How to use community to grow your business.

There are so many brands that are covertly selling more than products.

Nike is a marketing company.

Fabletics is a lifestyle company.

Coca-cola is a branding company.

Then, you have companies like Fitbit and Apple with millions of people oriented towards one core effort - community.

Communities add a ton of value to businesses — from user-generated content to loyalty, brand advocacy, events, education, and true connection.

Humans are social by nature, which means we crave things like belonging, mission, and accountability - and with all the technology and automation companies have been using over the past decade, the human connection element is more important than ever now.

We almost expect to have deeper relationships with brands today.?

The problem is, most communities today are thrown together without foresight. We see a desire for them and have two instant thoughts:

1. If I build it, they will come
2. The best communities are built by their members

If you desire to build a truly successful community, you need to step up as a leader and strategically cultivate the environment and results you want from it.

Let’s walk through what this looks like.

Every community needs its own mission, vision, and values.

Your brand will be the driver of these core statements, but ultimately your community needs to be sustainable on its own.

People need to feel clear and excited about why they’re part of a community.

They want to feel included, know what they’re investing their time and energy into, and have a purpose to work toward.

Without these things, there’s no driver to continue showing up - especially if other communities have these clearly defined.

If you can’t spin off any community you create to support multiple businesses or become its own entity at any point, there’s more work to be done here.

Every community should be anchored in incentives.

Amazon is a great example of a thriving business community because people PAY to be part of it and feel like they get at least 5x the value.

How do I know this? Because the average Prime member spends 600% more than a non-prime member each year on Amazon!

Your incentives don’t need to be monetary -they need to be defined and clear.

Is it that they get a first-look at things they care about, added support, feel more acknowledged or supported, receive perks or special discounts, or will achieve faster growth as a member?

Perhaps it is simply a benefit just to feel like you belong, but as a leader how are you ensuring people feel this way - and consistently do?

Communities demand stellar participation + engagement.

When community members can play an active role in something, they speak up.

Seeing the impact you have on a small or large scale instills feelings of value and worthiness - two things a properly-run community gives its members.

A true community makes even the most quiet members feel deeply connected to the loudest ones - and to the bigger picture vision of the group.

When time and space is given to all members as they desire it - and a diverse and open dialogue is invited and encouraged, engagement is high and participation is inevitable.

The purpose of community, after all, is to be part of something bigger than ourselves. If we’re not contributing to that vision, there is no value in being part of the community driving it.

A true community makes even the most quiet members feel connected to the loudest ones.

What gets measured gets improved.

Think about how you’ll measure success that guarantees positive outcomes.

If you desire to foster growth and true connection within a community, you need to get hyper focused and clear about your goals and benchmarks for each.

For instance, using a simple set of guidelines for recruiting the best members, nurturing relationships with them, and fostering their joy as members.

What does this look like to you, and how does it evolve as your community grows?

Tracking active participation is also important.

Are members showing up regularly?

Do they invite others to contribute or join?

Are they inclusive and respectful of each other?

Do they prioritize activities for the benefit of all?

How are you quantifying and qualifying the value members both consume and create?

What have you committed to as the leader? How do you rate your effectiveness in bringing people together and fostering loyalty?

Communities are changing the future of businesses, and they will continue to as long as we invest in thoughtful strategies to run them effectively - for the benefit of all.