Building Community

What is Community?

This is pertinent to nonprofits, solopreneurs, and authors: define your "community" and build it. This is marketing at its finest! 

Merriam-Webster defines community as: 

• a unified body of individuals (common interests, characteristics, or history)
• "a state or feeling of caring about and wanting to interact with others in a group"
• society at large

Stanford Social Innovation Review puts it succinctly: "It's about people."

Why Community Matters
A Gemini AI overview compiles these factors, admittedly not seen in any one source, but they seem globally valid.

• Support and Security: members assist each other, especially when it would be difficult to tackle something individually
• Identity and Belonging: members are connected by a broader commonality
• Shared Purpose: members fulfill common needs such as safety, shared values, or mutual goals

Inspiration to Discuss Community
This article created by Tasha Van Vlack of The Nonprofit Hive and posted on Nonprofit Tech for Good grabbed my attention. The focus is on nonprofits, but the sentiments and suggestions are pertinent to all of my clients including solopreneurs and authors. The sentiment is really at the crux of what marketing should be. The entire article is fabulous but I'll highlight key aspects that pertain to my clients to consider.

Community is Far More than Clicks
We have become so focused on clicks, open rates, lists, and membership numbers, that we've lost the point of it all - relationships. People. Truly listening and hearing each other. 

Tasha makes a great distinction: "An audience consumes. A community interacts. An audience receives updates. A community creates momentum. An audience may appreciate your content. A community helps carry your mission further because people feel connected not only to the organization, but to one another." She proposes we find ways to "move from passive presence to real participation." I couldn't agree more.

It is far too easy to become a one-way push of information. Members watch and don't interact or communicate. You'll get an occasional reaction or "like." But your audience doesn't really feel belonging or invested. 

Questions to Consider
I'll share some of Tasha's questions geared to nonprofits to include what's pertinent to small business owners and authors as well. 

• Are people mostly consuming or are they connecting?
• Are we designing for peer exchange or only top-down communication?
• Do people know why they belong here?
• Are we measuring only content performance?
• If our community manager or marketer stepped away for a month, would my audience still connect with one another?
• Are we building something shareable because it is meaningful or just trying to market harder?

That's Nice - But HOW?
Consider how you build relationships. You'll see many overlaps as a business or nonprofit. The key is connecting.

• Networking
  • In person: If you're a nonprofit, do you host events or other opportunities to see community supporters and donors to be able to meaningfully share information and relate? As a solopreneur and author, are you physically meeting with clients or potential clients? There's really no better way to get to know someone.
  • Online: Next best is online networking through messaging platforms, post comments, zoom "chats," and available live events. It makes such a difference when you can take comments and messaging to some online visible meeting to get a better sense of someone!
• Communication: ​Are there ways your donors, supporters, or potential clients can actually chat with you? Consider an Ask the President/Author/Owner opportunity. Online live events that enable two-way conversation are useful. Consider a social media "group" rather than a "page" where all included are able to ask questions and interact, not just the admin sharing curated news.
• What unites you: Beyond simply donating to support a cause or purchasing services, what is your common bond or story? Preserving history - feeding the community - sharing stories of an era - what can you all meaningfully relate to?
• Stories matter: No matter the metrics on posts or emails, are you having meaningful communication with those you hear from? Connecting with a few more deeply is worth far more than vanity metrics. 
• Do you have passionate cheerleaders: Have you shared enough stories that supporters can share them with others to bring more into the tribe? It makes you or your organization more meaningful and takes far less work "marketing." 

Your Turn!
What is "community" to you and how are you building it? I'd love to hear!

Let's Chat or find me on LinkedIn or Substack! 

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