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

Relationships with customers that only one way are the norm when they first came into. The most successful brands of these modern times do not just speak to their customers, they engage with them, and build real connections. That's where a community comes into.

In this article we'll discuss the concept of customer community using research in the area of academics to highlight the characteristics that make a group of consumers distinct. The article will discuss the benefits of a support community for customers and provide several examples of community relations.

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What is a Community?

Customer communities are an exclusive zone that helps facilitate the connection between a brand or company and their customers. The community can provide questions and answers, and also learning opportunities, knowledge exchange for customers, promotional opportunities as well as assistance for product or service issues and comments. It can be achieved through a myriad of ways, such as through emails, websites and social media platforms, and even an online forum.

The key word in this context is RELATED. Communities-based customer service isn't just places for brands to throw advertising. In the words of an old adage customers want to conduct business with people who they "know, like, and trust" and that's exactly what communities do best. It provides the opportunity for this trust to grow.

Community-based customer relationships can theoretically be considered as a way of examining what's called " Social Identity Theory :" when people join a group, including good customer communities-they feel the sense of belonging feeling of belonging, self-worth and belonging.

Below are a few amazing examples of what community-based customer that are free, enterprise communities or even brand-sponsored ones can do...

• An organization that is non-profit has joined 9,000 national members.
  
• The faith-based community has expanded to 470 leaders in seventy-seven nations.
  
• An entrepreneurship org. has been launched to 5,000 people and recouped the cost of a community-based app in less than two and a half weeks.
  
• The health-focused launch of 100 premium subscribers increased the ARR by the amount of $40,000.
  
• One community launched the add-on course for 13 weeks and increased income by $100k in just two months.
  
• A personal financial service provider for use made $130K over 5 days, utilizing their most recent course.
  
• An impact-oriented SAAS business merged a user-community application with their regular events and experienced a 70 percentage increase in participation as well as engagement.
  

What exactly is a community of customers?

Understanding the theoretical foundation for community of customers helps us realize the value of communities that are made up of customers. aren't your email lists or Facebook groups. To reap the many benefits of community, you need to have at the very least people who feel they belong.

With this in mind Here are a few things that a community of customers isn't:

• An email list
  
• The amount of social media followers you have
  
• Your Facebook group's members. Facebook group
  
• The number of people who like the most recent post you've posted
  
• The people calling your customer service phone
  
• Chatbots users
  

In the same way that we have identified that the most important ingredient in customer-centric communities is the feeling of belonging and belonging, it's evident why they aren't the same as a community for customers. These are all interactions that have to do with your company, but they're not capable of conveying an impression of belonging.

It could be an idea for Facebook groups. However, even here we find very absence of connection to brands and belonging. It's hard to use Facebook for the kind of a dynamic connection and user-driven engagement that grows a real branding community.

The main reason to establish an online community for customers

The advantages of a customer community

Members-led growth

A brand new breed of high-performance companies based on the idea of membership communities. In fact, community-based businesses are an extremely lucrative business model which McKinsey acknowledged as the perfect business model for the future, which can be described as a community flywheel.

There's been an explosion of growing companies led by members, including community-based customer services. If they're paid by the community, it could create enormous revenue streams via repeated transactions. However, the community can also put development on autopilot.

The term "community" has been used to describe community as "a enterprise that's growing on its own" because of the combination of member-generated content, enthusiasm generated by members and AI-powered tools that help simplify the administration of your group. This makes it easier than ever before to build the connections that propel your company.

The secret is that big names like Logo, Apple, and Nike have all leveraged which is resulting in massive earnings. (See the following examples. )

Do not think about funnels. Nothing beats a user group to grow your business automatically.

Enhance the brand's reputation and increase its loyalty

A study in 2022 suggested that strong communities of companies can have an impact on the loyalty of customers to brands, as the community is a key part in the character of the person. The strong relationship between identity in the social world and brand loyalty can be created deliberately and is a factor in perceived value and the satisfaction of clients with brands.

Transforming customers, subscribers, and even your followers into members is something you should not take lightly. Unlike all of those transactional relationships, members belong.

Being a part of the community instead of purchasing is the most important aspect of building a community flywheel.

Enhance CLV

We know that customer life-time value (CLV) is affected by retention, however there are very few brands that have it right. In a recent survey, SurveySparrow found that the top companies had around a 94 percent retention rate, despite the fact that their retention rate was only four percent in some industries.

Brand loyalty is a valuable asset in and of itself, it also can lead to an increase in the value of your lifetime. This is a must because retention as well as connecting with customers by turning purchasers into members could increase your CLV in a way that is unlike anything otherwise.

It makes it simple to sell your.

One of the things that is evident from the study of community flywheels demonstrated is that selling can be made dramatically easier if you're with the support of a large group.

The typical sale funnel is focused on moving every lead that is possible through the sales sequence but then losing those leads until you have the minimal percentage that will be able to purchase.

If you've got a customer-centric community, then you shouldn't be doing this. The majority of people who are your "leads" will be welcoming, and unless they leave the community, they'll remain in the community regardless of whether they're prepared at the moment or not.

This results in a very rich sales environment in which it is not necessary to depend on fake deadlines or pressures simply keep cultivating the relationship and offering value. It will be awe-inspiring to see your amazing results when you decide to sell something. Our communities often tell us that they even have customers who are interested in knowing the products they can buy.

That brings us up...

Find the top feedback

The feedback of customers is vital. However, HubSpot's research team discovered that 42% of businesses never survey their customers or get feedback!

If there were an easier method of collecting feedback rather than distributing surveys, expecting to receive to receive a response?

Join the customer community. We talked to Oiselle Volee the women's clothing business about their customers base, and they told us an amazing story. The Oiselle customers' community provided members an atmosphere to be a part of. It also provided a valuable feedback loop for the development of new products. You could receive instant feedback regarding product ideas as well as new products. Some customers have even asked for products that they hadn't ever considered.

Autopilotize customer service for customers.

We've highlighted Apple as a great user community model below. Apple utilizes its user base to assist customers, and gamifies all of the process to ensure that only the best Apple members can be part of the community without cost and provide answers absolutely free!

This is a clever approach to get the brand's loyality to the forefront, allowing users to leverage the feeling of belonging to the company that consumers feel for their brands into something that brings the customer experience to the forefront of their efforts.

Instead of dialing the 1-800 number or waiting for a call by chatbots, customers have the option of having their questions answered through the community on the internet. That's powerful.

Transforms may occur

The majority of people purchase products or services due to the fact that they are looking for some thing. Most often, it's an improvement or is of a certain kind, for example you are looking to tidy your kitchen (i.e. oven cleaner) as an example, loss 10lbs (ie. running equipment) or for building your perfect backyard (i.e. a gardening publication), or to spend time relaxing in the garden with your family (i.e. grilling out). ).

If someone purchases a tent, it doesn't necessarily mean they'll get it to work. That's where a strong customer base comes into. If you can go beyond the transaction, and help your clients succeed in using the product or service you offer, you will have raving clients who'll recommend your company to friends. The goal of a community of customers isn't just to increase revenue. The goal is to help customers achieve their goals.

There's more! A loyal customer base can give you valuable feedback on your products and services, which you may otherwise have to pay to get.

Due to these and many other reasons the idea of building a community of customers is a great idea. What are you wasting time to do?

     Find out what you can take advantage of it to create an active community of clients on this page!

Harness real engagement

If your concept of engagement with customers is your posts via social media will garner 15 likes, then you're not playing the right game. Community-based customer engagement can lead to genuine customer engagement and real relations with clientsfor a long time. Remember it was mentioned earlier that the goal is for the customer to become part of the community.

It's thrilling when you're in a position to get off the endless stream of posts on social media platforms, and build genuine engagement people enjoy.

8 awesome examples of communities for customers

1. Topstitch Makers

There are a myriad of amazing examples of customer communities that are available right here . Look no further than Leigh Metcalf, who built the Mighty Network (AKA a "sewcial network") in conjunction with her sewing and fabric business: Topstitch Studio and Lounge. Leigh Metcalf's Mighty Network, Topstitch Makers offers classes as well as regular sewalongs, which help participants in sewing their way to the level of success they'd like.

2. Duolingo

Duolingo is the app which helped make learning a new language enjoyable as well as easy and cheap (freemium)! On the other hand, Duolingo has a dedicated group of volunteers who commit themselves to assisting users with their language needs and improving the overall quality of the app.

The idea is that EVERYONE should have access to an educational language the enthusiastic polyglots volunteer their time and energy to integrate new languages and modules onto the platform!

3. Oiselle

Oiselle is a running apparel company that has a desire to go beyond the sale of merchandise, and to help customers connect and learn from other people. The brand has developed their very own Mighty Network, Oiselle Volee which is built around the joy of running. It was initially a place to find runners, but it was extended by the outbreak to cover everything the Oiselle community can offer. Today the 4000 members of Oiselle Volee can be found in chats with real people and lively events on the internet.

4. Lego

Lego is a multibillion-dollar brand, known to kids due to its impressive abilities to construct and is often the fact that their parents refer to it as tiny landmines which make you feel pain if you walk on them.

Just kidding!

In reality, Lego is loved around all over the world by children and adults alike, and a collection of devoted builders offer their opinions regarding the Lego community of customers. Members can vote on which fan builds deserve stamping appreciation and build authentic Lego kits!

5. Peloton

Peloton became famous as the disease spread, and we were doing our exercise within our home. Peloton established a lively fitness community that is a great place to exercising. Members can discuss their scores, engage in video chats throughout their workouts, and encourage each other on the Peloton Facebook page.

6. Adobe

Adobe products are dedicated to making videos, photos and music. They're the gold standard for this field. Ask anyone who has experienced the joy of using an Adobe software, they'll tell you that it's not an easy job to master.

The Adobe Customer Community allows users to post questions and solutions and methods to maximize the use from the application. Their slogan "Come to assist, and be motivated," pretty much sums their approach to working. They begin by helping clients determine their plans, as well as helping them along the path of becoming proficient in their craft.

7. Apple

Apple has built a thriving community of users, and it can also be a great Customer Service platform. Apple has also enhanced their experiences so that their members earn points and are allowed an increased number of options to moderate the community in order to advance to higher levels. Users who have reached the top levels also get access to a private community.

If you're considering it that way, making your customer service more gamified to make your customers be willing to provide one another with assistance is a pretty brilliant use of a customer community.

8. Shopify

To experience an amazing customer support community that is active, check out Shopify. As Shopify allows their customers to build shops that market their products and products The Shopify community is committed to a determination to provide education and training by responding to frequently asked questions, in addition to coordinating live gatherings.

Are you looking to create your own community of customers?

It doesn't matter if your customer-facing community is an enterprise-based community, free or paying for a membership that generates extra revenue. Join us today to create your community using Mighty!

Mighty connects classes as well as content, community and commerce. Flexible Spaces let you create a an unrivalled customer experience unlike any elsewhere, by mixing conversations chat and live streaming as well as online classes and events (if you want to). You can choose those features that you would like to use (and turn off all the others). ).

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 engaged customer base using just a couple of hours each week.

With Mighty Pro, you get G2's best-rated community software, built that is based on your personal brand name app. This is your own app that is available on both the App Store and Google Play Store. Furthermore, when building using Mighty Pro, you'll work with our Account Strategists as well as Community Strategists that have scaled the size of 7-figure creative brands as well as 8+-figure subscription companies.

Book a call to today to discuss possible partnerships.

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