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

One-directional customer relationships are so they were in. The most successful brands of our times don't simply talk to their clients, but they interact with them, and create meaningful relationships. That's the point where customer communities come into.

In this piece in this article, we'll talk about the definition of customer-centric community, based on studies in the field of academia to highlight the characteristics that make a community of customers distinctive. We'll share the benefits of a customer support community as well as provide customer relationship examples.

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What is a community?

A customer community is a space that hosts a relationship between a business or brand and its customers; it allows for customer questions and answers, knowledge exchange, customer education or promotion opportunities, or even assistance with product or service issues and feedback. It can be constructed in different ways, for example, through emails, websites and social media or an online community.

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

Community-based customer interactions could be conceptually understood by examining what's known as " Social Identity Theory :" when people become an integral part of any social group-that includes great customer communities, they feel the sense of belonging sense of self-worth, purpose and self-worth.

Here are a few stunning examples of the kind of customer communities, whether free, enterprise communities or brand-sponsored communities can do...

• A non-profit organization has joined 9,000 nationwide members.        
  
• A community of faith has grown to 470 leaders in 67 countries.        
  
• An entrepreneurship org. was launched with 5,000 members. They has recouped its capital investment in a community app for customers within 2 two and a half weeks.      
  
• A health-focused launch to 100 premium members, which added $40,000 in ARR.        
  
• One community launched the course for 13 weeks and brought in an additional $100k of revenue in 2 months.        
  
• A personal finance group generated $130K in five days using their latest course.        
  
• One socially-minded SAAS firm incorporated a user-community application with regular meetings and witnessed a 70 percent growth in participation and engagement.        
  

What a customer community does NOT

Knowing the theory behind community-building helps us understand the reasons why they aren't your email lists or Facebook groups. In order to tap into the many benefits of community there must be at the very least members that are comfortable and feel they are part of the community.

In this regard below are some the things that a community of customers isn't:

• An email list        
  
• The number of social media followers you have        
  
• The members of your Facebook group        
  
• The number of people who liked your post on your last post        
  
• The people calling the customer service line        
  
• Chatbots users        
  

Since we identified that the primary ingredient of customer-based communities is belonging, it's easy to see why these things aren't a customer-centric community. These are all interactions that involve your brand, but they're not able to convey an identity.

The closest thing here could be the concept of a Facebook Group  however, there is a loose brand attachment and belonging-it's impossible to utilize Facebook for the kind of dynamic relationship and member-led participation that builds a genuine brand community.

What are the reasons to build a community of customers

    The benefits of a user community

Access member-led development

A new generation of high-impact businesses built around the concept of membership communities. In fact, community is an extremely profitable business model that McKinsey recognized it as the ultimate business model of the future and a flywheel for communities.

We've witnessed the growth of businesses that are led by members- including customers communities. When they are paid for, they could generate incredible revenue streams through recurring transactions. The community, however, puts growth on autopilot.

We've talk about community as "a enterprise that expands by itself" due to the fact that the combination of community-generated content by members, energy generated by members as well as AI tools to streamline managing community means that it's now easier than ever before to build the human connections that drive your company.

It's the secret that companies like Logo, Apple, and Nike are all leveraging, leading to massive gains. (See the below examples. )

Forget about funnels. Nothing beats a user group to help grow your company's image on autopilot.

Improve the brand's loyalty

A 2022 study argued that vibrant communities for brands can are able to have a significant impact on the loyalty of customers to brands because the community can become an integral aspect of a person's identity. Actually, the strong connection between social identity and loyalty to brands can be developed intentionally-and it plays into perceived value and brand satisfaction.

The process of transforming customers, subscribers or even followers into members is something you must not do lightly. Unlike all of those transactions, the members are part of.

And belonging instead of buying is an essential part of establishing a flywheel for community.

Enhance CLV

It is well-known that the customer's life-time value (CLV) is influenced by retention, but very few brands get it right. In a study, SurveySparrow discovered that the most successful companies had around a 94% retention ratio, despite the fact that retention rates were as low as 4% for some industries.

Although brand loyalty is valuable as a whole however, it can also lead into increasing your customer lifetime value. This should be a given since retention, and connecting again, transforming buyers to members-will increase your CLV more than anything otherwise.

makes selling easy.

One of the things which the study of flywheels in community showed is that selling is radically simpler in a social setting.

The traditional sales funnel focuses on moving all potential leads through sales sequence, losing more and more until you get the minimal percent that is likely to buy.

In a community of customers there's no need to make this. Most members of the "leads" are always welcoming, and unless they leave the community, they'll stay in your ecosystem whether they're ready to buy at this point or otherwise.

This creates an incredibly rich environment for sales in which you do not have to depend on deadlines or pressure Keep nurturing the relationship and delivering value. You'll be amazed at the incredible results you get in the event that you decide to market something. Many of our communities tell us that they even have members asking for things to buy.

That brings us back to...

Get the ultimate feedback

Feedback from customers is essential. However, HubSpot's research team discovered an average of 42% firms never survey their customers or take feedback!

Was there were a more effective method to collect feedback than sending out questionnaires and hoping for a response?

The customer community. We spoke to women's clothing label Oiselle Volee about their community of customers we heard something amazing. The Oiselle customer base offered members a space to belong to. But it was also providing a valuable feedback loop for the development of products. It was possible to get immediate feedback on product ideas as well as new products. And some customers even requested items they had not even considered.

Customer service should be on autopilot

We've included Apple as an awesome customer-centric example in the following. Apple makes use of their user community for customer service, and gamifies the whole thing so that hardcore Apple users can join the community to answer questions at no cost!

This is a clever approach to bring trust in the brand which allows them to harness the sense of belonging which customers have for their brand into something productive-making customer service come live.

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

Let transformations take place

The majority of people purchase a product or service because they are looking for something. The most common thing will result in a change in some way, be it you want to clean your kitchen (i.e. oven cleaner), to lose 10 pounds (ie. running gear) and to create the perfect backyard (i.e. a gardening publication) and to enjoy weekend days in the garden with their loved ones (i.e. grilling out). ).

But just because someone buys the tent does not necessarily mean that they are able to set up camp. This is where a great customer community comes in. If you are able to go above the purchase, and make sure that your customers actually succeed with your product or service and you'll have enthusiastic customers who will tell them about your business to their acquaintances. In short, a customer base isn't just about sell more. It's about helping your customers succeed.

There's more! An active customer base will also give you useful feedback on your product and services. This is feedback could otherwise require you pay for.

In light of this and many other factors having a user community can be a huge benefit. Why are you sitting around to do?

    Learn to utilize it to establish a flourishing customer community Here!

Harness real engagement

If your concept of customer engagement is hoping the posts you post on social media will receive 15 likes, then you're in the wrong ballgame. A customer community can create real engagement with customers, and create relations with clients- and remember, we said that the goal is for a customer to be an active member.

It's remarkable when you get off the content treadmill of social media and create genuine engagement, which people love.

8 awesome examples of communities for customers

1. Topstitch Makers

Some amazing examples of customer communities from here on . Check out Leigh Metcalf, who built a Mighty Network (AKA a "sewcial network") as an expansion of her fabric and sewing business, Topstitch Studio and Lounge. Her Mighty Network, Topstitch Makers, offers courses and weekly sewalongs that help members in their quest to create the success they desire.

2. Duolingo

Duolingo is the application which has made language learning enjoyable, easy, and pretty very affordable (freemium)! Behind the scenes, Duolingo has a dedicated volunteers who dedicate themselves to helping users solve their questions about language and making the app better.

Sold on the idea that EVERYONE should have access to language learning, these passionate polyglots also give their time to bring additional languages and programs onto the website!

3. Oiselle

Oiselle is a running apparel brand that wanted to go beyond just selling items and to help customers to connect with others. They've built a Mighty Network, Oiselle Volee that is based on the pleasure of exercising. It was initially an opportunity to connect with runners, but the pandemic expanded what it was that the Oiselle community offers; today its 4000 members can find a place to belong via real conversations, and vibrant virtual gatherings.

4. Lego

Lego can be described as a multibillion-dollar brand. It is a favorite among children for the amazing building potential and is referred to by their parents as landmines that cause pain whenever you walk on them.

Just kidding!

In fact, Lego is loved around all over the world by children and adults alike, and the builders who are passionate about it discuss their ideas in the Lego community of customers. Members are able to vote on which fan builds should get the stamp of acceptance to be genuine Lego kits!

5. Peloton

Peloton rose to prominence in the midst of the epidemic when everyone was trying to exercise in our homes. They built a strong user community for fitness. Participants can share scores, video chat throughout their workouts, and encourage each other on the Peloton Facebook page.

6. Adobe

Adobe products are dedicated to making videos, photos, music, and more. They're standards in the field. However, ask any person who has ever used any Adobe product and they'll tell you that they're difficult to understand.

The Adobe customer community offers a forum for users to share questions and answers along with tips for making more of the software. Their motto "Come for help, be amazed," pretty much sums their approach, which starts with helping customers discover their applications, as well as taking customers on a quest to learning how to master their craft.

7. Apple

Apple has developed a flourishing user community, which can also serve as a customer service platform. Apple has also gamified their experience so that contributors get more points, and also have access to greater community moderation features as they move up levels. Participants who make it to top levels also get access to the exclusive community.

And yes, if you're thinking it, gamifying your customer support in a way that users want to spend time providing each other with support is quite a brilliant way to make way to make use of customer communities.

8. Shopify

If you want to experience a fantastic customer-centric community that is active, look no further than Shopify. As Shopify allows their customers to build stores that sell their goods, the Shopify community is committed to educating and building knowledge by answering frequently asked questions, as well as even hosting live occasions.

Do you want to establish your own customer community?

Whether your customer community will be a free, enterprise community or paying for a membership that brings additional revenue Join us to build your community with Mighty!

Mighty connects courses, content, community, and commerce. Flexible Spaces allow you to develop a user-generated community unlike anything else, mixing conversations, chat and messaging, livestreaming, online events and classes (if you'd like). Choose the features you want (and leave the rest inactive). ).

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 significantly easier to establish a vibrant customer-centric community in only a few hours of working a week.

With Mighty Pro, you get G2's top-ranked community software on your own branded app-that's your own app on both the App Store as well as the Google Play Store. Furthermore, when building using Mighty Pro, you'll work alongside our group consisting of Account Managers and Community Strategists who have scaled seven-figure brands for creators and eight-figure subscription companies.

Contact us now and we'll demonstrate the possibilities of a partnership.