Creating, nurturing, and engaging a community. The goal of every company in 2023 (and beyond).
Embracing the power of collaboration has become a key opportunity for businesses, whether it's nurturing customer, prospect, partner, or employee communities.
To embark on this journey, the first step is to develop a well-defined Community-Based Marketing strategy. However, it's essential to navigate carefully and avoid five common mistakes that can hinder its success. Let me be your guide as we explore these 5 crucial mistakes to avoid. 👇
Definition of Community-Based Marketing:
Community-Based Marketing is a rapidly growing concept that is gradually gaining popularity in Europe. We also talk about "community-led growth" referring to a growth strategy driven by and propelled by a community.
Applied to marketing, business growth, or development, these concepts share a common factor: the central role of the community in contributing to the success of the company and fostering strong relationships.
Here is a short clip of Will Curran giving us his definition of Community-based Marketing from his session at the CLG Summit 2023 on The Community Lab where you can watch the full replay!
The objective of a Community-Based Marketing or Community-Led Growth strategy is to create, nurture, and engage an active community that acts as a true ally to the company.
The role of this community is to help identify and solve specific problems, foster exchange and mutual support, contribute to the visibility and reputation of the B2B or B2C company, and support acquisition, retention, and engagement goals while reducing company expenses.
In summary, Community-Based Marketing should be a priority for any business. However, to effectively develop such a strategy, MeltingSpot recommends avoiding these 5 mistakes 👇
5 mistakes to avoid in your Community-Based Marketing strategy
Waiting (too long) before creating your community
Many B2B or B2C companies frequently make the mistake of waiting. Waiting to create a product or launch a service in the market, waiting to have media visibility, waiting for a funding round... However, all these events should not delay the creation of a community. On the contrary!
From the very beginning of a company, it can be wise to leverage the power of a community. Whether it's a community of customers, partners, prospects, employees, or future hires, MeltingSpot advises you not to wait to gather different members who share common goals.
👉 In fact, the sooner you create a united and engaged community, the faster you will see results in Community-Based Marketing. The community is a lever of opportunities to develop your reputation & visibility, generate acquisition, and accelerate customer loyalty. So, regardless of your objective...
Don't wait indefinitely to gather, animate, and engage a community around your company!
Spreading out across all community platforms
Often, the word "community" is associated with social networks. But be careful! Generally, social networks like Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn are used to communicate (unilaterally) with an audience... rather than to engage a community.
Thus, when developing a Community-Based Marketing strategy, it is essential to:
Indeed, having a single channel to gather and engage a community allows for more meaningful engagement. This channel should enable communication at different levels to ensure active member participation. That's why MeltingSpot offers an all-in-one platform to develop your community strategy in one place.
💡 Our tool allows you to create, animate, and engage a community using various features: organizing virtual and hybrid events, scheduling appointments through the platform & news feeds, and sharing relevant content... Ideal for building a strong connection with your community!
Neglecting to hire for community management and engagement
With a Community-Based Marketing or Community-Led Growth strategy, your company can create and nurture different communities, whether they are B2B, B2C, internal, or external. However, there is a fundamental element that should not be underestimated: hiring specific profiles to manage these communities.
Indeed, every community requires special attention. From the creation phase to community engagement, event organization, and even managing ambassador members, a Community-Based Marketing strategy demands daily effort, resources, and skills.
💡 MeltingSpot recommends hiring one or more profiles, depending on the size of your community, to ensure effective community management. For instance, a Community Builder, whether internal or freelance, can help you establish your community strategy. This recruit can also be supported by a Community Manager profile for more operational tasks.
Underestimating the impact of events in a Community-Based Marketing strategy
Posting photos, videos, and downloadable content on a news feed, and initiating discussions in a chat—do you think these actions are enough to sustain long-term community engagement?
❌ Obviously, the answer is no. To ensure ongoing community engagement, it is essential to organize regular moments of connection...such as virtual events!
Since the Covid-19 pandemic, virtual events have emerged as a powerful means of bringing community members together. Whether it's a captivating customer webinar, a team-building extravaganza with your dedicated employees, or a thought-provoking roundtable discussion with esteemed partners, these events promote genuine interaction and knowledge sharing. Such moments of reunion and exchange hold tremendous significance for your community.
Therefore, to establish the foundations of an effective and sustainable Community-Based Marketing strategy, we advise you to frequently organize virtual events. Consider crafting a well-structured timeline to ensure seamless planning and execution before, during, and after these invaluable gatherings.
And if you need assistance in creating events that will leave a lasting impact on your community, turn to the MeltingSpot team. We can guide you in generating greater engagement through our event-community platform!
Overlooking the importance of measuring KPIs in a Community-Based Marketing strategy
Creating, managing, and nurturing a community is fundamentally a marketing and business strategy. And when it comes to strategy, setting clear and measurable objectives and KPIs is essential!
The mistake to avoid is building a community without defining specific and well-defined goals beforehand. These goals should be SMART: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Time-bound.
For example:
✅ How many members do you aim to have in your community by the end of the year?
✅ In the next 6 months, what increase in revenue do you anticipate through acquiring new community members?
✅ What percentage increase in average order value do you expect over the next 3 months from loyal customers who are active community ambassadors?
MeltingSpot also advises organizing monthly meetings with your teams to track key performance indicators. These measured KPIs will enable you to continuously improve, enhance your community, and achieve your objectives.
Deploying Your Community-Based Marketing Strategy with MeltingSpot
You now understand the importance of a Community-Based Marketing strategy and the 5 key mistakes to avoid. So, are you ready to move from theory to practice by implementing your own community strategy?
To assist you in creating, animating, and engaging your community, we invite you to discover our solution.
