What Do We Have in Common as Community Builders?

What type of community do you manage? It’s one of the classic questions we ask each other as community professionals. But, it seems like everyone answers it differently? Many professionals answer by describing the community audience, some answer with the industry the community is connected with (B2B, B2C, or Non-profit), others answer with a framework like the CMX SPACES model or Community Purposes listed in FeverBee. 

I answer this question differently depending on my audience. But, I think how community professionals describe their community tells us a lot about their relationship with their members, organization, and community industry. 

Which brings me to my next question. Why does industry matter? Does industry impact the work you do as a community professional? Absolutely! Your industry shapes your organization's business goals and voice. Your business goals will influence the purpose of your community and the focus of what type of community. 

But, my main question is how easy is it for community professionals to switch industries? I’ve been having lots of conversations with community builders from a variety of industries who have built communities for different types of organizations and there are some key principles that apply to all. 

As an example, let’s look at some main principles of B2B communities and talk about how it applies to associations. 

Customer Success 

It’s all the buzz! Customer success and customer experience: it’s not just B2B companies that are trying to find the “secret sauce.” How does your community help your customers succeed and improve their experience? 

The community gives you a pulse on your customer experience with the organization. You have a first-person account of the members' relationship with the organization and if they feel like the association is helping them succeed. The whole organization should be listening and responding if they notice any red flags or have ways to improve the experiences being shared by members. 

Customer Retention 

Customer retention is mission critical in associations, but it’s also a huge focus for B2B communities. Whether it’s a large corporate contract or a student transitioning to their $250 professional membership, we all know that acquisition is more costly than retention. Community can help you retain customers and members if the community offers a unique value proposition. 

Communities provide a sense of connection for users who are able to support one another. If your community helps your members solve their problems they will want to come back and continue to support your organization. 

Support Content 

Here comes another buzzing phrase: user-generated content. As consumers we are tired of marketing material and one-way communication from big companies. We want to hear from people like us why we should purchase or use a product. Communities allow your users to advocate for products and services offered by both associations and B2B companies.  

In addition to marketing efforts, both B2B and associations have a lot of content to create and focusing on community-led content and programs makes content development more sustainable, relatable, and relevant. Take advantage of the community when your content brainstorming! 

Self-Service 

Eliminating support costs is typically a huge goal with communities in B2B, but self-service is a critical aspect of customer experience. Users generally prefer being able to find their answers on your website or community before having to contact support or one of your customer representatives. 

The example I like using for associations is questions about conferences (especially in regards to the virtual events). If attendees can share relevant information about events and staff can post relevant information about events in response to a question, it cuts down on many one-to-one email communications from attendees and improves the speed that members can find answers to their questions. 

Product Development 

Communities often assist B2B companies with product development. But, they can help your association as they develop programs, events, and even learning opportunities. The same way that B2B companies listen to product feedback and try to build the product for users, you can build programs to assist your members. Pay attention to conversations and ask for feedback. Your community would love to help you develop and build relevant programs that can better assist them. 

In Conclusion 

The principles of community building apply broadly to all industries. When we focus on what type of community we are building and what we need to be successful, the focus should be the purpose and strategy to make the community successful - not the industry. I encourage you to learn and grow from what other industries are doing to develop your own community program. We have so much to learn together!

Do you have any insights for us to learn from? Please share them in the comments below.