Scattered thoughts on communities:
- what they are
- why they matter for people & businesses
- how to start them
- how to scale them
- stages of a community
- elements of successful communities
Thread👇
- what they are
- why they matter for people & businesses
- how to start them
- how to scale them
- stages of a community
- elements of successful communities
Thread👇
What is a community? (h/t CMX)
A community is a group of more than two people w/ a common sense of identity, who participate in ongoing, shared experiences to meet their needs, & build relationships with each other in the process
contrasted w/ a network:
A community is a group of more than two people w/ a common sense of identity, who participate in ongoing, shared experiences to meet their needs, & build relationships with each other in the process
contrasted w/ a network:
What makes a great community?
Great communities are aligned around value and values.
Value - members get some utility that helps them solve a core problem
Values - members build their identity around common mission or interest and bond w/ others who share it
Great communities are aligned around value and values.
Value - members get some utility that helps them solve a core problem
Values - members build their identity around common mission or interest and bond w/ others who share it
"A person becomes a member of a community when four things happen:
- The community aligns with their identity
- They trust that the community will bring them value
- They know how to participate
- There is a reward (intrinsic or extrinsic) for their participation” - CMX
- The community aligns with their identity
- They trust that the community will bring them value
- They know how to participate
- There is a reward (intrinsic or extrinsic) for their participation” - CMX
What's the biz case for building a community?
- increase retention of existing customers, esp. high value ones
- increase repeat purchases
- reduce marketing costs
- feedback / idea generation
- reduce customer service costs
- new sales leads
- employee recruiting / retention
- increase retention of existing customers, esp. high value ones
- increase repeat purchases
- reduce marketing costs
- feedback / idea generation
- reduce customer service costs
- new sales leads
- employee recruiting / retention
Why are communities valuable more broadly?
- members help acquire new members, resulting in lower customer acquisition costs & a tight viral loop.
- members stay longer and spend more
- members help each other, resulting in high gross margins due to a lower cost of service.
- members help acquire new members, resulting in lower customer acquisition costs & a tight viral loop.
- members stay longer and spend more
- members help each other, resulting in high gross margins due to a lower cost of service.
Community can be a wedge to bootstrap a network :
Community can provide defensibility (especially when data is commoditized:
Which is partially why community is the new scarcity:
Community can provide defensibility (especially when data is commoditized:
Which is partially why community is the new scarcity:
How to build community:
Bring people around *value* - some common utility that solves their problem—
And then hook them with values - get them opening up to each other so they feel connected.
*Value* is acquisition, *Values* is retention.
Bring people around *value* - some common utility that solves their problem—
And then hook them with values - get them opening up to each other so they feel connected.
*Value* is acquisition, *Values* is retention.
How to build community:
Vulnerability is huge.
The most popular discussion in forums is often:
"If you knew everything that you knew now, would you do or become X again?"
Onboard all community members w/ friendly self-disclosure rituals
Vulnerability is huge.
The most popular discussion in forums is often:
"If you knew everything that you knew now, would you do or become X again?"
Onboard all community members w/ friendly self-disclosure rituals
How to build community:
- create unique shared experiences & rituals
- have a narrative about why the community started and share that story
- create avenues for p2p shared knowledge exchange
- create unique shared experiences & rituals
- have a narrative about why the community started and share that story
- create avenues for p2p shared knowledge exchange
- ask early on: "what can you offer this group?" & "what do you want to get from that group?
- positivity floods: don't have ppl introduce themselves, have ppl introduce each other
- identify the active members who you can later distribute control to, otherwise you can't scale
- positivity floods: don't have ppl introduce themselves, have ppl introduce each other
- identify the active members who you can later distribute control to, otherwise you can't scale
Community Life Cycle:
- inception (ends when 50% of activity is generated by community -- then you have critical mass)
- establishment ("" but 90%)
- maturity
- mitosis (community begins to split into smaller subgroups or in separate communities entirely)
h/t Richard Millington
- inception (ends when 50% of activity is generated by community -- then you have critical mass)
- establishment ("" but 90%)
- maturity
- mitosis (community begins to split into smaller subgroups or in separate communities entirely)
h/t Richard Millington
Before creating community answer the following q's:
- what the community is about
- who are you targeting
- what type of community is it
- what's the goal of the community
- what the community is about
- who are you targeting
- what type of community is it
- what's the goal of the community
Inception stage:
- Invite everyone yourself, one at a time
- Don't ask "want to join", ask for specific engagement that solves a problem or gives them status "Can I feature you? Want to be a founding member?"
- Get to know everyone individually, until you can't
- Set an example
- Invite everyone yourself, one at a time
- Don't ask "want to join", ask for specific engagement that solves a problem or gives them status "Can I feature you? Want to be a founding member?"
- Get to know everyone individually, until you can't
- Set an example
Inception stage:
- Fake it til you make it: when someone engages, make sure they have great response (ideally from others)
- Make it as easy/attractive as possible for others to engage (suggest topics, remove friction, celebrate people who engage, help solve their problems
- Fake it til you make it: when someone engages, make sure they have great response (ideally from others)
- Make it as easy/attractive as possible for others to engage (suggest topics, remove friction, celebrate people who engage, help solve their problems
Successful communities:
- meet regularly
- distribute ownership
- create identity
- give early users status
- transition early users into new roles (or alumni) overtime
- build community in public!
h/t Ryan Hoover:
cmxhub.com/ryan-hoover-on…
ryanhoover.me/post/834269625…
- meet regularly
- distribute ownership
- create identity
- give early users status
- transition early users into new roles (or alumni) overtime
- build community in public!
h/t Ryan Hoover:
cmxhub.com/ryan-hoover-on…
ryanhoover.me/post/834269625…
Mistakes community leaders make: Scaling too fast.
Don't focus on # of members as much as activity from those members & sense of community they feel.
Too much demand? Have a waitlist. That'll make people feel even more special. Or break into sub groups.
Communities take time.
Don't focus on # of members as much as activity from those members & sense of community they feel.
Too much demand? Have a waitlist. That'll make people feel even more special. Or break into sub groups.
Communities take time.
Not all communities are meant to scale:
Best content for a community is content about the community!
Create community newsletter:
- Community announcements
- Interviews & AMAs
- Recognize great community contributions in the community
- Spotlight community members in real world
- UGC guest columns
Create community newsletter:
- Community announcements
- Interviews & AMAs
- Recognize great community contributions in the community
- Spotlight community members in real world
- UGC guest columns
How to measure communities?
1. Community health metrics - how healthy is your community? (growth, churn, post/comment activity, NPS, network density)
2. Business metrics - how is community impacting your business?
1. Community health metrics - how healthy is your community? (growth, churn, post/comment activity, NPS, network density)
2. Business metrics - how is community impacting your business?
How internet affects communities:
Strengthens both mega communities and long-tail niche communities.
Aggregates & fragments simultaneously.
Strengthens both mega communities and long-tail niche communities.
Aggregates & fragments simultaneously.
How internet shaped & will reshape communities more broadly:
Request for communities (for fun, not investment):
More broadly: You can press a button on your phone and get a car, when will you be able to do that for community?
More broadly: You can press a button on your phone and get a car, when will you be able to do that for community?
To summarize some of this:
Post below w/ great summaries or lessons you've read or experienced.
Ideas & inspiration taken from Richard Millington, David Spinks & CMX (cmxhub.com), Ryan Hoover, Jeff Bussgang, and others!
Post below w/ great summaries or lessons you've read or experienced.
Ideas & inspiration taken from Richard Millington, David Spinks & CMX (cmxhub.com), Ryan Hoover, Jeff Bussgang, and others!
