What is a Customer Community? (+Examples) |

Customers' relationships that were just one-way have become a thing of the past when they existed. Most successful companies of these modern age don't just communicate with customers but instead engage with them and form significant relationships with them. This is where communities of customers come into the equation.

In this this post, we'll be talking what we mean by a customer-centric community. This post will use the most recent research conducted by academics to define the characteristics that make a community designed with customers special. We'll talk about the benefits from having a community that can provide support for customers and provide some examples of communities which have been formed.

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What exactly is a community?

A customer community is a private area which facilitates communication between a brand or company and its clients. It can allow for responses to inquiries, as well as information exchanges, and also marketing or customer education, along with customer support and feedback. The site can be built using many different methods including using email, social media websites, or a dedicated online forum.

Most important in this case is the term connected. Community-based customer services that function well do not only provide a platform for companies to place ads. According to research, people prefer business dealing with companies they "know they like and can are able to trust," which is exactly the reason why a group of consumers performs most effectively. It helps the trust of clients to grow.

Customers' community could be conceptually interpreted as digging into the idea of " Social Identity Theory :" when people are part of a group including good group of customers, they get the feeling of being part of a community. confidence in themselves and a sense of direction and self-esteem.

These are incredible examples of the kind community that users can take part in, whether for free, enterprise communities or brand communities that are paid for...

• An organization that is non-profit has enrolled 9,000 nationwide members.
  
• The faith-based community has expanded to 470 leaders in seventy-seven nations.
  
• An entrepreneurship org. was founded with 5,000 members. The business recouped its investment in capital with the introduction of a community-based application that became available to its customers in less than two months.
  
• The health-oriented launch of 100 premium customers boosted the ARR by the amount of $40,000.
  
• The community established a course 13 weeks long that brought an estimated 100k of revenue in two months.
  
• The personal finance company produced $300,00 over five days in their most recent training.
  
• A socially conscious SAAS company combined a social media application and regular meetings and witnessed a 70 percent growth in contributions and engagement.
  

What is a community of customers not

Understanding the theoretical foundation for developing a community allows us to comprehend why the most successful communities of clients are not in your email lists or in your Facebook group. To reap the benefits of the community below, it's essential to at a minimum have members who feel like they belong in the group.

Here are some of the ways to keep in mind when using the phrase "community of clients" does not mean:

• An email list
  
• How many followers you have on your social media accounts that you have
  
• Your Facebook group
  
• The amount of comments that you receive on your blog post
  
• Customer service numbers are yours.
  
• The chatbot's users
  

We've discovered that the main ingredient of customer community is participating in it It's simple to comprehend the reason these aren't customer-centric communities. Each of these interactions is within your company, however they're not able to provide a sense of belonging.

The closest we've got to this is a Facebook group However, within the group, we notice a an absence of brand loyalty and feeling of belonging. Facebook isn't a viable alternative to Facebook to create the kind of relationship that is dynamic as well as member-led engagement which can build a truly online community built on the branding.

Why you should build an online community that is a place for customers to connect

Benefits of a user-based community

The development is led by Access members. Access

A new class of businesses with high impact built on the idea of community participation. Communities are in fact an extremely profitable business model which McKinsey recognized it as the best business model to follow in the upcoming years that is a flywheel of communities.

There's been a flurry of growth companies led by customers, and even community-based customer services. If they're paid for, they could create amazing recurring revenue opportunities. But the community also lets the growth of its members in autopilot.

Community is described as "a company that is growing its own self-sufficiency" because of the combination of member-generated content, the energy that members generate in addition to AI tools that facilitate managing your community. It makes it easier to make the connections between people that fuel the success of your company.

The key is that the big names such as Logo, Apple, and Nike are all leveraged and is producing huge profit. (See the following examples. )

Don't think about funnels. There is nothing more powerful than a community of customers to create a brand the way that's automatic.

Enhance the brand's Loyalty

The study of 2022 suggests that thriving brand communities are able to have an impact significant on the loyalty of customers to companies because they could turn into a significant part of an individual's identity. The connection between identity in the social world and loyalty to brands can be constructed with care and play on the notion of worth and satisfaction in consumers.

The process of transforming the customers, subscribers or even followers into members isn't something to be taken at a leisurely pace. Contrary to the types of relationships that members have They are part of.

Be part of the community rather than purchasing is the most important aspect of establishing a community flywheel.

Enhance CLV

Everyone knows that customers' lifetime value (CLV) is fed through retention. However, only a handful of firms are able attain this. According to a survey, SurveySparrow discovered that the most profitable businesses had an average of 94% retention rate even though the retention rate of their businesses was just 4 percent in certain industries.

While brand loyalty may be valuable as a whole however it could also result in an increase in the value of your lifetime. This should be a given since retention and connections by turning buyers into members can improve the CLV of your business better than other strategies.

Makes selling a breeze.

One of the things that the research into flywheels within the community revealed was that the process of selling is significantly simpler in a social environment.

The common sales funnel is designed to push every prospect through the sales funnel and losing more prospects until you discover the little percentage that purchases.

If you're in a customer-centric community it's not possible to achieve this. Many of the people you consider your "leads" possess a positive and welcoming manner and as long as they don't decide to leave your community, they'll stay in the community, regardless of whether they're ready to purchase yet or otherwise.

This results in a very prosperous business environment where there is no need to be reliant on fake deadlines or pressure. Instead, concentrate on building relationships and providing value. It will be amazing to observe your progress and outcomes will be highly motivating should you choose to promote your products. The majority of our communities inform them that they have customers interested in knowing the products they could buy.

Then we come back to...

Receive the most comprehensive feedback

The feedback of customers is crucial. Yet HubSpot's team of researches found that 42% of businesses do not ever ask for feedback from customers or gather feedback!

If there were an easier method to collect feedback than sending out surveys, expecting to receive to receive a response?

Enter: the customer community. When we spoke to Oiselle Volee brand, which is a women's clothing brand, about their group of customers they told us they were offering something amazing. The Oiselle customer group offered customers with an opportunity to meet with. Also, it provided a vital feedback loop to developing new products. The company could get immediate feedback regarding their ideas for products or the new product. There were times when there were customers who requested things they'd never even dreamed of.

Put customer service on autopilot

We've mentioned Apple as an excellent customer-centric example in the following. Apple uses their large community of customers to provide customer help and support, as well as to game all of the process to ensure that the most dedicated Apple customers show up for free and provide assistance for no cost!

It is an effective method to increase trust in the brand that allows users to channel the sense of being a part of the company to the company that consumers feel towards the brand. This is an excellent method to bring customer service back into be a part of everyday life.

Instead of dialing a 1-800 number, or waiting to be contacted by chatbots, customers can have answers to their queries through the forum. That's powerful.

Let transformations take place

People purchase goods or services in order to satisfy a need. Most of the time, what customers want could result in a transformation of some sort such as an organized kitchen (i.e. oven cleaner) or to shed 10lbs (ie. running equipment) and to create the ideal gardening space (i.e. an gardening magazine) as well as spending time in the park with family (i.e. barbecue ).

A person's purchase of a tent isn't a guarantee it's a guarantee that they'll go camping. This is where a fantastic user-generated community could be located. If you can go above the sale by aiding your clients in their usage of your products or services, you are likely to soon find yourself surrounded by a large number of happy customers who will spread their word to others about your business. Communities of customers are not just there for the purpose of increasing the sales. It's about helping customers to be successful.

There's more! An active community of customers will provide valuable feedback about your services and products. This could be an additional demand that your payment be made.

Because of these and others, establishing a customer community is an excellent concept. What are you waiting around doing nothing?

     Learn to use to establish a flourishing customer community!

Harness real engagement

The idea behind engaging with customers involves be convinced that the posts that you publish on social media receives 15 likes, that's not a good approach to use. Customers' communities can result in real engagement with customers, and create connections with your clients. Do not forget the goal of our business is to allow your customer to become included in the community.

It's amazing to escape the chaos of content of social media and build real-time engagement that users love.

8 amazing examples of communities that is geared toward customers

1. Topstitch Makers

There are many wonderful examples of customer service that is based on community available in this article . Have a look at Leigh Metcalf, who built an Mighty Network (AKA a "sewcial network") in the course due to the growing of her sewing and fabric company: Topstitch Studio and Lounge. Topstitch Makers, the company's Mighty Network, Topstitch Makers offers a chance to study and provide weekly sewalongs that aid members to sew their way to successful outcomes.

2. Duolingo

Duolingo is an application that makes learning a new languages exciting, simple as well as cost-effective (freemium)! As a background application, Duolingo has a dedicated volunteers' community, which is dedicated to helping users meet their language requirements in addition to making improvements to the overall performance of the app.

The idea is that every person is entitled to the education of their language, these enthusiastic polyglots donate their time and energy to bring diverse languages and programs on the website!

3. Oiselle

Oiselle is a clothing brand for runners who want to go beyond selling items and allow its customers to communicate and gain knowledge from other people. The brand has created the Mighty Network, Oiselle Volee which is built around the pleasure of exercise. In the beginning, it was only a chance to connect with other runners, but then the illness grew to include all that the Oiselle community does; now the four thousand members of Oiselle are able to be found within an online community, where they can engage in chats in real time as well as live events online.

4. Lego

Lego is the multibillion-dollar brand beloved by kids due to the amazing building abilities and by their parents as mines that can cause pain each time you step on the ground.

Just kidding!

Actually, Lego is loved all over the world by children as well as adults. A group of passionate builders discuss thoughts on the Lego user community. Members can choose the Lego models they want to receive the stamp of approval and be authentic Lego models!

5. Peloton

Peloton gained fame in the aftermath of the financial crisis when we all tried to be fit and healthy in our houses. Peloton established a flourishing users' community to help fitness. Users can post scores, discuss video during training sessions and also encourage each other through the Peloton Facebook community.

6. Adobe

Adobe products focus on making videos, photos along with music. They're the industry standard. However, ask any person who has used Adobe software and they'll be confident in telling you it's not an easy task to master.

The Adobe customer support community provides an online community where customers have the opportunity to get answers to their questions, as well as suggestions for getting the most of their software. The company's slogan "Come to get help and be at ease" is a good summary of their philosophy, which begins with helping people learn about their software and taking them on a journey to learn how they can master their craft.

7. Apple

Apple has built a massive customer base that can also serve as a service for customers. Apple has created a game order for contributors to gain more points as well as access to a wider range of choices to run their communities at the level which they reach. Members who reach the higher levels can also get access to a private group.

You're probably thinking that using your customer service to the point that the customers will want to help one another out with assistance is a fantastic method of developing a strategy to make use of the customer community.

8. Shopify

If you're interested in being part of a fantastic customers-oriented community, then look no further than Shopify. Since Shopify allows their customers to create stores where they offer their merchandise. Shopify community has a strong dedication to education and training as well as answering your questions and even hosting live gatherings.

Are you ready to create your own client base?

It doesn't matter if your user-facing community is a free business community, or subscription that generates additional revenue Make your community stronger with Mighty!

Mighty includes classes, content, community, and commerce. Flexible Spaces let you create the most unique customer-centric community other than by blending chat, discussion, chat, livestreaming and live events with courses (if you wish). You can choose the features you'd like to use (and take out the other features). ).

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 easier than ever to create a vibrant, customer-focused community with less than a few hours per week.

Furthermore it comes with Mighty Pro You get G2's most well-known community software, with the help of your own brand-named app. It's the sole app you can own in the App Store and Google Play Store. In addition, when you build with Mighty Pro, you'll work in our group of Account Managers and Social Media Strategists who have been instrumental in boosting the number of creator brands with seven figures as well as eight-figure subscription businesses.

Call us today to make an appointment, and we'll talk about possible partnerships.

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