UFOstart Newsletter

Hey there 👋

Are you sick of hearing the word “community” all the time? Yes, every project needs a community, everyone is talking about it and using it like a buzzword. Today we’re covering insights from David Spink’s Book "The Business of Belonging" which really nicely summarizes how to turn user groups into business drivers.

So, what's on the agenda?

• C-O-M-M-U-N-I-T-Y (We can’t promise it’s the last time you hear about this😜)

• Top Tweets/Bite-Sized Insights of the week

Everything you need to know about Communities

Tired of the "Community" Buzzword? Here's How to Make It Work for You! 🙌

Community. It’s a hot topic right now – all sorts of businesses are talking about creating communities of users.

Here’s the thing: Back then, businesses didn’t care very much about users. Once you’d bought a product and leafed through the instruction manual, you were on your own. Customer support was little more than an annoyance to businesses. Customers were a cost, not a benefit. But Guess what? Support costs drop when users help users.

"The Business of Belonging" by David Spink provides great insights into transforming communities from mere user groups into pivotal business drivers. So let’s get into the learnings:

The SPACES Framework for Community Impact:

• Support: Communities as a first line of support.

• Product: Small groups influencing product direction (like Lyft's Driver Advisory Council).

• Acquisition: Leveraging community for spreading brand awareness.

• Contribution: Users creating content, like Airbnb hosts.

• Engagement: Communities driving customer retention (e.g., Duolingo).

• Success: Advanced support through training and mentorship.

The Social Identity Cycle:

• Identification: Members identifying with the community. Imagine someone signing up on a platform and being welcomed from the community, their participation is immediately validated.

  Next they participate, initiate discussions and get even more responses (they receive more validation). The cycle continues! Users who feel like they belong are the most likely to participate – which is the next step in the cycle.

• Participation: Active involvement in discussions and activities.

• Validation: Constant recognition and affirmation is needed to develop the sense of belonging within the community.

Diverse Participation Levels :

You need people at all levels of participation – even passive members.

Passive member, active member, power member, leader: all four levels are crucial & there will always be more people at the bottom. But that’s normal because you don’t just need leaders - you need the lurkers too.

The ones consuming or being the audience.

About 80 percent of your community’s content to be created by 20 percent of its members. Don’t resent the majority of members who remain passive. You’re better off encouraging the 20 percent who are contributing to do even more: they’re already engaged, and if they’re active members they have a great chance of going on to become power members or leaders.

The power members, by the way, are the ones who contribute the most – companies often make particular schemes for them, like Airbnb’s Super Host program. And the leaders are so committed that they take on roles like moderator or admin.

The SNAP Model for Validation - What types of validation are we talking about?

• Status: Recognition through badges and points.

• Networking: Opportunities for connections.

• Access: Influence and being heard.

• Perks: Tangible rewards like tickets or certifications.

Balanced Reward System: Ensure rewards are meaningful without over-gamifying.

Designing Dynamic Community Spaces: Tailor spaces for various interaction levels and plan repetitive community activities.

Personal Touch in Early Stages: Personalize and don’t automate in your early startup stages.

Platform Selection: Choose the right platform based on where your members are and what they look for.

Need help in choosing the right platform? Get an AI-powered marketing plan that will help you in <10min here:

TOP TWEETS

Check out the most insightful and game-changing Tweets just for you:

What would you like to learn about Community Building? 👥

👉 Is there anything you would like to learn more about when it comes to building a community? What exactly are you struggling with? Or what key learnings have you made? We’d like to hear from you! Hit 'Reply' and share your thoughts!