERG leaders assume that if members arenāt attending events, theyāre not engaged. Thatās simply not true. Some people may never show up to an ERG event, but they still want to be involved.
That means we have to provide options for engagement, allowing members to self-select how they want to participate. Once people have those options, reaching out directly is key.
When you allow people to choose how they want to be involved and then personally reach out based on those preferences, the response rate is significantly higher. Most people donāt say no unless they genuinely canāt participateāand even then, they often express disappointment that they canāt join.
Now, this may sound simple, but hereās where most ERG leaders go wrong: they rely too much on passive engagement methods. They drop a form in a Slack channel or an email, then wait for responses. And guess what? That almost never works.
I believe I coined the term DM campaign in the ERG space because Iāve been a huge advocate for one-on-one outreach. Instead of waiting for people to fill out forms or engage in channels, I encourage ERG leaders to personally message members. This small shift makes all the difference.
Hereās the exact word-for-word template Iāve used across multiple companies:
Hey ššæ,
Iām an ERG leader here at [Company], and I noticed youāre a member of [ERG Name]. We really want to make sure weāre creating the best possible experience for you. If you could take 60 seconds to fill out this quick form, it would make all the difference. Hereās the link: [Insert Form Link]
Thanks so much!
Even though this is a copy-paste message, it feels personal when itās sent directly. Iāve literally had people respond, āThank you for asking!āāwhen, technically, the form had already been posted in the ERGās Slack channel. But thatās the magic of direct outreachāit feels personal and makes people feel valued.
Now, I know what some of you are thinking: Our ERG is way too big for this. But hereās how you can scale it:
The ERG DM Campaign is one of the simplest yet most effective engagement strategies you can implement. It takes minimal effort, ensures that members feel personally valued, and leads to significantly higher engagement rates.
So, if youāre not using it yetāwhat are you waiting for?