Community as a PRODUCT not a FEATURE

Customer focused communities have emerged as a powerful catalyst for scaling consumer-facing businesses. When nurtured effectively, they can transform the relationship between brands and their customers, creating growth, innovation, and loyalty. However, despite their potential, the art of building and maintaining thriving customer communities remains elusive to many companies.

While some businesses have mastered the ability to cultivate engaged and vibrant communities, majority of them struggle to move beyond superficial engagement.

This disparity raises important questions:

1. What sets apart the companies that excel in community building from those that falter?
2. How do successful businesses leverage their communities to drive growth and innovation? '
3. Why do so many companies struggle to realize the full potential of their customer communities?

I believe the answer lies in a simple realignment of what the community IS.

Successful Communities are Products not Features

Here are some key ways a company can treat its community like a product rather than just a feature:

1. Dedicate resources and a dedicated team to community development. Treat the community as a core part of the business, not an afterthought.
2. Set clear goals and metrics for the community, just as you would for a product. Track engagement, growth, retention, and other relevant KPIs.
3. Continuously iterate and improve the community experience based on member feedback. Treat it as an evolving product that needs ongoing development.
4. Integrate the community deeply into the company's overall strategy and operations. Use community insights to inform product development, marketing, support, etc.
5. Invest in community infrastructure and tools to create a seamless experience for members. This could include dedicated platforms, apps, etc.
6. Create clear value propositions for community members. Articulate why people should join and participate, just as you would for a product.
7. Develop a community roadmap with planned features, improvements and milestones. Treat it like a product roadmap.
8. Provide excellent community management and moderation to maintain quality. This is like product quality assurance.
9. Market and promote the community to drive adoption and growth, as you would a product.
10. Measure the ROI and business impact of the community to justify ongoing investment, similar to how you'd evaluate a product's performance.
11. Foster a sense of ownership and co-creation with community members. Involve them in shaping the community's direction.
12. Create different tiers or levels of community engagement, like you might have different product tiers.

By taking these steps, a company can elevate its community from a simple feature to a core product that delivers ongoing value to both members and the business. This approach recognizes the community as a strategic asset worthy of dedicated focus and resources.

Simple Examples with Big Impact

1. Harley-Davidson: Their Harley Owners Group (H.O.G.) is legendary, going far beyond a typical customer community. It's a lifestyle brand that organizes rides, rallies, and events, creating a strong sense of camaraderie among Harley owners. The community is integral to Harley-Davidson's brand identity and customer loyalty.
2. Lego: The LEGO Ideas platform allows fans to submit their own designs for potential new LEGO sets. This deep level of customer engagement and co-creation has turned their community into a source of innovation for the company.
3. Sephora: Their Beauty Insider Community is a comprehensive platform where members can share looks, ask questions, and connect with other beauty enthusiasts. It's deeply integrated into Sephora's overall strategy, influencing product development and marketing.
4. Salesforce: Their Trailblazer Community (formerly known as the Salesforce Community Network) is renowned in the B2B space. It's not just a support forum, but a full-fledged learning and networking platform that helps users advance their careers and solve complex problems.
5. Starbucks: Their "My Starbucks Idea" platform allowed customers to submit and vote on ideas for new products, services, and experiences. This level of customer involvement in product development is a hallmark of treating community as a core product.
6. Apple: While not always thought of as community-focused, Apple has cultivated a strong brand community through its Apple Support Communities and its broader ecosystem of users and developers. The community plays a significant role in product support and evangelism.
7. GoPro: They've built a community around user-generated content, encouraging customers to share their GoPro videos and photos. This content then becomes a key part of GoPro's marketing strategy.

The companies that recognize the strategic value of these communities and invest in them accordingly will be well-positioned to thrive in the years ahead.

However, success in this arena requires more than just good intentions; it demands a fundamental shift in how businesses view and interact with their customers.

By treating communities as core products rather than mere features, companies can unlock new avenues for growth, innovation, and customer loyalty that will be crucial in scaling their operations and staying ahead of the competition.