Building Authentic Community Through Common Goals

I’ve coached many of the most successful community leaders. A few are businesses that have grown every year for a decade. I've learned that the key to compounding growth is not complicated funnels, hiring a marketing team, or hanging out on TikTok. The secret to growth for community businesses is… friendship. Helping members make and keep new friends in your community is how you reduce churn, increase your referral rate, and turn your existing members into leaders. And it’s also a really fun metric to build a business around. In her excellent book Platonic, Marisa G. Franco outlines the six elements of starting and deepening friendships. What if we applied these elements to a community business context? Here are the 6 elements, each with one way that we might create an environment that encourages them in our communities: 1. Initiative 💥 One way to encourage: Help your members take initiative by normalizing reaching out and providing them with a clear guide on how to initiate connections. 2. Vulnerability 🤲 One way to encourage: Model vulnerability by sharing your own experiences, challenges, and personal stories in the way you’d like your members to open up to each other. 3. Authenticity 🤸🏻♀️ One way to encourage: Make it clear that the community is different from social media platforms and invite members to show up more joyfully, and less polished than they otherwise would. 4. Productive Anger 🔥 One way to encourage: Be transparent about how conflicts are handled and don’t freak out when they come up. Having clear member guidelines and reminding members of what’s expected of them makes it easier to mediate conflicts when necessary. 5. Generosity 💐 One way to encourage: Encourage members to share what they can offer others, whether it's knowledge, support, or skills. Then, when those exchanges happen make it a point to celebrate them. 6. Affection 💞 One way to encourage: When someone thanks you for introducing you to a new friend because they’re amazing, invite them to also share that message directly with the new friend. It’s a great way to deepen a budding friendship! Cultivating a culture of friendship in your community has the potential to ultimately grow and sustain your business. And it's also a beautiful way to meaningfully improve the lives of your members. What are the ways new friendships have sparked for you in the communities you lead and/or are a part of? Friendship stories are my favorite. ☺️

Notice a gap? What do you do about it? Do you wait for a solution or create it yourself? I noticed a need within the community space and had to find a way to fill it. How did I know? By getting to know my members. I asked what they needed-> surveys, one-on-ones, emails,... Need: Community members wanted to connect. Goal: To bring them together in a common spot. Problem: No common place to gather virtually. To gain more support: Spoke with active users (whom I built relationships with) to contribute and help me promote the event. *Solution: Set up a monthly recurring virtual meet-up -> 'Connect CommUnity' *Benefits from this meetup ↳Members became friends online & offline ↳Learned more about each other & built trust ↳Collaborated at events & in projects together ↳IRL connections happened (picture in comments) Impact of it? ↳Enhanced customer experience ↳Members were excited to hang out ↳Established meaningful relationships ↳Members felt appreciated and heard ↳Over time, members started to host the meet-ups. The beauty of it all? I got to see this all unfold and witness the amazing connections form. Gain more insight into what they needed by listening to their conversations. And continually help create a better environment for them all. ⭐ If you don't see a way to solve a problem, create the solution instead. You don't need to wait for a large crowd to get started. Start with what you have and add on. (If you need help, ask your members)

Build relationships and not a network. "Networking" is cringeworthy for many, especially those who feel it is selfish, wrong, or uncomfortable. The good news is that nobody wants to be at the receiving end of your networking efforts too. If you are trying the same old networking tips that promise to boost your connections but leave you feeling more disconnected than ever, that is because networking is killing relationship building. Stop networking and build genuine relationships. You can do that by thinking about a few things. ➡️ Be genuinely curious - Be interested in learning more about the other person in the conversation. ➡️ Find commonalities - Find common topics like books, kids, dogs, and food but remember that while discussing such common topics can be a good icebreaker, relying solely on these surface-level interests can hinder deeper connections. Dig a little deeper into shared passions or experiences to foster a more meaningful bond. ➡️ Relationships over transactions - Don't treat networking as a transaction. Look for ways to help others genuinely without expecting an immediate return or any return. Building a network based on mutual support and generosity fosters authentic connections that go beyond mere self-interest. ➡️ Notes of gratitude vs. genuine appreciation - Sending notes of gratitude can be powerful, but they lose their impact if they become a routine gesture. Instead, express genuine appreciation when someone has truly made a difference. Personalized and heartfelt acknowledgments go a long way in building lasting connections. ➡️ Public networks vs. personal connections - Investing in public networks can widen your reach, but don't neglect the importance of personal connections. Balancing both public and private networks ensures a well-rounded and authentic approach to relationship building. Remember fostering genuine relationships is important. By avoiding the common pitfalls of networking and focusing on authentic connections, you will be building a network that truly matters.

Authenticity is the cornerstone of personal branding. It involves crafting a story that truly represents who you are and what you stand for. Your message must be clear, your values must be consistent, and your story must be authentic. But authenticity isn't the whole story. You need to understand your audience. As marketing guru Seth Godin suggests, successful branding is also about building a tribe—a community of people who share common beliefs rather than just demographics. So, how can you turn a crowd into a tribe? There are two key factors to make it happen: 1️⃣ 𝐒𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐈𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐭: Find what your audience cares about deeply. If your audience is passionate about sustainability, make it a focus in your content and initiatives. 2️⃣ 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐥𝐬: Connect with your audience in multiple ways: - Leader to tribe: Share your insights and ideas - Tribe to leader: Listen and respond to feedback - Tribe member to tribe member: Encourage connections within the community - Tribe member to outsider: Let your audience spread the word. The more your tribe connects and communicates, the stronger it becomes. So offer tools and platforms that help them bond. Authenticity and community-building go hand in hand. Together, they turn your brand from just another name to a memorable and meaningful experience for your audience.

Last week, I shared a bit about a series we've launched at Mvnifest, and the feedback was fantastic. TLDR: I’m back on my feet, literally and figuratively, after a skiing mishap earlier this spring. Being a Founder/CEO, wife, and mom, it was a massive disruption. For years, I've been wanting to capture the wisdom and experiences of my network of founder-friends, mentors, and consumer goods experts. I kept telling myself, "We'll get to it later," until now. I’m super excited to share this week's conversation with Siffat Haider,  CEO and Co-Founder of Arrae, a natural supplement brand that's taken the internet by storm. Our conversation focuses most deeply on the power of community. We talk about the importance and opportunity of community building and how to do it authentically, and acknowledge that for this one, there just aren’t shortcuts. It’s gotta be real to be real. Siff and I dive into so many aspects of her business, and there are so many amazing nuggets from our conversation, but she highlights the importance of the following: 1️⃣ Humanizing your brand: How to treat your brand as a living, breathing entity and operate your social media and marketing efforts from the voice of an individual.  2️⃣ Personal connection at scale: Consider surprising and delightful types of engagement, like handwritten notes, Polaroids, or personal messages. These can become a cornerstone of community, allowing you to start small and building to a conversation over time. 3️⃣ A balanced budget: Allocate a portion of your marketing budget to community-building efforts, just as you would for influencer marketing or other strategies. Balancing paid partnerships with community engagement is key. 4️⃣ Loyalty Programs (the Rolls Royce of them): Siff encourages founders to consider implementing a loyalty program—if it aligns with your business model. For high-subscription businesses, a well-designed loyalty program can strengthen customer relationships. We talk through how to design a performant loyalty program, including unique incentives that truly show appreciation to your customers. 5️⃣ Creative Engagement: It’s a competitive market, and to stand out, brands need to think differently. Hosting events, workshops, walks, or other activities to engage with your community are a way to bring digital communities together in a physical context. 6️⃣ The Power in Team Involvement: Siff underscores how to involve your entire team in community-building efforts to foster a close-knit relationship between your brand and your customers, and to help spread the weight of the authentic connection throughout your team. The conversation is packed with actionable insights and real-world experiences that founders in consumer goods NEED to hear. 🚀  Check out the full conversation on Substack and let me know if you have any thoughts below. 💬 https://lnkd.in/gcw9B3Qd #CommunityBuilding #CPGBrands #BehindtheBrand #Arrae #SiffHaider