Building die hard communities with a vengeance
I was first introduced to building communities in the late 2000s from the book, Tribes: We Need You to Lead Us by Seth Godin. Godin also did a TED Talk of the same name.
One of the first post-grad marketing books I have ever read, it’s a simple read that puts the power of product to your customers. It utilizes the internet’s communication paradigm many-to-many. Community is and what should power your product.
Examples of community are everywhere. Apple and Tesla have powerful, cult-like communities. There are hundreds of thousands, maybe millions, of subreddits dedicated to the community voice, and if not on Reddit, they’re on message boards, social platform groups, and chat applications.
Speaking of rallying in chat applications, the early days of dial-up internet had actively on IRC (EFNet, for all my day-one’s). While people today wake up and open Twitter or Facebook on their phone, I used to wake up to loud modem noises, petrifyingly slow internet, IRC servers, and #channels when the pound sign was still a pound sign. There was an allegiance to be had when I logged in to join my group of internet villains.
That allegiance is what powers the strongest of communities.
There are 5 phases to product communities.
1. No community
Some brands or products don’t need a community. Your no-name brand can opener from the Dollar Store doesn’t need a community. Most cheap products on Amazon don’t need one either.
Products that generally don’t have community are ones that focus on price rather than value. There are usually so many competitors with virtually the same product that it almost makes it pointless to try and build it.
Like any marketing strategy, there doesn’t always need to be a community, but listening to internet sentiment certainly doesn’t hurt. Also, this is where certain things like branding and better product improvements can help separate your product from the pack.
2. A community that listens
Maybe your product is a little different than the rest. Maybe it performs better than your competitors. Maybe it looks better. Maybe you’ve worked on a bit of branding that works.
You may have a small number of users - under 100. But they’re listening. You’re not part of their daily life, but they’ve invested in you enough that they’re interested in what else you might say. They don’t have interest yet in connecting with others. Just yet.
3. A community that participates
Hmm, interesting. You’re starting to see comments in your community forums, whether it be a message board, subreddit, or public chat group. People are starting to ask questions. You’re starting to see the same names appear with quality feedback, both good and bad. Your customers are becoming more vocal, but are still not part of their daily routine. Maybe weekly is more like it.
4. A community that supports
This is where your group of customers start to become a real community. Those questions asked by customers? Other customers are starting to help them. People are beginning to donate their time to your product, helping other users without pay. Trolls are dealt with without your intervention, as your best customers start defending attacks to your brand.
Active participation becomes a daily thing. Your product is an investment that they want to succeed.
4. A community that’s die hard with a vengeance
Loyal as ever, your customers will live and die by your side. They want to be a part of the product development process. Not only do they feel heard, but they feel like they’re part of your journey. They rock your logo on their refrigerator, their car bumper, heck, they might even get a tattoo of your brand.
That 80/20 rule you learned in marketing class? They’re leading the 20% that is fuelling 80% of your revenue.
Your stock could tank by -80%, they’re still riding with you. They’re the Gamestop retail investor that believes in what you believe in. Ultimately, they’re “there” when nobody else is.
A customer for life, as they say.
Your community is your bread and butter. They help you make better products. In trading, they would be your support and resistance levels. Building a community is no easy task. Sometimes it’s a bit hard to let your customers speak on your behalf, without injecting your own narrative in there, or deleting what you don’t like. But there isn’t one brand or product that has built a community that hasn’t said it wasn’t worth it. The rewards are bountiful.
The secret of leadership is simple: Do what you believe in. Paint a picture of the future. Go there. People will follow.
—Seth Godin, author
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