{"id":161346,"date":"2022-08-15T13:43:37","date_gmt":"2022-08-15T18:43:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.digitalmarketer.com\/?p=161346"},"modified":"2022-08-15T13:44:28","modified_gmt":"2022-08-15T18:44:28","slug":"community-building-for-business","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.digitalmarketer.com\/blog\/community-building-for-business\/","title":{"rendered":"Community Building for Retention, Awareness, Loyalty, Content, & Member Advocacy"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"What<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

A little birdy told me you want to know what this \u201cCommunity\u201d stuff is you keep hearing about. I promise it\u2019s not scary, at least not as frightening as Data Tracking and Analytics. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ahh, Numbers!<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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No need to worry, you\u2019re safe here, and the data can\u2019t get you. At least, not in this particular post. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Community is a tale as old as time and is simply evolving along with humanity; perhaps it\u2019s time you join the party! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I like curiosity so allow me to be your guide through the magical and underrated world of Community Building. By the time you finish reading, you\u2019ll know what a Community is, why you should want one, and what a Community Builder can do for you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is Community, and why is it important?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

If you ask the peeps at Merriam-Webster, the TL;DR version is that a community is people with common interests living in a particular area, or a group of people with a common characteristic or interest living together within a larger society. That\u2019s not a bad definition if you ask me, but I think we can do better in this case.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Community is not a place\u2014not even that arcade you and your friends used to frequent\u2014and despite the common misconception, it\u2019s not an exchange of information over the internet. Community is about a feeling and relationships built among people. As DigitalMarketer says, it\u2019s \u201ca segment of people who form relationships due to shared goals, experiences, and interests\u201d.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Become a Certified Community Specialist<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Learn how to develop meaningful relationships with your customers and automate the customer acquisition process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Click here<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Community members will have built a sense of trust, belonging, and caring for each other. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

That warm, fuzzy feeling of community comes from shared experiences and shared history\u2026 uncommon commonalities, you could say. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Like I said, a tale as old as time. We\u2019ve all been a member of communities in one way or another, even if it wasn\u2019t in a platform or forum.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How can this benefit your business?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

When done right, the community can most commonly decrease costs and increase revenue through higher retention, brand awareness, brand loyalty, ticket deflection, content development, and member advocacy.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When a sense of belonging is created, a relationship is built between your members and each other. Even better, one between you and your members. We\u2019re all partying together!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A Community can be the most potent customer feedback loop you\u2019ve ever seen! In our largest Community, DM Engage<\/a> (for our DM Lab<\/a> members), I know I can always count on honest and constructive feedback from our members, and they\u2019re not shy about asking for what they want. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The power of user-generated content? Unmatched. Imagine seeing this testimonial on a landing page.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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I don\u2019t mean to toot our horn, but you can bet that after an experience like this, Michael \u201cBuzz\u201d Buzinski will be a lifetime DigitalMarketer member. With the right environment, you can grab tons of screenshots like this and, even better, videos! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a bonus, Buzz and I will be buddies for life!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is a Community Builder?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

This one is a doozy, not because it\u2019s difficult to define, but because there can be so many definitions! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For me, it\u2019s someone who nurtures connections and relationships on a small or large scale. It can be one to one or one to many. They\u2019re strategic, semi-organized, unafraid to be the bad guy, and empathetic. They create a \u201chome\u201d for people to gather.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you ask one of my favorite Twitter people to follow, it\u2019s\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cA community builder can be someone who works to create a structure that will hopefully enable a community to thrive. The platform, the processes, and the important, sometimes difficult choices.\u201d<\/em> Patrick O\u2019Keefe<\/a>, Community Lead at CNN<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A Community Builder is an architect of experiences and relationships, as cheesy as that may sound. Without one, you\u2019re probably not achieving what you set out to do. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A Gatekeeper, a People Manager, a Content Moderator, a Ring Master in your circus\u2026whatever you call them, are the ones building the house your members will live in and that your members will help decorate to their needs and tastes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What does a Community Builder do?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A better question is \u2018What don\u2019t they do\u2019?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Your ironing, probably. Their own ironing, maybe. (I am both of these people.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They plan, write, structure, promote, burn out, create momentum, are really in their feelings, and don\u2019t do anything without a reason. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

No matter how silly or unnecessary something might seem, there is a reason behind the madness.

Note: Don\u2019t talk to your Community person when they\u2019ve got that look on their face, they\u2019re plotting, they\u2019re in the zone, and something amazing or horrific is about to happen. You\u2019ll love it.<\/em> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The big thing here is that everything in Community is about intention. It\u2019s in how your members choose to show up and interact, and how your Community Builder architects the conversations, events, and overall experience. They\u2019re like mad scientists, only they\u2019re not angry, just lots of heart and not enough caffeine yet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Community, some things happen by chance\u2026 or do they? If you intended to start a conversation that ended up being a meaningful moment of connection between your members… is it really just luck? This is what I call \u2728 vibing \u2728 together.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is where the magic happens; your Community person sets the stage for the right conversations. How? Well, with a sprinkle of inviting copy, a dash of one-on-one chats, a pinch of puppy posts (because puppy posts always get the job done), and a whole bunch of strategic content that guides your members to complete the actions you intend them to… <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2026Just call me Community Witch because that\u2019s a potion that will provide.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What skills or traits does a Community Builder need?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019d like to replicate yourself a Michelle, it\u2019s about: 40% irreverence, 40% hard work, 10% wanting to show the haters they\u2019re wrong, and another 10% of hard work (just not on Friday afternoons). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What you\u2019re looking for is a people person who enjoys the freedom of creativity, has a curious streak, and knows how to get shi*t done. Imagine a customer service professional with project management and content skills. Sounds cool, right? That\u2019s because it is. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let\u2019s talk about skills.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This may sound like an oxymoron, but it takes strong soft<\/em> skills to make a great Community Professional. Let\u2019s start with some of the more obvious ones. <\/p>\n\n\n\n