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

Relations with customers that are can only be one-way is the norm for 2005. The most successful brands of the times don't simply talk to their customers. They engage with them and establish real relationships. That's how the concept of a customer community comes in.

In this blog this article, we'll talk about the concept of customer-centric community, based on academic research to show the characteristics that make a community of customers different. We'll discuss the advantages of a community-based approach to assistance with customer service, as well as show an example of how to build the relationships between community members.

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What exactly is a community?

The Customer Community is a private place that helps to establish a relationship between a brand or company and its customers. It can allow for inquiries and responses and educational opportunities, knowledge exchange and promotion possibilities as well as customer service and feedback. The relationship can be developed using a range of strategies, like email, a website and social media, or even an on-line community.

The most important word in this case is RELATED. Community-based customer services aren't just places for companies to drop marketing pitches. It's been said that customers prefer doing transactions with people they "know have in common and are able to trust" which is what a customer community does very well. It provides the opportunity for the trust of clients to grow.

The customer interaction that is based on the community may be theoretically understood as digging into what's called " Social Identity Theory :" when people join any social network-which can include excellent customer communities-they get the feeling of belonging purpose, self-worth and self-esteem.

These are incredible examples of what communities - whether free, enterprise communities or paid brands communities can achieve...

• The non-profit has onboarded 9,900 nationwide members.
  
• The faith-based community has grown to 470 members from 67 different countries.
  
• An entrepreneurship org. has been launched to 5,000 individuals and made back its investment in an app for mobile devices that connects customers in just two weeks.
  
• The health-focused launch of 100 premium customers increased ARR by the amount of $40,000.
  
• The course was offered to a community for 13 weeks and earned an additional $100k in revenue in 2 months.
  
• One financial community for personal use generated $130K within five days using their latest course.
  
• One social-impact SAAS company has incorporated a social-media-based customer application with regular meetings and experienced a 70% rise in engagement as well as contributions.
  

What exactly is a customer-centric community? NOT

The underlying theory of customer-centric communities will help us understand the main reasons they're not your email lists or your Facebook page. In order to enjoy the many benefits of community it is necessary to have at the very least, people who feel comfortable and feel at home.

With this in mind Here are some of the points that a group of clients isn't:

• An email list
  
• The number of people who follow you on your social media accounts.
  
• Your Facebook group's members. Facebook group
  
• The number of people who like the most recent post you've posted
  
• The customers who call the customer service line
  
• The chatbot users you have
  

As we've identified that the primary ingredient of customer-based communities is being part of a community and feeling connected, it's clear why these things aren't an a community that is centered around customers. They all involve interactions with your company, but they're not able to give the impression of belonging.

This might be the idea of a Facebook Group however, inside this group, we see loose brand attachment and belonging-it's hard to use Facebook for the sort of user-driven relationships and dynamic involvement that creates a genuine brand's community.

Why you should build an online community of customers

 The benefits of the customer community

Growth led by Access members

A new breed of companies that have a high-impact, built around the concept of membership communities. In fact, they are so powerful a business McKinsey has recognized them as the most successful business model for the 2020s and a flywheel for communities.

We've seen the rise of businesses that have grown led by members, including customers' communities. When they're compensated by the community, they can generate enormous revenue streams from repeated transactions. But the community leaves development to the control of an autopilot.

It's been referred to as"community," which means "a business that grows," due to the fact that the combination of community members' content, the enthusiasm that members generate as well as AI tools that streamline your management for your group means that it's much easier than ever before to create connections among the people who fuel your business.

The key is the big brands such as Logo, Apple, and Nike use all of these tactics, resulting in huge increases. (See the below examples. )

Don't think about funnels. Nothing is more powerful than having a customer community build a company's image by autopilot.

Improve the brand's reputation

The study of 2022 suggested that communities with strong brands can have a significant impact on loyalty to brands, as the community becomes an important aspect of the character of an individual. The close link between social identity and loyalty to brands can be planned out and it can influence the perception of value and the level of satisfaction with customers.

Transforming customers, subscribers, or followers into members is something you should be done with care. Contrary to the relationship types, members belong.

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

CLV Increase

There is a well-known fact that the customer's life-time value (CLV) is achieved through retention, however only a handful of brands are successful in reaching it. Based on a research study, SurveySparrow observed that the most successful brands have a 94% retention percentage, even though retention was at or below 4% in some sectors.

Though brand loyalty can be useful in itself, however it can also lead directly to a higher lifetime customer value. This is a no-brainer since retention, and connecting again and transforming customers into members can increase your CLV in a way that is unlike anything other.

makes selling easy.

One of the things that the investigation of flywheels in communities discovered was that the process of selling becomes a lot easier when it is when you are in a group.

The standard sales funnel uses the principle of making sure that you are able to push your potential customers through the sales process as they lose until you reach the tiny percent that is likely to buy.

In a community of customers it's not possible to do this. The majority of "leads" remain happy and, unless they leave the community they'll stay in the community, regardless of regardless of whether they're ready in the near future or not.

This provides a productive environment for sales in which you do not need to rely on deadlines or stress. nurturing the relationship and delivering value. You'll be amazed by how well you perform when you try to market a product. A lot of our communities inform them that they have people who are searching for products to purchase.

Then we come back to...

You will receive the most thorough feedback

Feedback from customers is vital. However, HubSpot's research team discovered the following: 42% of businesses don't survey their clients or even take their the time to solicit feedback!

What if there were an effective way to collect feedback than sending out questionnaires expecting a response?

Enter: the customer community. We spoke to the clothing brand for women Oiselle Volee about their community of patrons, they told us that they had something truly extraordinary. The Oiselle customer base provided customers with an atmosphere to be part of. Additionally, it provided valuable feedback loop to help in the creation of new products. Customers could get immediate feedback about product ideas as well as new products. Some customers have even asked for items they'd never thought of.

The customer service system should be in autopilot

We've pointed out Apple as a great customer community model below. Apple uses their user community to help clients and also to gamify all of the process to ensure that only the most dedicated Apple users join the community to help assist with questions at no cost!

This is a clever approach to build trust in the brand which allows customers to tap into the feeling of belonging to the brand that consumers feel towards the brand into something which brings customer service the forefront of their lives.

Instead of calling a 1-800 number or waiting for chatbots, users can take advantage of the option of having questions answered by the online community. That's powerful.

Let transformations take place

The reason people purchase a product or service due to the desire to purchase something. A lot of times, what they desire will bring about changes in some way for instance, whether it's to get your kitchen clean (i.e. oven cleaner), to shed 10 pounds (ie. running equipment) for the perfect garden (i.e. the gardening magazines) as well as enjoying Saturday afternoons at the back of their families (i.e. barbecue ).

If someone is buying an outdoor tent, it doesn't necessarily indicate that they're able to camp. This is where a great customer base comes into. If you're able to extend beyond the sale, and help the customers to succeed using the product or service you offer, they will become enthusiastic customers and will tell their friends about you. The point is that a customer base isn't just about increase sales. It's about helping your clients to succeed.

There's more! A thriving customer community will also give you valuable feedback on your products and services. Feedback that would otherwise require a fee to get.

To these and other reasons the idea of creating a community for customers is an excellent idea. How long are you waiting to do?

     Learn about how to build a vibrant customer-driven community here!

Harness real engagement

If your concept of engaging with customers is merely to make sure the posts you share on social media will are liked by 15 people then you're playing a wrong game. Community-based customer engagement can lead to genuine customer engagement and real connections with clients - remember we mentioned that the aim is to ensure that the customer becomes an active member.

It's remarkable when you take off the whirlwind of information on social media sites and build real-time engagement that people enjoy.

8 fantastic examples of communities that are geared towards customers

1. Topstitch Makers

A few amazing examples of customer service that is based on community starting from this point . Look up Leigh Metcalf, who built an Mighty Network (AKA a "sewcial network") as part of her sewing and fabric business, Topstitch Studio and Lounge. The business's Mighty Network, Topstitch Makers provides classes and weekly sewalongs that help members to stitch their way to the success they desire.

2. Duolingo

Duolingo was the app which has made learning languages fun, easy, and pretty quite affordable (freemium)! In the background, Duolingo has a dedicated team of volunteers who dedicate themselves to assisting users with their language concerns and enhancing the software improved.

Based on the notion that EVERYONE ought to have access various languages, the polyglots offer their time to add additional languages and programs onto the website!

3. Oiselle

Oiselle is a feminine-focused running clothing company that wants to go above and beyond the sale of its products and help its customers connect with other people. They've created their very own Mighty Network, Oiselle Volee that is based on the passion for exercising. It was initially the place that you could meet runners, however the spreading of the disease has widened the scope of what is provided by the Oiselle community can do; there are 4000 members that can join a community through engaging in conversations that are live as well as thriving virtual gatherings.

4. Lego

Lego is a multibillion-dollar company. It's the most loved brand by children due to its amazing building capabilities and is described by some parents as landmines in miniature that cause pain as soon as you step on their.

Just kidding!

In reality, Lego is loved around the world by kids and adults alike, and an army of dedicated builders are discussing their plans within the Lego users' community. The members can also decide what models built by fans will receive the seal of approval and be made into genuine Lego models!

5. Peloton

Peloton gained prominence during the epidemic when everyone was trying to be fitter in our homes. Peloton has created a vibrant user community for fitness. Members can exchange scores, video chat between sessions as well as encourage each other through the Peloton Facebook page.

6. Adobe

Adobe products focus on producing: videos, images music, photos, and much more. They're standards in the field. However, ask any person who has ever employed an Adobe product and they'll assure them that they're hard to understand.

The Adobe customer community offers a forum for users to answer questions along with tips for making maximum value from their program. Their motto "Come for assistance, get inspired," is a good summary of their ethos, which starts by helping customers understand their software as well as leading them toward becoming an expert in their field.

7. Apple

Apple has created a vibrant community of users, that serves as a support platform. Apple has even made it a game so that contributors get more points as well as an increased number of options for moderating the community as they move up levels. The users who reach the highest levels also have access to a private community.

If you're thinking it, gamifying your customer experience such that your customers would be willing to provide the other with support is an excellent use of a community for customers.

8. Shopify

If you're looking to be part of a wonderful community of customers that is in motion, look no further than Shopify. Since Shopify assists their clients in developing stores for selling their goods as well as providing support to their customers. Shopify community has a strong dedication to education and training, answering FAQs, and even holding live events.

Do you want to start your own customer community?

If your customer-centric community will be a non-profit enterprise or one that is community-based or an email subscription for generating additional income, join us and build your community with Mighty!

Mighty incorporates classes and commerce, content and community. Flexible Spaces permit you to create a community of users that is unlike other. It mixes conversations, chat and messages, livestreaming, events and even courses (if you're interested in). It is possible to select the features you want (and keep the others unactive). ).

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 much easier to build an active customer base in just a couple of hours per week.

And with Mighty Pro You get G2's highest-rated community software. It is which is the foundation of your personal brand-named app. It's your personal app for both the App Store as well as Google Play Store. Google Play Store. Additionally, when you create with Mighty Pro, you'll work with our team of Account Managers and Community Strategists who have increased the number of seven-figure creative brands and 8+-figure subscription companies.

Make a phone call today to discuss the potential of a partnership.

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