Does My Business Need a Community?

Community is the buzzword of 2024.

Every year – trends emerge. Some trends stick. Others don’t. Clearly AI will be with us from now on, as will remote work, but NFTs? Maybe not so much ;) 

In short, there's a lot of hype around community-building right now. 

A ton of new communities will be launched this Fall and simply because you may want one, doesn't mean you should have one. Communities demand a good deal of your time, energy, and creative attention to get momentum started. 

If you're asking yourself, "Is investing in a community the right fit for my business?" Let's break it down.

What Happens When You Get Community "Right"

This last week, I had the privilege to be a part of what was perhaps my favorite meeting of the year.

The meeting was for an entrepreneurial community I've helped launch with one of my favorite people, Ashley Usiskin. We've created a core group of founding members who are dedicated to learning the Gift of Help and sharing it with other entrepreneurs. On our call, our goal was twofold: to connect founding members together and to share effective ways to ask for help. And to receive it too. 

The group had only known each other through our forum, and hadn't yet had a chance to meet over video. As we logged on, it quickly became one of those meetings where the room was teeming with creative energy. People not only wanted to get to know each other, but they wanted to contribute generously for the benefit of the whole group. This is rare.

Things got deep. People got vulnerable. And participants wanted to stay beyond the allotted time. So much so that we had to boot everyone off of the call. At the end, Ashley asked the group to "give a check-out word" ― something they felt as a result of the meeting. Here's what they said:

This is what happens when you start to get community right.

Of course I could go on about how community leads to increased engagement with your brand, business growth, acquiring new customers; that's all fine and well. But one of the best indicators of if you're headed in the right direction is whether or not people want more of it.

When people want more of your community, it's clear you've found "Community-Market Fit." When that happens, you need to keep investing in it. But the good news is, you'll want to keep investing in it too.

Why Some Communities Don't Work

Sadly, not every community I've led has had this result.

I've also been frustrated by trying to revive dead forums and to generate fresh interest to no avail. Not every community works. Some communities fail to generate enough interest in the group. Others have too broad of an idea for what the community could do. Worse yet, some communities launch purely as a revenue stream with little to no care for its members.

At the core ― communities need the following to succeed:

• Vision: Collective belief in something greater than what any individual can produce alone

• Clarity: What the community exists to do together

• Generosity: Rhythms to connect, laugh, grow, and be involved in one another's lives.

This is easier said than done. You obviously need more than just these to build momentum, but it's a start. Without these, you won't get far. And you won't begin to see the ROI you're hoping to achieve along the way.

How to Know if Community is Right for Your Business

Take a moment to identify your business' most pressing needs. Businesses that are experiencing the following are often great candidates for community:

• Business growth has plateaued, new organic interest has stagnated or fallen off.

• Going through a season of "Why aren't our customers buying from us?"

• A new product launch is coming, but not everyone on your team is bought in.

• People simply don't care about what you're selling.

• You know deep down that your marketing efforts are incomplete.

Of course, the alternatives like rebranding, a new website, a new CMO, etc. could all help. But what each of these efforts fail to do…  is to connect with your audience.

“Your issue might not be messaging, instead, it might be that you don't know your customer well enough.”

If you’re not selling like you used to, something isn’t resonating. If you’re running a new company, you have to get more well-acquainted with your customers and people who you believe could be your customer. 

If PMF is the issue, then create a space for your market. 42% of startups fail because they didn’t actually serve their market.There was no need for their product. The company closed up shop as a result. 

Community gives you this opportunity to connect with your customer. 

If this is you, community could be the right fit.

Choosing to implement community into your marketing strategy has the potential to be one of the best decisions you can make for your business. So many founders agree. But so many of them fail to craft communities that convert members into customers. Don’t make the same mistake. 

Book a call. Let’s chat.