Are you planning to build a community for your product but are intimidated by the amount of work needed?

It’s true. Building a community is no walk in the park, but creating a brand community around your product can be easy and even fulfilling as long as you stay focused on your goals. Successful brand communities are the ultimate goal, offering valuable insights and fostering customer loyalty.

In this post, we’ll cover the most important things you need to know about building a successful community without wasting your precious resources.

What exactly is online community building?

At its core, community building involves managing a group of individuals interested in a specific tool or goal in a private online space, focusing on the development of a brand community. The definition of ‘community’ may vary, but the underlying principle remains the same: to create a space where users feel connected to the product and each other, fostering a sense of belonging and loyalty towards the brand.

Here are 4 key elements of what makes a healthy brand community:

1. Active Engagement: Members are not just passive observers but active participants. They ask questions, provide answers, share experiences, and contribute to user-generated content.
2. Supportive Environment: There’s a culture of helping and encouraging one another, especially around using specific features or solving common challenges, which aids in crisis management and promotes authentic engagement.
3. Shared Learning: Knowledge sharing is central, with members feeling empowered to exchange tips, best practices, and innovative ideas, and gather valuable customer insights.
4. Positive Culture: The community should have a welcoming and inclusive atmosphere where all members feel valued and respected, enhancing communication with the target audience and encouraging brand loyalty.

From a business standpoint, community building is an asset and a channel for acquiring new customers or continuing to engage with existing users.

Ultimately, building a community is a win-win situation for its owners and members. Actively working to build a brand community is crucial, as it establishes loyal customer relationships, increases engagement rates, and opens up revenue opportunities through various strategies such as sending newsletters, hosting events, and creating spaces where customers feel heard, valued, and connected.

Why building a community is important for brand loyalty?

Building a community might seem overwhelming, so you might question whether it’s worth your time and energy. That’s understandable! Community building is a long-term strategy that requires careful thought.

But here are the 3 most important reasons to consider community building for your product:

Brand awareness

Communities are powerful tools for brand awareness. Instead of relying solely on paid advertising, a community allows your users to share their genuine experiences and recommendations, fostering customer loyalty through the creation of loyal customers who are more likely to advocate for your brand based on their emotional connections and positive experiences.

For example, Salesforce has mastered this through its Trailblazer Community, where users learn, connect, and grow together, all while organically boosting Salesforce’s visibility and reputation.

Customer acquisition

A strong community can significantly lower the barriers to customer acquisition. Prospective users see real-life testimonials and problem-solving in action.

More importantly, new users who are part of the community first can potentially have longer lifetime value than new users through paid advertising. This is because communities allow potential users to see your product directly from existing users.

For instance, Slack’s approach to community engagement has played a pivotal role in its growth. By encouraging user-generated content and fostering direct communication among users, Slack has demonstrated the practical benefits of its platform. The firsthand testimonials and solutions shared within these communities significantly hold more weight than testimonials showcased in paid ads.

Engagement and customer loyalty

Building a community is a good way to keep engaging your existing customers. Your community is where they can get updates about the latest features, help new users, and share valuable experiences with everyone in the community. This engagement not only retains users but also transforms them into loyal customers who contribute significantly to the community’s value through their advocacy and support.

This is especially important if your product helps others create new content, such as blog posts, images, and videos. Users are always looking for new ideas on how to make the most of their existing tools.

For example, Adobe leverages its community through Adobe Creative Cloud discussions and tutorials. Users help each other, share work and stay engaged with the software.

How to start building your brand community

Most founders start by choosing a platform. While this has worked for some, it’s best to be clear and specific about your goals. This way, you can use your resources efficiently. Incorporating a comprehensive marketing strategy, including leveraging social media platforms, is crucial when planning to build a community, as it helps in creating a streamlined approach for attracting, nurturing, and converting potential customers.

Start with the why

Understanding the core reasons behind creating your community is pivotal. Do you want to improve customer support, increase brand loyalty, or provide a space for users to exchange ideas?

Your ‘why’ could be one of these reasons or something entirely different, like driving product innovation through direct user feedback.

The ‘why’ shapes every aspect of your community — from the content and activities you plan to the metrics you’ll use to measure success, ultimately guiding the unique aspects of your own brand community. For example, if your goal is to acquire new customers, success metrics could include tracking the number of community members who convert into customers.

On the other hand, if enhancing product knowledge among existing users is the goal, you might measure success by the number of active discussions or user-generated content pieces.

Who will be the members?

Once you understand the why, it will be clear who will be a part of your community.

When considering potential members, think about:

• Current Users vs. Potential Users: Are you looking to get more engagement from existing users or attract new ones?
• Demographics and Interests: What common characteristics or interests do your potential members share? This could be related to their professional background, use cases for your product, or shared challenges within your industry.
• Level of Expertise: Will your community cater to novices, experts, or various experience levels? For instance, if your SaaS product is a sophisticated tool for digital marketers, your community might attract a mix of seasoned professionals looking for advanced tips and beginners seeking foundational knowledge.

Remember, the clearer you are about who your community is, the easier it will be to create relevant and engaging content.

What’s the main purpose?

The main purpose of your community should directly reflect what members can gain from joining. It’s the value proposition that turns interested individuals into active participants.

Determine whether your community will focus on support, education, networking, or a mix of these elements. For example, a community built around a project management tool might help members complete projects more efficiently. Your community’s value is giving members access to expert advice, templates, and success stories.

Clarity ensures that your community attracts the right members and provides them with the value they are looking for.

Where to build your community?

After understanding your community’s purpose and membership, it is critical to select the right platform for it. The platform should resonate with your target audience and support the interactions you envision.

A Facebook group is a popular choice for building an online community. It offers a space for user-generated content, fostering brand loyalty, and enhancing customer engagement.

Here are some common options:

Building an online community across any of these platforms aims to foster a sense of belonging and engagement, turning casual visitors into loyal community members.

Social Media Groups (Facebook, LinkedIn, Newsletter)

Facebook Groups is arguably the most popular platform for building communities, especially for brands looking to engage directly with their audience. It’s a free, very personal space where you can offer valuable advice, humanize your brand through live Q&A sessions, and provide personal solutions to your target customers.

This platform is excellent for specialists like personal trainers, mentors, and artists to create a personal connection and get feedback about products. It has all the great features for managing large communities. However, community members can easily get distracted because you compete with many other communities.

The biggest downside is that Facebook controls the algorithm. Any sudden changes in the algorithm can have a massive impact on who can see posts from your group.

Hosting your community on Facebook or LinkedIn is a smart choice if you’re just starting and want to see immediate results. You can even use a LinkedIn or Facebook automation tool to help manage your community, making it easier to nurture and interact with your audience within your Facebook group.

Also, consider using a newsletter as the backbone of your community. This can act as a great medium to connect with your community, recap activities, and drive engagement. We recommend using a platform like beehiiv.

Forums (Reddit, Quora)

Forums can be excellent for deeper, more structured discussions. They allow for categorized conversations and can become a rich repository of information and advice. Consider these platforms if your community’s purpose is centered around detailed queries, knowledge sharing, or varied topics.

These platforms are also great for communities who prefer to consume detailed written content. For example, if you have a product for AI and crypto enthusiasts, Reddit is a good choice, as these communities have tons of discussions and engagement.

Messaging Platforms (Slack, Telegram)

If you’re looking for a platform that offers real-time interaction, messaging platforms like Slack, Telegram, and WhatsApp might be a good starting point. They’re great for building a close-knit community, offering quick support, or fostering collaborative projects.

However, messaging platforms can be overwhelming and don’t promote deep discussions. Plus, it’s harder to manage once your community grows to the thousands.

Pick this platform if this is the native preference of the users you want to attract.

Build Your Own (Softr, WordPress, Uscreen)

Creating your platform might be the best route for full user experience and branding control. This option requires more investment but allows customization to perfectly match your community’s needs and goals.

There are many tools out there that can help you build your community, including:

• Softr
• WordPress
• Uscreen
• Podia
• Mighty Networks

When choosing your platform, consider your audience’s preferences, the type of content you’ll share, and the interactions you hope to foster. For example, if you have a video-focused community and content, Uscreen is your best bet.

Each platform has advantages and limitations, so select the one that best aligns with your community’s native platform and your goals. Building your own community requires more energy and resources, so you have to think twice. Usually, building a custom community means you’ve outgrown your initial platform, like Facebook.

3 best successful brand community examples (and why they work)

Understanding successful community examples can provide valuable insights into building your own, especially when aiming to create a successful brand community.

Here’s how three distinct communities serve their members and achieve their company’s goals:

Product Marketing & Growth by Userpilot (Facebook)

This community targets marketing professionals, product managers, SaaS founders, and video marketing agencies interested in product marketing and growth strategies. Userpilot aims to establish itself as a thought leader in product growth, providing a platform for professionals to exchange ideas, strategies, and challenges.

Join Userpilot’s Facebook community for product growth insights.

The community thrives because it offers a space for real-life examples and insightful advice about growing a SaaS product that you won’t find anywhere else. Plus, it gives them a glimpse of how to grow using Userpilot.

Contra (Slack)

Contra’s Slack community is designed for freelancers and independent professionals seeking advice, collaboration opportunities, and tips on navigating freelance life.

While the main goal is to help freelancers succeed, it also helps new Contra users navigate the platform. Contra is a platform where freelancers can create profiles and portfolios to get hired by companies worldwide.

The Contra team creates Slack channels where new users can share their Contra profiles and get feedback. They also have online events on top of the Slack discussions.

HubSpot Community (Custom Site)

HubSpot’s community is one of the biggest and oldest communities online. It’s hosted on their site and has tons of resources.

Aimed at HubSpot users ranging from marketing professionals to business owners, this community helps members maximize their use of HubSpot’s tools and strategies for business growth.

Additionally, HubSpot’s community is an extension of its customer service and retention strategy. It provides a platform for users to help each other, share success stories, and offer feedback.

Wrapping Up

Building a community around your SaaS product is an invaluable strategy for fostering brand loyalty, enhancing customer engagement, and driving organic growth.

By clearly defining the community’s purpose, understanding its members, and choosing the right platform, businesses can create a dynamic and supportive environment where users and the company can thrive.

Recognizing and nurturing your most loyal customers within this community can significantly amplify your brand’s success, as these individuals often become key advocates and drivers of engagement.

About the author

Amir Shahzeidi is the Head of Demand Gen at Uscreen, an all-in-one membership platform built for video creators. With Uscreen, creators can easily create paid memberships that include an on-demand video library, live streaming capabilities, and their own community space, all in their own branded site and apps.

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