How to Create an Enterprise Community by 2023
Mindbody is a SAAS business that assists the owners of wellness companies, with a software solution for operating businesses that can handle the scheduling of staff, payroll and much more. It's a fantastic product. But Mindbody was looking for a place that business owners could have the ability to connect to receive support on the daily challenges they face - not just software related and all other aspects of related to business.
The solution was Mindbody One which is a group for people who run fitness and wellness companies that has grown to more than 16,000 members. And community members are showing up - they have an average retention of 89. By building this community, Mindbody isn't just providing support for users of their software. It also helps their business owners thrive across all aspects of their work as well as creating a secure environment where they can be connected to other like-minded folks.
Mindbody's powerhouse community is an excellent example of a community for business that has been executed correctly. However, not all communities for business are as impressive. It's likely that you've given your information to cashiers at some point and then discovered that joining the company's "community" generally meant that you'd be regularly bombarded with offers regularly. Most likely, you hit your "unsubscribe" button so fast your finger hurt.
It's unfortunate that so many businesses are struggling to build great communities, since there's never been a better possibilities. People are comfortable with connecting with brands they like (think Peloton or Adobe or Nike) which is opening the gates for all types of businesses to prosper. Alongside communities built to support products and services, we're seeing increasing numbers of brands which community is the service.
If you're eager to put your business into this game then welcome! The time is now to get started. In this post we'll speak to you about how to create a community for your business. We'll explain precisely how to go from 0 to creating a vibrant community around your company's image. And we'll share more stories of other business communities that have accomplished this.
In this article...
What exactly is a business community?
What a business community is not
Reasons to build an enterprise community
How to create the foundation of a community of business
6. Pick the appropriate platform
What is a community?
When we say the word "business community," a different generation might think of the Chamber of Commerce. However, there's been an enormous shift in how we use this word, and now we're talking about something else. A business community is typically an organization of people, typically customers that are as a result of a certain company.
You might be thinking "customer community" and that's a great starting point. After all, brands like Apple, Duolingo, Lego and Peloton have built community areas which go beyond customer serviceand instead blend in connection and innovation. We're now seeing communities for business grow beyond that, as for many brands community is an essential aspect of company's business, which means it's a part of their product offering.
This is evident with communities such as Oiselle Volee - built by the women's clothing brand, Oiselle - that was designed to discuss running-related tips. It's now many more, with women runners finding the community and connections there, which was especially important in the midst of the epidemic. For the privilege of creating a platform that's an essential aspect of life for many, Oiselle also ended up having a loyal fans who provide instant comments on products they have already used and suggestions for the creation of new ones.
It's clear that there are brands doing businesses well, but unfortunately - still too many brands failing miserably. Below we'll explain how to get it working.
What is a business community isn't
- An email list
- A barrage of special deals
- A sales funnel
- Announcing board
- A one-directional conversation
- The fan-club
- An Facebook page or LinkedIn page
The reasons to create the business community
- The product you are creating is complex and requires a lot of training and assistance.
- Your product will benefit from users connecting with it.
- Your goal is to bring more value to your customers (not selling).
- It is essential to contact your customers on a regular on a regular.
steps to establish the foundation of a community for businesses
There are many companies that would benefit from a community. So why aren't more brands building great business communities? There are probably a few various reasons. The first is that it isn't easy to figure out how to begin (let's fix that today). But also, it takes patience to actually plant the seeds of a vibrant community, without dominating the discussion or getting excessively promotional. In the end, it's your brand. It's a bit scary to let your brand out there for all to be seen and to take whatever happens. We think it's worth it. It can however be quite a leap - particularly initially.
An excellent business community isn't just for you. It's meant for the people who are... the customer, that is. If you can bring worth to your customers' lives in any way, typically through sharing their knowledge, experiences or relationships, then there's a high chance of succeeding.
1. Find your purpose
The process we teach is known as community Design(tm) at Mighty, and the place we start is at your Big Purpose. Each great community is a uniting point. A shared idea. Communities unite people because of an reason. So what is that main reason?
Start here.
Use this template to clarify your Big Purpose.
2. Know your ideal member
The first step in building a business community is to think about your ideal Member. Your ideal member is probably your client. What is their need? What is their goal? Does a community assist them get it?
The time came when Adriene Mishler hosts the extremely loved YouTube channel Yoga with Adriene wanted a community home for her more than 10 million followers creating a community ultimately called Find What Feels Good - Kula isn't only about monetization or promotion. It helped those who watched (for no cost) through YouTube YouTube Channel get something that they desired; and they were able to enhance their yoga practices. By adding a community app that offers new classes, events, monthly challenges and the possibility to meet and befriend other practitioners, FWFG created a business community which serves... its members.
If you're thinking about creating a community for business Bring it back to your Ideal Member. What benefits will they receive from joining this group? (And "to be added to our email list" isn't a great solution.
Usually, it's because people are looking for more.
- Additional instructions on how to use your product.
- More help to understand your program.
- Greater exposure to individuals who've travelled further than they've been.
- More opportunities to feedback or inquire about issues.
- Friendships with more people who share their passions.
Choose the ideal member first then move on to the next.
3. Provide value
The most important aspect of any business community should always be providing benefits to your customers. The exact value to your customers will depend a bit on who they are and the things they require, as we talked about above.
Be creative when it comes to how you offer value. If you go at the Big Purpose statement, there's the secret formula for creating value hidden within it: The best way to create worth is by offering some sort of transformation.
In the same way we discussed in the previous paragraph, Oiselle transforms shoe buyers into runners' community. Another brand worth mentioning is The Academy to Innovate HR (AIHR), runs an 11,500+ community for HR professionals who want to develop their careers and learn new skills. And another B2B SAAS company, 15Five, built a community of customers using their HR software. Their vision always went far from "sell additional software" instead focusing on creating an actual change in the HR sector, particularly by empowering new voices.
Each one of these companies provides HUGE value to their members, and they're crucial in helping members live some sort of transformation.
4. Aid them in relating
It's an expression that is well-known in the world of community-building. Many people join communities in exchange for some benefit, say access to a course or even an event. However, people stay in communities year after year because of friendships that they make in them.
As you're dreaming about your business community, your job isn't to make every single experience your members will experience. Your community manager or employees aren't the only person your community members talk to.
Give them the opportunity to connect with each other. Participate in discussions, discussions and live events. Basically, hold SPACE for them to meet up with each other and not just to you. The relationships that form are the ones that make or break your community, and it's important to get off the way and let them form.
5. Let members have a voice
This is closely related to what we just talked about However, you must let your users participate in the community. Let them create articles and submit questions. Think about running events like "Featured person of the week," which will help members get to know each other.
Ultimately, by offering your members the opportunity to speak and letting them speak, you're saving time and energy in creating quality content. Great communities require the input of users. However, there's much more to it. By giving your members the opportunity to have a voice, you're giving them ownership of your community. And when you do that, they're more likely to show up and pour their energy into it.
Here's a question. How come Apple's user forums enjoy such a HUGE volume of people who are willing to answer questions about using the products. Is it just because they gamify the process by awarding points to those that help? Yes, it's component of the equation. However, the main point is that they're giving people OWNERSHIP of their community and the brand. That's why they're willing to stay on the scene every day to answer questions for free.
6. Select the best platform
After you've completed all the work to create the foundation for a flourishing business community it's important to select an excellent platform for business communities to build your community on. It's true that numerous businesses attempt to build communities on outdated community software that actually works against them rather than partnering with the software. If you're restricted in terms of the features you can use and the way members are able to access your community, then you might discover your community is dead before it even gets off the ground.
For example, do members have to go to your website and remember passwords, only to access a cumbersome forum area that's difficult to navigate? Why on earth would anybody want to be part of such a group?
Select a platform that's simple to use and grows with your. There are some options to consider (pick those that will be important to your ):
- A forum for community interaction
- Member profiles
- Chat and message
- Live streaming
- Live-event features
- A LMS (AKA courses)
- White-label apps
- Customizable spaces
- Complete branding control
- Options for monetization
- Notifications
- Integration of email
- Charging in different currencies
- Analytics
Find out what's working
Discover what's effective. Make it more effective. If you're running an effective business already, you've probably already figured this out. This is true of your business community too.
The community platform you choose to use should include a comprehensive collection of data analytics that can figure out how people spend their time. Furthermore it should also be possible to get community feedback with surveys and polls (it's great to have them integrated into the ).
This type of customer information is extremely valuable because it can help to pinpoint exactly the needs and wants of your clients. would like to hear from them. And you can concentrate on the things that are working and less on what's not working.
Are you ready to begin?
If you're looking for a platform that gives you all the features that we've talked about, let's speak about Mighty. Mighty Pro is a cultural software platform that allows you to combine content, communities, courses, and commerce. With flexible Spaces allows you to incorporate all the tools you require for your business community by incorporating things such as live streaming forums, live events as well as chat and messaging classes, video and written content , and much more. Did not we also mention that we're the #1-rated online community management platform according to G2?
The best thing about it? We'll collaborate together with you to ensure that your company's image is visible to the business community. Additionally, we'll create a gorgeous app so that your customers can find you in the App Store and Google Play Store. Make an appointment with us, and we'll demonstrate to how we can build with you.