What exactly is a customer community? (+Examples) |

Relationships with customers that only one way are the norm in the norm in 2005. The greatest brands of our moment don't just speak to their customers. They engage with them and form real relationships. This is where a customer community comes into.

In this piece in this article, we'll talk about the definition of customer-centric community, based on academic research to show what makes a customer community distinctive. We'll share the benefits of a customer support community, and give you some instances of community relationships.

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What exactly is a community?

A customer community is a dedicated area that facilitates a connection between a brand or company and its clients. It could allow questions and answers, as well as knowledge exchange, educational opportunities for customers, promotion opportunities, or even customer support and feedback. It can be constructed in different ways, for example, through the use of email, a website, social media, or an online community.

The important word here is RELATED. Good customer communities aren't just locations for brands to lob sales pitches. According to the old saying, consumers want to do business with people they "know, like, and trust" and that's what a customer community does well. It provides the opportunity for the trust of customers to increase.

Customer communities are theoretically described as digging into what's called " Social Identity Theory :" when people become an integral part of any social group-that includes great customer communities, they feel a sense of belonging, motivation, self-worth and identity.

Here are a few incredible examples of what communities, be they free, enterprise communities or paid brand communities-can do...

• A non-profit organization has joined 9,000 National members.        
  
• The faith-based community has expanded to 470 leaders across more than 67 countries.        
  
• An entrepreneurship org. has been launched to 5,000 people and has recouped its investments in a mobile app that connects customers within 2 two and a half weeks.      
  
• A health-focused launch to 100 premium members, which added $40,000 in ARR.        
  
• A community has launched an add-on 13-week course that added $100k to income in just two months.        
  
• One financial community for personal use made $130K in just five days, using their most recent course.        
  
• One social impact SAAS firm incorporated a user-community app and their usual conferences and saw a 70% rise in engagement and contributions.        
  

What a customer community isn't

Knowing the theory behind customer communities helps us see the reasons why they do not belong on your email list or Facebook groups. In order to tap into the benefits of community below there must be at the very least members that believe they are part of the community.

With this in mind, here are some of the things a customer community isn't:

• An email list        
  
• The amount of social media users you're following        
  
• The members of your Facebook group        
  
• The number of people who liked your post for your latest post        
  
• The people calling the customer service line        
  
• Chatbots users        
  

As we've identified that the primary ingredient of customer community is being a part of it and belonging, it's clear the reasons why these aren't customers' community. These are all interactions that involve your company, however they're not connected to the feeling of belonging.

The closest we can get here could be a Facebook Group  however, in this group, we see lacking brand loyalty and belonging. It's impossible to utilize Facebook to build the kind of dynamic relationship and member-led engagement that grows a real brand-related community.

Why you should build a community of customers

    The benefits of a user community

Gain access to member-led development

A new generation of highly-effective businesses based on the concept of membership communities. Indeed, communities are so powerful a business McKinsey recognized it as the ideal business model of the future: a community flywheel.

There has been a surge of businesses that are led by members- including customers communities. If they're paid, they're able to provide incredible opportunities for recurring revenue. The community, however, puts development in the hands of an autopilot.

The term "community" has been used to describe it as "a company that is growing itself," due to the fact that the combination of member-generated content, enthusiasm generated by members and AI-powered tools that simplify the management of your community means that it's much easier than ever before to establish the human connections that drive your business.

This is the reason why brands like Logo, Apple, and Nike have all leveraged the power of social media, resulting in huge gains. (See the following examples. )

Do not think of funnels. Nothing is more powerful than a client group to help grow your company's image on autopilot.

Increase the brand's loyalty

A study in 2022 suggested that strong communities of brands are able to have a significant impact on loyalty to brands, as the community becomes an important element of the identity of an individual. In fact, the close connection between social identity and loyalty to brands is a deliberate process that can influence perceived value and the satisfaction of customers with brands.

Making customers, clients, or followers into members is something you must not do lightly. Contrary to the relationship types, members belong.

And belonging instead of buying is the most important aspect of building a community flywheel.

Improve CLV

We are aware that customer life-time value (CLV) is influenced by retention. However, only a handful of brands get it right. In a study, SurveySparrow discovered that the most successful brands enjoyed around a 94% retention rate, even though retention was as low as 4 percent in certain sectors.

While brand loyalty is a valuable thing in its own right however, it can also lead to a higher lifetime value. It's a simple fact since retention, and connecting again, transforming buyers to members-will boost your CLV in a way that is unlike anything otherwise.

Makes selling a breeze.

One thing that was discovered in the research of flywheels in community demonstrated was that selling becomes radically easier when you have a group of people.

The standard sales funnel is focused on directing all your possible leads through sales but then losing them until you reach the tiny percentage that will buy.

In a community of customers it's not necessary to do this. The majority people who are your "leads" will always be welcoming, and unless they decide to leave your community, they'll stay in your ecosystem whether they're willing to purchase at this point or otherwise.

This creates an incredibly abundant sales atmosphere that doesn't require you to be reliant on pressure or fake deadlines simply keep cultivating the relationship and delivering value. You'll be amazed at your results be awe-inspiring whenever you attempt to sell an item. Some of our communities inform we that they've got members who are looking for items to purchase.

Then we come back to...

Receive the most comprehensive feedback

Feedback from customers is essential. However, HubSpot's research team discovered that 42% of companies do not survey their customers, or take feedback!

If there was a better way to collect feedback than sending out questionnaires and hoping for a response?

The customer community. When we talked to the Oiselle Volee, a women's clothing company about their community of customers, they told us something amazing. The Oiselle customer group was providing members with an area to connect with. However, it also offered an important feedback loop for product development. They could get instant feedback about their product concepts as well as new products. And there were customers who requested items they had not even considered.

Customer service should be on autopilot

We've included Apple as a cool customer-centric example in the following. Apple utilizes their community of customers for customer service and also gamifies the whole procedure so that only the most committed Apple customers join for free and give answers at no cost!

It's a brilliant approach to bring trust in the brand that allows users to channel the sense of belonging that members are feeling for the brand to something productive-making customer service come to life.

Instead of dialing a 1 800 number or waiting on chatbots, customers have the option of getting their questions answered through the forum. That's powerful.

Transforms can occur

The majority of people purchase a product and/or services because they want something. The most common thing is a transformation that is of some kind, whether you want to clean your kitchen (i.e. oven cleaner) or to shed 10 pounds (ie. running equipment) or to build the perfect garden (i.e. a gardening publication), or to spend weekends in the backyard with their family (i.e. barbecue ).

However, just because someone purchases an outdoor tent doesn't mean they know how to make it work. That's where a strong customer-based community can be found. If you can go beyond the sale, and assist the customers to succeed using the product or service you offer You will soon have rave supporters who'll share the news with them about your business to their acquaintances. The goal of a community of customers isn't just to sell more. It's about helping customers succeed.

There's more! An active customer base will also give you useful feedback on your product and services. Feedback that could otherwise require you to purchase.

Because of these and other reasons having a user community can be a huge benefit. So what are you waiting to do?

    Learn how to utilize it to establish a flourishing community of customers on this page!

Harness real engagement

If your concept of customer engagement is hoping your social media posts get 15 likes, you're in the wrong ballgame. The customer community is a way to create real engagement with customers, and create connections with your customers. Remember it was said earlier that the aim is for the customer to become an active member.

It's remarkable when you stop the content-driven treadmill of social media and create real engagement that people love.

8 fantastic examples of customer communities

1. Topstitch Makers

Some amazing examples of customer communities that you can find right here . Check out Leigh Metcalf, who built a Mighty Network (AKA a "sewcial network") as part of her fabric and sewing company: Topstitch Studio and Lounge. The company's Mighty Network, Topstitch Makers is a place to learn and offer weekly sewalongs that help members to sew their way to success.

2. Duolingo

Duolingo is the app which has made language learning enjoyable as well as easy and much free (freemium)! And behind the scenes, Duolingo has a dedicated group of volunteers that dedicates themselves to assisting users with their language needs as well as improving the experience.

Based on the notion that EVERYONE ought to have access languages, these zealous polyglots also offer their time and energy to integrate additional languages and programs onto the website!

3. Oiselle

Oiselle is a female-focused running clothing company that wanted to go above and beyond selling products and assist its customers connect and learn from other people. The brand has built an Mighty Network, Oiselle Volee that is based on the pleasure of exercise. At first, it was just an opportunity to connect with a running partner, but the pandemic expanded what the Oiselle community offers; today its 4000 members can find a place to belong by engaging in real-time conversations as well as thriving virtual events.

4. Lego

Lego is a multibillion dollar brand that is loved by children for the amazing building potential and referred to by their parents as tiny landmines that cause pain whenever you walk on them.

Just kidding!

In fact, Lego is loved around the world by kids as well as adults, and a collection of devoted builders offer their thoughts on the Lego community of customers. The members can also vote on which fan builds should get the stamp of acceptance to be authentic Lego kits!

5. Peloton

Peloton gained prominence in the midst of the epidemic when everyone was trying to exercise within our home. They built a strong group of customers who are interested in exercise. Members can exchange scores, video chat between sessions and support each other in the Peloton Facebook page.

6. Adobe

Adobe products are dedicated to making videos, photos as well as music. They're standards in the field. If you ask anyone who's utilized one of the Adobe product, and they'll inform you that they're not easy to learn.

The Adobe community for customers provides a space for people to discuss questions and solutions along with suggestions for getting the most of their software. The company's slogan "Come to get help, and be inspired," pretty much sums their philosophy, which begins with helping clients to understand their software and takes them on a journey towards mastering their art.

7. Apple

Apple has developed a flourishing customer base that also serves as a support platform. They've even gamified the experience to ensure that users earn more points and are allowed more modes of community management in the higher levels they climb. Users who get to the upper levels also gain access to an exclusive community.

If you're considering it, gaming your customer service so that customers are willing to provide the other with help is an excellent use of a customer community.

8. Shopify

If you want to experience a fantastic customer-centric community in action, look no further than Shopify. Since Shopify assists their clients in building stores that sell their goods and products, the Shopify community is committed to providing training and knowledge-building as well as answering questions and even hosting live occasions.

Ready to build your own customer community?

If your customer-centric community is a no-cost enterprise or community-based one, or paying for a membership that brings an extra income, come build using Mighty!

Mighty brings together courses as well as content, community and commerce. Our spaces are flexible and allow you to develop a user-generated community unlike any other. We mix in discussions, chat & messages, livestreaming, classes, live events and more (if you want). It is possible to select the features you want (and switch off the rest). ).

Mighty gives you a suite of member-management tools to make it easy to run the community, and our AI community-engine-Mighty Co-Host(tm)-automates things like member profiles, landing pages, course outlines, and even discussion questions. It's radically easier to create a vibrant customer-centric community in just a couple of hours time per week.

With Mighty Pro it comes with G2's most popular community software in an app that you own and brand. It's your own app on both the App Store and Google Play Store. Furthermore, when building using Mighty Pro, you'll work alongside our team consisting of Account Managers and Community Strategists who have grown 7-figure creator brands and 8+-figure subscription businesses.

Call us now and we'll demonstrate how we can build.