Community-led growth strategy: 5 tips to create it

Community-led growth strategy has its roots in Aristotle. Aristotle claimed that human beings are inherently social and political beings, and they create communities. These communities band together to form larger political structures, such as the city-state. 

From ancient times to the present, the concepts of community and communication have occupied an important place in the lives and minds of all people. This explains why few people can live too far away from a community. 

Today, in addition to the communities in respective neighborhoods, cities, countries, etc., most people, especially in Western civilization, are members of a broader digital society through the internet.  

The community today in Europe is known as the "Information Society." This term refers to a society that uses the internet to promote democracy, communication, solidarity, and equality. 

What is the impact of the concept of community on go-to-market strategy? 

Let's start with product-driven expansion. The product-led growth in a go-to-market strategy means that the product is in the center, moves the market, and is the primary driver throughout the user experience that fosters development at every phase.  

Furthermore, the product keeps customers loyal, motivates them to buy more, inspires them, and aids in business growth as community-led growth does!

Another model, community-led growth, has begun to take hold of the market due to social media's widespread use. A vibrant community can become the most valuable asset for a company.  

Community-led growth acts as a modifier on top of product-led Growth, converting your customers into your most ardent supporters.  

This model fosters a sense of community among business owners, making them feel like community members, resulting in loyal customers and brand advocates. 

Community-led growth is more important than ever to distinguish oneself from the competition. Of course, with millions of products and options to choose from, standing out from the competition is brutal.  

Creating a brand community (primarily online) for your products, on the other hand, will provide a lifeline for your company.  

Community-led companies are the market leaders in creating a thriving community, increasing customer acquisition, and creating enthusiastic customers.  

New users create deep relationships with the older ones and form a supportive community with member-to-member interactions. 

What does it mean to have a community-led growth strategy? 

Today, consumers must choose from a plethora of products or services and use any means of communication, so community-led growth is more than necessary. They form groups to communicate, exchange ideas, and so on.  

Furthermore, they are highly active online and may be able to influence their peers through brand recommendations via online forums and groups. 

Community-led growth is a go-to-market strategy that can be added to your marketing mix rather than replacing other tactics (such as product-led growth).  

Industry leaders have long understood the importance of community-led growth strategies and how to build an engaged community with active members, whether they are new customers or advanced users.  

On the other hand, even for early-stage startups, the above strategy is ideal because you get to know your audience right away with this community perspective. 

Users can interact with each other and with your products in this online community, and you can inform them about updates, new releases, educational resources, and potential problems.  

Furthermore, it's ideal if you are a tech startup to provide demos while answering questions. The online community grows to build brand loyalty, trust, and advocacy. 

To succeed in community-led growth, it's no longer enough to create something. No matter how promising it is or how many problems it solves, it requires as much work to develop and produce as it does to promote it. 

Take Instagram as an example of how community-led growth can complement, not replace, product-led growth. Instagram arose from a product-promotion-based community-led growth strategy. 

Nonetheless, a product will almost certainly evolve further among the community members. Glossier, for example, began as a beauty blog and has since grown into a cosmetics company.  

This community-led growth approach allows customers to feel like members of the company due to this outcome, contributing to the company's overall growth. 

The essential benefits of community building and community are the sense of belonging to a group, community, and confirmation that "others made the same decision as me" and "I am not alone in this" is the sense of belonging to community building and community space.  

Who are the people in your online community? 

Consider all of the online communities you're a part of, such as the online photography team on Instagram, the Facebook community for your favorite series, and your LinkedIn work team.  

These groups make you feel welcome, as if your opinion is valued, and if you are part of a team with similar interests. 

Each community has its own set of rules and hierarchical structure. The same will be confirmed in your online community. Both in society and online, communities are self-sustaining and community-led.  

Each participant is unique in their way. However, for the district to exist, everyone must follow the rules. 

So your community consists of everyone associated with your brand, such as your company employees, creators, buyers, fans, and generally everyone who purchases or may purchase your product or follows you on social media.  

As a result, you'll build a loyal customer base that won't look for another solution than yours, and in this way, you ensure the community's success. 

Your audience is made up of people from all walks of life. Consumers find you as part of your go-to-market strategy through buyer personas and ads on social media, landing pages, and email marketing.  

Your company or fans can create an online community that is a free space for everyone to come as their authentic, natural self, as long as they follow the rules. Active members strengthen your community, your company understands better customer journey, and there is support generally. 

So, community leaders didn't use this community to constantly promote and advertise their products since the participants will do this; they ask questions, learn new information, share ideas and drive sales-led growth. 

There are three different types of community platforms & community members. 

• Community of practice: This group is for people who have a common goal and want to learn something together, such as a photography team. This community platform is a niche resource with a primary goal of bonding.  

Later in the funnel, community managers or salespeople may intervene. Salespeople, for example, could promote photography lessons in the future. 

• Product community: This is one of the most popular communities and is ideal for promoting a product. Members of this community share their experiences and opinions about a product, offer advice, report bugs, and ask questions or make comments to the support team.  

This area is conducive to discussions, observations, and feedback, and as a result, the product can only improve and evolve. The Apple Support Platform is a fantastic example of the community mentioned above. 

• Playing community: Are you a trophy hunter on consoles like Playstation? Then those are the teams for you. Gaming, art, fashion, travel, sports, and other communities. They aren't just about a specific product, such as a Playstation game, but about the entire genre.  

Members of this community gather information, ask questions, and learn new games, for example, that they were previously unaware of. This community is similar to a community of practice in that it aims to bring people together.  

The difference is that this community is looking for a whole product genre. Thanks to the metaverse, community members can connect with brands and each other in new and exciting ways. The companies create unique, immersive adventures and digitally attachable NFT collectibles. 

Every business, regardless of community, must assist community-run organizations. Building communities means that product teams must be available all the time to interact with one another. 

According to No Good, you must first answer the following questions before forming your community: 

• What drives your target audience? 
• Why are they congregating? 
• Where will they congregate? 

After you've answered the questions, you'll be able to start or join a community, interact with members, and build an autonomous platform that prevents members from defecting to your competitors. 

So, after you've answered, keep reading to learn about the five steps you'll need to take to grow and nurture your community-led growth strategy. 

A Community-led Growth Strategy in Five Steps 

1) Identifying your target audience 

The first step in design is to answer the third question from the list above. Where can your product's users be found? The majority of businesses use social media to develop their teams. Facebook, Twitter, and now Slack are the most popular channels.  

Furthermore, Discord and Twitch have grown in popularity, particularly among gaming communities. Scrutinize the hosting members' channels and form your team there. 

2) Getting in touch with your niche market 

It's time to find members and start interacting once you've decided on a channel for your community. 

A more person-centered approach is the best way to interact with people. As a result, all communication is handled by a regular (non-corporate) profile, such as the CEO, Social Media Manager, Community Manager, Sales Manager, etc. Communication will be more humane and accessible in this manner. 

Also, keep in mind that live broadcasts and webinars are an option. Many social media platforms, such as Facebook, YouTube, and Twitch, offer the above feature and the possibility of live questions and answers and participation through comments. Competitions, new releases, and other events can also be held through those broadcasts. 

Encourage users to join the group and subscribe to your social media, newsletter, and blogs. 

3) Ask for feedback 

Obtain as much feedback as possible from your community. Ask questions, solicit feedback, inquire if they require assistance with the newly added feature, and generally inquire as to how the company can improve the service or product. 

Keep in mind that your community is the most trustworthy judge and source of information about your product or service. Other reviews, such as Google reviews, post-purchase surveys, call-center calls, or general social media feedback, should not be overlooked. 

You can find data from communities related to the company on social media platforms such as Discord, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Slack through the Common Room. You can also find new communities with members associated with your company, see what they're saying about you, and how the company can improve the errors. 

4) Expanding your audience 

It's time to broaden your horizons after establishing a community where members interact. Don't you think so? 

Have live discussions with experts about your community, interviews in your blog and post it to the team, do a podcast, and do general activities with people outside the group who are directly related to your team. 

When you introduce your brand to your guests, you're also promoting it to their communities and expanding your reach, as guests will tell their friends about you. 

Moreover, the guests may return the favor by inviting you to host, write, or speak in their communities. You'll broaden the community's reach and ally with industry experts this way. Apart from experts, these guests could be influencers who promote your products and team to their followers. 

5) How about a face-to-face meeting? 

It's time to get to know your members better after growing your community and expanding your reach. Organize events, get-togethers, speeches, seminars, offline classes, tournaments, and anything else you think will entice members to join. Because you'll be announcing the above events on social media, it also serves as a recruitment tool for new members. 

All of the suggestions above are excellent ways to bring members and the organization closer together. 

Summarize Community-Led Growth

The following are all of the benefits of developing a community-led growth strategy: 

• The community-led growth can serve as customer service by allowing users to answer questions for one another or enable the company to respond to any query quickly. 
• The community-led growth provides quick and immediate feedback on products. 
• Because the community-led growth is likely to promote the product, it also serves as an advocate and brand ambassador. 
• If you choose to make a live broadcast to the group on Facebook, this broadcast can spread to other social media if it does not violate the team's rules. This opportunity broadens your network even further. 
• The community-led growth provides members with opportunities to network, form friendships, meet new people, and converse with one another. 

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