Don’t Wait Too Long to Build Community Around Your Product

The past year has been quite a challenge for companies, to say the least. We have all experienced restrictions, downtime, and loss due to the global COVID-19 pandemic. In addition to that, we got to experience just how much most businesses depend on the support of the community. Many companies have been asking themselves whether their customers would support them in critical times. With this extreme situation, many of them actually got their answers, for better or for worse.

As it turns out, some companies have been able to weather the storm more successfully than others because they managed to build a stronger community around their business. In such a time of isolation and social distancing, people are finally starting to crave community more so than ever before, perhaps as they realize just how important it is to have a network.

If you know me, you’re probably already aware of the fact that I spend about 120 hours per month talking with first-time founders who are building exceptional products. The topic of “community building” comes up often as everyone recognizes the importance of building one, although many have no idea where to start.

Unless you plan on hiring a seasoned (now highly-demanded) community manager my advice is to start small. Building a community requires time, effort, and consistency. Start with those who are already part of your immediate network and share similar interests. Then, slowly, start expanding. Outreach should always be personalized. Instead of inviting others to hear your perspective on a certain issue or learn more about the product you’re building, invest that time in getting to know them, their interests, and points of view. Create a dialogue before inviting them to experience your product. This tactic will not only help you better understand the type of community you want to build around your product, but also make meaningful connections with potential customers. Once you have a solid group, you will find that it will begin to grow organically. Not because people want to hang out with the “cool kids” but because everyone wants to feel like they are a part of something.

I recognize that building community and creating “hype” around it comes naturally to some and not so much to others. I also recognize that founders in their early days of building a company have a million things on their plate and it may seem daunting to add “Community Building” as another item on their To-Do list. However, my time working at Airbnb taught me that community building can help you acquire customers faster, beat your competition, refine your product, and even navigate regulatory challenges. I won’t dive into every single aspect of community building in this piece but I’ll leave you with three thoughts that I think are most important for founders in the early days.

Brand Awareness

Establishing a community is going to do wonders for the appeal of your brand. To put it in simple terms, a brand at the core of its community is easier to recognize. This concept is often referred to as “Brand awareness,” and it is a fundamental principle of marketing. Word-of-mouth is still one of the most effective ways to grow your business. Suppose your company acquires an outstanding reputation throughout the community. In that case, you’ll be able to rely on the organic reach that simply comes from people recommending your business to their friends and family.

Brand Loyalty

The concept of brand loyalty is deeply tied to the concept described above. Brand awareness can facilitate word-of-mouth and help you reap the benefits of organic reach within the community. Now that you’ve got people’s attention, it’s up to you to go the extra mile and turn them into loyal customers. The best way to achieve this goal is to provide outstanding quality and great customer service. Make people feel special, and show them that you care about them through your content and quality work.

Giving is Receiving

One of the best ways to build a strong community around your business is to start giving. What does that mean? Not all businesses can afford to donate money to social and communicate causes, but it doesn’t have to be the only way to give. Even something as simple as leveraging existing social media channels to provide free content, such as tips and tutorials, can be a fantastic way to give back. By providing content and resources for the community, you’ll be able to establish your brand presence further and develop your company into what could be considered a trusted voice in the community.

I don’t take community building for granted, and frankly, neither should you.

Want to chat more about community building? Find me on Twitter: @steph_gaither