How three successful brands operate their online communities (Creator Corner summary) |

We asked three successful brands to provide us with their top suggestions for building an online community. This is what you should know to start an online community of your own.

Online communities can come in many forms and dimensions. They're an ideal method for creatives to connect and earn steady income.

It's not difficult to imagine our excitement to have a chat with four talented creators from three brands who run standout online communities.

Are you a fan of one of presenters? Check out our "Ask me Anything" thread that is connected to the discussion of the presenter.

Without further delay, we're getting acquainted with the people who created it.

Meet the makers of

Casey Richardson is the founder of Blaze Knowledge Academy . The academy offers courses and additional resources that help Black women entrepreneurs create amazing online businesses, and she also manages an online community that is flourishing, and where those she serves can interact.

Jill as well as Jeffrey Dalton run the Whole Food Plant Based Cooking Show  The Whole Food Plant Based Cooking Show is a cooking YouTube channel with healthy dishes that are based on plant-based. The show is crowdfunded by their online community and they also offer courses menu plans, cooking classes, and cookbooks.

The creators of these companies all have distinct companies, all with their own online communities, which provide their customers with services.

Let's look at how you can create a community that is solid, too.

What's the process by that these communities of creators get many people to join?

Starting an online community might be intimidating, but luckily, there are many options to start.

As well as introducing people to products that are helpful in other ways, Casey's network provides users with the opportunity to create a positive and welcoming place to connect with other founders.

When Emily launched with the Sketchnote Academy Community only a few weeks ago, her first idea was to create the pay-per-click feature. At first, when she first introduced it on her mailing list, the program did not work. She then reverted.

"[The launch that was paid for] was kind of like a test, just to test if the idea resonated with users," Emily shares.

"Ultimately I came to the conclusion to decide that a group with a fee is not the best option for my people. I chose to make it a hundred percent freecommunity, and it has grown since then. .... I want this community to turn into a place where individuals can get help, form friends, showcase your accomplishments, and gain opinion."

According to Jeffrey Jeffrey at the time, "There was just very little content about whole-foods that is plant-based, this is the reason we developed videos on food we actually cooked in our kitchens at home. For the last three years, we saw extremely little activity."

"We have received very positive feedback from those who we talked to, however it was just the result of an initiative for service and we wanted to communicate what we were learning."

As time passed, they recognized the fact that the nature of algorithmic social media was restricting the audience they were reaching, so they sought out a site that could inform users about the most recent videos.

"With Social media it's impossible to immediately communicate directly with customers," Jeffrey explains.

"You have posted a YouTube video but it's not necessarily visible to everybody. .... We'd receive 10,000 subscribers , and we'd post the video with between four and five hundred people. .... We then went to a YouTube training session, and we discovered that the notification are sent out in the form of batches. It is possible that they only inform just a few thousands of people regardless of the number of people you sign up to.

Their following has grown to more than 15,000 and their paying members have let them run their cooking program full-time.

At the end of the day, the online communities are populated with many stories about their history. In the next section, we'll look at most effective ways of providing them with exceptional details.

Summits? Webinars? Discussions? Which is the most efficient method of engaging the audience?

A semi-annual summit attracted nearly 900 attendees who attended eight sessions , at an average. Within her group, Casey posted daily reflection posts as well as prompts to match the summit's events.

"[Werequest] participants to share about what their most memorable session was and what the reasons for the session were. Then, at the end of every day, we invited participants to write down their intentions and what they hope to accomplish," Casey explains.

"Everyone is aware of postings from members who are not members of the group because I created a new membership at each important summit, to make sure they're part of an enormous group of members who share members of the same.

It's a fantastic way to spark conversation It's not my job to make things happen. Since I'm the one who is managing this summit, I've set up the announcements and participants build connections throughout the group due to the way that the location was planned."

Casey also is active in her intro thread.

"People come to the site even after they have introduced themselves, to seek other individuals who are relevant to their company. I help the founders ... in addition to that, introductions sections help the founders in building networks."

Within the Creator Community There is a lively introduction thread. It is possible to create one specifically to your own community could provide a great way to get more people involved.

Additionally, Casey offers live office each week for anyone who purchased the product. The time is used to collect feedback from customers and provide help to customers.

"It's the perfect occasion to listen to what's happening and discover what customers want. People are very grateful," Casey elaborates.

Similar to how Jill and Jeffrey utilize their online community to solicit feedback about future projects.

There's a room in which participants can cast votes on the layout of their cookbook and choose what fresh contents to develop.

"I keep an ideas wall that I can keep all the ideas I'm currently working with ... as well as recipes I'm interested in," Jill elaborates. "I capture a photograph of itand invite the participants to make their choices. What do you want to see me work on in the future?"

Jill and Jeffrey are also able to increase participation through prizes and special contests exclusively for the members.

The group Emily is part of, where students who sketchnote can collaborate and get help, and also seek help. Emily runs group-based workshops within her class.

"I have programmes that have a cohort structure," she shares, "and I've created a special group of cohorts in order to let them meet up with one another and feel as if they're in a class together with one the other."

As Casey, Emily includes real-time group collaboration via monthly live chats. Members can sign up and leave at their own convenience, inquire about, or even start an entire group.

Emily also has a section devoted to brand announcements.

"If you don't see people signing up to my newsletters, I'd like they get regular updates from the community. When will the next event be announced? What are the workshops scheduled? ... The information's out there in an extremely accessible location in the same place they are now," Emily explains.

Finally, Emily uses her community to solicit comments from the audience. Members can vote on upcoming workshop topics and activities through surveys and discussion.

All over around the world providing experiences that are enjoyable for customers is what makes your space unique and enjoyable.

What did the creators do to attract new members? Here are the top five tips they gave

If she knows anyone who wants to join in the community, they can make a text call to a specific phone number. They will then get an email with an invitation to join.

If she's talking in a public event on a podcast, or engaging with people she would like to meet in person, Casey can bring people together by registering them with this easy process.

If you're looking to try this tool out with your group, the tool she uses is called Twilio .

"I started a private email campaign to my email list first due to the fact that I believe email recipients to be my most loyal followers. They put skin in the game by giving me their email address and trusting that I am trustworthy ... therefore I decided to contact them first." Emily elaborates.

For Emily she decided to go with email because it's the best fit for her particular audience as she wanted her first member group to comprise the most enthusiastic members of her audience.

There is a channel which they created a dedicated video announcing their brand new community.

"We created a short video that is very transparent," they explained.

"We performed a ton of research , and then showed how much money] YouTubers earn. We talked about what we gained from the show. We showed that it's not practical for the majority of creators, especially for platforms such as YouTube."

They informed their fans that they were at a crucial point. They set up the community to allow subscribers to join and be the latest news whenever new videos come out. Numerous supporters joined.

Today, they spotlight their followers in every YouTube video.

"We created a commercial that we use in our videos that discusses our community as well as how our show is crowdfunded. This has had a huge impact. That is, in my opinion, the most significant driver."

In essence, the most effective way to bring more people into your group is to think about where the ideal members is and then bring them in those areas.

Five of the most essential elements of a well-functioning community

When asked what elements make communities good, the guests said that consistency, authenticity along with the security of the content, quality and user feedback are the main elements.

1. Authenticity

The importance of authenticity is the basis of every community that is successful online.

"If there's no way for to appear genuine in your community online, it's unlikely be beneficial for you since people can sense whether you're being untruthful with them." Emily clarifies.

The focus of your community must always be on giving back to others and delivering worth first and foremost.

2. Consistency

A regular posting schedule shows the members of your community when to anticipate. It keeps the community active and helps keep members from becoming bored.

Jill has a wonderful technique to keep her steady.

"I have voted in the first week of each month, and then the prize draw is conducted in the third week in the month. It is then posted on a Saturday. So when [members] see an alert that says they've got something new ... members pretty much know what it's going to be."

What do we suggest? Create a list of posts that keep shifting. If you're building your network through the platform, the scheduling of posts is integrated and makes it easy to organize the content you post.

3. Content quality

"We started to develop an unscheduled routine, with just one show a week and we added some additional things to it. But we really put everything into it," Jeffrey explains.

"We think of it as our artistic project. We've finished it. This is the highest standard we can achieve ... It seems like the people appreciate quality goods regardless of whether it's made entirely from scratch. Only we have the ability to create it. This is not a product that can be produced. But, I think many people believe that we're working on this. We're trying to create things."

Putting genuine effort into the community you live in will get noticed.

4. Security

The internet is chaotic, but you can control the activities of your online community. Make sure that your community is well-secure and safe for the members.

When comparing online communities to social media sites, Jill emphasizes that social media can be noisy.

"There's a lot of distraction on social media. We're now able to send [our audience] to the site and conduct the essential tasks we do there. .... We decide the people who are on there. We decide how posting takes place along with how interaction takes place. And I feel like that's the most enjoyable way of enjoying the experience."

Keeping your community on track is easy thanks to the built-in modes tools.

At the end of the day, making sure your customers have a secure space to communicate is like breathing in fresh air.

5. Audience feedback

In your community on the internet there is a fantastic possibility to get insight on the loyalists. Utilize this information to boost your performance.

For the instance of Casey it is crucial to create the feedback loop between creator and audience.

"It's more about the things we think our readers should have or the things we believe they should have. They are looking for what they want. .... Discover ways to get feedback from different sources. Thank the people who have given feedback, and try various approaches. If you aren't happy with something, switch and pivot."

Casey clarifies that she is conducting this in her classes.

"I am running a survey at midpoint that students complete the form, give their ratings to items, and then provide me with precise feedback on the things they would like to know. At the conclusion of the survey, students complete the exit survey, where students offer me feedback. When somebody has suggested some idea or suggestion, I go it to the next stage and put it into practice.

Sometimes it doesn't stick. But, most often it is due to the fact that similar people are part of my network. My target market is them. This makes it much simpler for me to offer people the content that they want."

Bottom line:

You're who you are.

Post often.

Make the most high-quality content you're capable of.

Keep an eye on your home to ensure your home secure.

Take note of people around you.

By including these elements By adding these components and you'll be on your way to creating a community that people love.

Community members who are just beginning: "When you're first trying to figure stuff out then you'll require the most powerful supporters to help the duration of your endeavor"

Our creators were asked what suggestions they'd offer to those wanting to create an entirely new community.

Jill and Jeffrey advise new designers not to reinvent the wheel when choosing which technologies they select to employ.

There's no reason for you to pay web designers, or even build custom tools off the bat. Instead, you should look for fully-supported tools that are able to connect one another.

"We're all entrepreneurs, and doing it on our own. .... Tech support all over the world in the event that you're not sure of what you're doing makes this process much more simple and straightforward," Jill notes.

"Most websites that we examined cost a percentage of the transactioncost," Jeffrey explains.

"You're being penalized each step you take to the point where it can become a bit snobby. If you actually grow to a larger community which you are part of and you pay a significant percentage for the services. The fixed cost will allow us to offer our [products] very affordably."

Once you've got the right technology, now you're ready to think about what you're going to use it for.

Emily suggests that you start with a small group of people for a shorter period of time.

"When you're just beginning to think of an idea, you'll need your most loyal supporters to stand alongside you .... If you're able to create something that is time-based, like an ongoing challenge for three months and grow your own community.

So, you're given the option of a date for expiration. If your plans don't work out as expected, you'll be off the website for three months and you can reinvent yourself. When you've figured out what you want to achieve, it's feasible to offer 100% to the general public ... as well with no pressure."

This approach will give you valuable insight about what works as well as what's not before opening your programs to the masses.

"Go to your idea. Many times, we become absorbed in our thoughts or we argue our minds out of thoughts. Begin small. .... It can take some time to gain credibility and trust. But if you keep showing your self, just as everyone else on this panel has been affirming, your community will expand.

Reach out to local organizations you already have through Instagram, YouTube, Twitter and Facebook, as well as email or email. Invite them into joining. provide them with genuine, passion, using high-quality.

It will eventually increase."

Your online community might be closer than you think

There's no one-size-fits-all template for online communities and we like this way of working! The options are endless. You're able to build what's suitable for your requirements, your business, and your intended audience.

Use these artists for inspiration. It is certainly true.

These are the main takeaways:

You can host your own community using an all-in-one solution, such as so your products and online classes are in the same area. Be aware of social media algorithmic rules so that users can see the posts you have posted.

Plan to update your blog frequently. You might consider adding live elements such as office hours or hangouts every month to develop friendships.

Make use of feedback from your audience to improve your performance, pivot and adapt.

Start by teaching the basics to a smaller starting group. It's a good occasion to get to know your community and figure out the kinks prior to going publicly.

Avoid reinventing the wheel. There's no need to construct everything by hand when starting out.

The significance of authenticity is. It's not about just getting your followers to follow through with what you'd want them to. It's about offering them the contacts and support that they need to achieve the goals they set for themselves.

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