How To Build Community

I started building community in 2021 because I was lonely.

I was first legal hire and GC at a scaling Irish tech company, tasked with building the legal function from scratch and mostly negotiating deals in the gigantic US market.

I couldn't find a supportive peer forum here in Ireland, so I decided to set one up myself. At first, I figured it would be a small group - me and maybe 5 others in the exact same position, meeting for wine every few weeks to share tips and war stories - but as soon as I announced the creation of ITGC it exploded overnight.

3 years on, and that community has enabled me to start my own global business. This was not my intention from the start - it’s what community-building evolved into for me.

Whatever your goals - whether you want to build community to make money or otherwise - I’ve set out the process for you below.

Remember: when we use the word community, it’s not just traditional stuff like paid membership and sponsor-driven in-person events. Online followers count as a community too.

But either way, it’s about building an audience who will:

?? feel seen and understood

?? see themselves in your brand

?? see the solutions to their problems

?? generate word of mouth recommendations

?? embody the principle that your brand is what is said about you when you’re not in the room.

And remember: this isn't for people with huge egos. Quality over quantity. Don't try to build community if you're chasing likes, fame and virality.

SO: below is my guide on how to build community.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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How To Build Community

1. Identify a target audience ??

Pick the category of folks you want to help and identify key elements of their persona - who are they? Where are they? What keeps them awake at night? What do they want? How do they feel? Don’t make this about you btw - don’t “feature-dump”. Keep the mission about them.

2. Find them ???

A community can’t grow if it’s not attracting the right people. Once you’ve defined your purpose, you need to find people who resonate with it.

Start by:

• Identifying where your ideal members hang out (LinkedIn, local industry events, professional membership organisations etc)
• Reach out to individuals who are already aligned with your mission
• Invite like-minded folks to join

I did a combination of all of the above!

3. Identify your vision ???

Get these key ducks in a row before you launch. What is your mission (pick 3 things)? What are your values? Why is this the answer to members‘ problems? How are you different from your competitors?

4. Pick branding ??

Get a freemium Canva account and pick colours and a simple logo that reflect what this community is about - could be standard colours typically associated with the sector (e.g. black & red for cybersecurity), or you could go wild and pick something unusual to stand out more (e.g. Legally Blonde pink for law!). There are plenty freelancers out there that can design something simple for you fast.

5. Positive vibes only / mindset ???

There are no grumpy community leaders. You‘re always visible. Your members will look up to you to boost their spirits. Be kind and courteous in all your interactions. Be nice to strangers when you‘re out and about - that person you were rude to in the Starbucks queue could be a future community member (or sponsor!).

6. Small is beautiful (and lucrative) ??

Alexander The Great mentality is out. Bespoke, hyper-personalized, close-knit communities are in. You don‘t have to cannibalize the whole planet (and that‘s too overwhelming a thought when you start off anyway). Keep an incremental mindset and focus on each new member at a time.

7. Thought leadership ??

Start posting insightful content on LinkedIn about the problems your community is having, and your view on how to fix those. Make it educational, or entertaining, or emotionally provocative. They need to know you get them and what they‘re going through. Remember: some folks are hanging off your every word and waiting for your opinion on everything. And a lot of folks are lurkers ie watching but never engage with you. Remember how people see you. Don’t get egotistical about this.

8. Be authoritative ????

Don‘t sit on the fence - be clear about what you stand for and why in a way that leaves no doubt. Do this in your content, at your events, in your newsletter, via email etc

9. Pick a place to hang out ????

For fast, private comms among members. There are plenty freemiums out there: Slack, WhatsApp, LinkedIn Groups, old-fashioned email. Bear in mind some sectors prefer what they‘re used to (e.g. anyone in tech will love Slack; lawyers not so much)

Compare options like LinkedIn Groups, Slack, or in-person meetups. Maybe you just want to stay online and be a content creator + followers.

Or maybe you want to set something up locally, in-person.

Or a combo of both (like me).

?? Bear in mind cost (online is free and cheaper than in-person). But do whatever makes you feel passionate and meets your community’s needs.

??Pro tip ??

You don’t need to build a huge infrastructure from the get-go, but you do need to choose the right platform for your community to interact and grow. Here are some options:

• LinkedIn Groups: Perfect for professional communities.
• Slack: Great for fostering deeper, real-time conversations.
• Facebook Groups: Ideal for larger, more casual communities.
• Meetup: Excellent for in-person events or hybrid communities.
• Discord: Emerging as a powerful tool for creative and tech-savvy communities.

Choose the platform that suits your style and your members’ preferences.

10. Be consistent ??

Foster engagement. “Show up” consistently so members know you are dependable and trustworthy. Do this through regular thought leadership posting on LinkedIn, or stimulating conversations in your freemium platform, or even a simple monthly email campaign.

11. Share generously, for free ??

Give folks what they want for free. Create value for them. Don’t blatantly monetize upfront from the people you’re trying to help.

In time, your LinkedIn content will become your freemium and you can charge for events and membership if that’s what you want, but until you’ve proved you have something to offer them they want to pay for (i.e. product market fit), give for free generously.

Sponsorship will help you keep stuff free.

12. Be sponsor-savvy ??

Eventually you'll feel the sting of community-building in your own pocket.

Find sponsors who support your vision & give you street cred to ease the financial investment (link newsletter article on how to do this, here).

The right sponsors are like the right investors: the most wonderful supporters to help you scale your community the way you want.

Understand which companies will want to sell into your community (i.e. the market you have created).

And that you are the gatekeeper to that and should be charging for access.

13. Hard launch ????

You’ve poured your heart & soul into creating this and the whole world should know about it. You also need to start finding new members, so: social media announcements; launch party; whatever. Just go at it HARD!

14. Hang in there ??

99% of people give up. Be the 1% that doesn’t. You have a community to take care of now so let that incentivize you. Nothing worth building is easy and takes time & intentionality. Stay the course and watch your efforts compound before your very eyes.

15. No A**hole Policy ??

No toxic members or sponsors or affiliates - you have a lovely community to look out for now and you control who gets access to them. If a potential sponsor makes you feel stupid or inferior, they’ll make your community feel that way too. You are their gatekeeper now.

Own that.

What’s the first step you’ll take to start building your community? Define your purpose, identify your audience, and choose your platform today.

If you've read this far - thank you. ??

When you're ready, here's how I can help you further:

1?? This newsletter is for insights on my journey from law to founder and to go deep on aspects of that as I build. If you’d like content specifically on how to build a modern in-house legal function, subscribe to my bi-weekly Beehiiv newsletter here.

2?? I have Gumroad guides too if you want a DIY manual - grab them here.

3?? 1:1 coaching calls (legal ops, legal tech, how to build a future-fit in-house legal team, starting a career like mine): email me at [email protected] and let's talk!

4?? For legal tech and legal ops vendors: I can help you boost brand growth and generate funnel with your ICP - email me at [email protected]

Until next time,

Sarah ??