How to Foster Authentic Engagement in Micro-Communities

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. ☺️

Subject: Community First, Agencies Later Dear CEO, It's not time to invest in marketing if there hasn't been an organic investment of time in the community surrounding your solution. The mistake most early-stage B2B startups make is seeking quick fixes for rapid growth. Here's what I hear almost always: "𝘐 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘨𝘳𝘰𝘸 𝘮𝘺 𝘣𝘶𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴, 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘸𝘦 𝘣𝘦 𝘪𝘯𝘷𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘯 𝘢 𝘮𝘢𝘳𝘬𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘺 𝘰𝘳 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘤𝘦 𝘺𝘦𝘵?" I start by understanding their commitment. Is there signals of traction or product market fit? 1. How many hours a week are you dedicating to community engagement? 2. What is holding you back from being a voice in the community? 3. What is the biggest blocker for you right now? These questions open the door to transparent discussions. The response generally is - not enough time. I remind them the core of their GTM strategy should be active Community Engagement. Don't rush into expensive partnerships targeting an uninformed audience. Instead, commit yourself/team at min. 6-9 months for substantial time investment in community building. To guide them through this phase, here's a simple framework: 𝟭. 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗼𝗻 𝗟𝗶𝗻𝗸𝗲𝗱𝗜𝗻 Network Mindfully: Connect with industry folks, allies, and even competitors. It becomes your strategic playground. Smart Starts: → Add 5-10 new connections weekly. → Engage with 3-5 thought leaders; don't lurk, add commentary. → Share insights—think quality over quantity. → Repeat weekly, show them your invested. Build your name. 𝟮. 𝗦𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗣𝗢𝗩 𝗼𝗻 𝗟𝗶𝗻𝗸𝗲𝗱𝗜𝗻 Address Pain Points: Find the sore spots your customers are dealing with, then post your wisdom and POV, offering tools or frameworks that help. Example: → Your customers are drowning in spreadsheets? Post about how your tool is the lifesaver they've been waiting for. 𝟯. 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗴𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 Slack and Facebook Diplomacy: Join 2-3 Slack channels or Facebook groups where your tribe hangs out. Dive in with purpose. Strategic Hangouts: → Dive into # TechTalkSlack or # StartupInsights on Slack. → Check out “Tech Innovators” on Facebook. → Reddit for Common FAQs 𝟰. 𝗔𝘂𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗰 𝗖𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗿 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘃𝗼𝘀 Personalized Convos: Send personalized messages to new, tenured, churned customers. It’s less Tinder, more coffee chat. Conversation Starters: → Learn what they love, hate, and forgot about the product. → Use their insights for future talks and features 𝟱. 𝗙𝗹𝘆𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗲𝗹 𝟭-𝟰. Improve the product, enhancing features and strengthening the offering from real-time interactions. -------- Focus on building your brand. Your name starts to become a trusted partner. Tying back to the solution, the product, and the business. Because word of mouth is the driver for b2b growth if product market fit. What other ways are you building a community? Sincerely, 𝘍𝘶𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘊𝘔𝘖 #gtmstrategy #b2b #cmos

If you're struggling with engagement in your forum, sometimes it can feel overwhelming to add new strategies on top of the work you're already doing. When I work with clients on engagement sometimes I see the light drain from their eyes when they realize they have to do *more* work 😂 Luckily, I think that often the things that impact your forum engagement the most are not net-new strategies that add effort, but simply figuring out how to make your existing connection points work better together. One example I would bet applies to 9/10 community builders reading this—it comes up with my clients *that* often—is making better use of your live sessions & touch-points with community members to feed into forum & async engagement. Most of the community builders I talk to feel that getting quality engagement in their live calls (group coaching sessions, office hours, events, etc) is *much* easier than sparking it in forums. A habit tweak to start translating that—whenever you're hosting a live event in your community, keep a pen and paper next to your computer where you track these four things: 🤝 Connections: based on what you're learning in the call, who can you connect the members of the call to that might be elsewhere in the community? This is a way to start to compound the relationship network in your community so you're not the only one drawing people in. 🧠 Expertise: what areas of expertise are you learning your members have that you didn't know about? How can you ask them to contribute those expertise to your community? 💬 Post wishlist: often during a call, things come up that I *wish* were visible in the forum. Questions, insights, resources shared, etc. Make a note so that you can either prompt those later, or prompt them right then & there on the call. Make it a habit to start saying, "Hey, that's a topic that's going to be useful to the larger community. When we get off this call, can you make a post about that?" ✍ Content ideas: calls are also going to show you what your community is interested in talking about. Make note of content ideas that arise through questions or insights, and use them for your newsletter, your social calendar, or even your community prompt content calendar. I got five-ten of these for my calendars from my community's group coaching call this week. TL;DR—if you can get into the habit of making some good notes & call-outs during live calls with community members, you can impact other areas of your community without adding extra time & effort. Hope this is helpful—and I'd love to hear from folks if there's anything else you routinely note down while you're on live calls!

How to design networking that doesn’t feel forced 👇🏾 Let’s be real most “networking events” feel like a chore. Stiff convos. Transactional energy. Awkward intros. You leave with a half full wine glass and zero real connections. When I started curating spaces for Network While Black, I knew I wanted something different. Something human. Not just “networking” but belonging. Here’s what I’ve learned about designing connection first experiences that actually work: ✨ 1. Lead with play, not pressure. At Sunkissed & Stirred, we added flirty drink names, games, and speed-dating rounds. It broke the ice without a moderator or forced intros. 📝 2. Give people a script. We used "Network Bingo" as convo starters, personality prompts (“Ask me about…”), and guided moments that made connecting feel natural. 🌱 3. Curate the room with intention. We don’t just sell tickets we consider energy, alignment, and who needs to meet who. That changes everything. 💡 4. Make people feel seen. From personalized RSVP questions to calling people by name we make connection feel personal, not performative. I believe networking should feel like an exhale, not an obligation. And when done right, it opens doors that LinkedIn never could. If you’re building community, planning events, or rethinking your brand’s programming I’d love to support. Whether you need help designing intentional experiences or reimagining how your audience connects, I consult with teams and founders to do just that. 🖤 DM me or visit networkwhileblk.com to connect. #communitybuilding #networkingevents #brandstrategy #experientialmarketing #blackcreatives #networkwhileblack #eventdesign #consulting

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

Community engagement strategies are often overcomplicated. Here are 3 insights I've gained through my work with Cornell Cooperative Extension Dutchess County and Consensus Building Institute on the Mid-Hudson Regional Clean Energy Hub. 💡 Connection with the target community is THE most important aspect of outreach and engagement. Too many people have negative associations with governments and NGOs, and for good reason. There's a history in the social impact space of paternalism and negligence. In order to begin rebuilding relationships, show up with honesty and a genuine desire to learn before making recommendations, asking for time/energy, and designing initiatives. Real recognizes real. 💡 Meet people where they are. In a similar vein to above, attempting to drive people toward one action, meeting, or goal, without building a rapport is a waste of time, energy, and resources. Once you have an understanding and relationship with the community you want to serve, you have a better understanding of how to get their input. This involves actually BEING in the community. If people know you from the bodega, church, or the grocery store, or from roasting that cringey Ice Spice Dunkin Donuts commercial (see photo below) they're more likely to hear what you have to say and respond with authenticity. 💡 Offer a tangible, immediate benefit. The social-impact space can be alarmingly extractive. Be conscious of the power differential in your initiatives and proactively mitigate this by compensating all participants. Provide childcare, dinner, a gift card - something! Folks working in this space often forget that the daily issues marginalized communities face take higher priority than completing a survey. Actively anticipate this and find ways to make engagement attractive. 🗣 Social impact professionals, I want to hear your thoughts! What insights, tips, or practices have worked in your community engagement initiatives? Share below in the comments! ---- 💌 I'm back from a short LI hiatus and gearing up for my monthly #opendoorclimate group call this Saturday, 6/1, at 2p EST. If you'd like to learn more about my journey or find out more about what it means to work in climate, sustainability, and energy, send me a DM with the word #opendoorclimate and I'll forward the registration link!

When I worked at a startup, I loved the people and culture was great but noticed leadership was homogenous … and there weren’t many women. I saw this as an opportunity to found an Employee Resource Group for women in revenue with the goal of building community to help women on the revenue team get promoted and build relationships with women to look up to. Here is how I found community from within my company while building relationships with mentors at other companies: 1. Focus on one community The real goal of building a network is joining a community. Communities can be based on industry/vertical or geography. You can track key opinion leaders in your areas of interest, engage with their content and start writing your own. When you're part of a community, ideas and information flows easily. You're one of the gang, so people feel comfortable sharing insights and experiences because it increases the value of the community. 2. After identifying a community, reach out In the beginning, your goal is to connect with one person in a community, and learn what they do. You'll want to do some basic research on the industry - market trends, which companies are leaders, what are new industry developments that are top of mind. This gives you topics to write about. But don't feel like you have to have all the answers - you're here to learn. But you're here to learn what a specific person does, so express curiosity about the person you're talking to. 3. Create triangles Ask new contacts in the community who else you should meet. Then meet them. You'll build triangle of relationships over time. You know Ryan, you know Kris, Ryan knows Kris. Ryan knows you know Kris, and Kris knows you know Ryan. These triangles form the basis of you joining the community and being part of the flow of exchange of ideas. 4. Help your community If there's a formal community, you can contribute through existing channels. A networking group might need people to present on topics you are knowledgeable on - you get a chance to show what you're learning and help others. For informal communities, you can make introductions to people who don't know each other. You can also help people by interviewing leaders and sharing job opportunities. 5. Be consistent Stay in touch with people. Pick a cadence that works for you and stick with it. You've done the hard work up front, now all you have to do is tend to your investment. If you want to stay in touch with people at scale, you can post on social media, run a newsletter, host a podcast. Even if there aren’t people like you in leadership at your company - you can build relationships with mentors in your community.

We're all told #networking is essential, that most jobs are never advertised publicly and instead are filled through connections and referrals. But what if you're an introvert, neurodiverse, or find networking awkward and transactional? It can feel overwhelming, adding unnecessary stress to an already stressful job or job search. LinkedIn addresses many concerns to build connections without the usual networking anxieties. Here's how: 🔭 Step 1: Find your "expanders" Search using keywords to find people with the positions or lives you aspire to. These are your "expanders" - individuals who inspire you and embody your goals. You can't hit a target you can't see! ❓ Step 2: Reach out with curiosity Instead of asking for a favor, immediately spark a conversation. Ask to learn more about their career path or current role. This demonstrates genuine interest and sets the foundation for a strong relationship. 👂🏾 Step 3: Listen and be present In your conversation, truly listen and express genuine curiosity and interest. This will answer your questions, spark new ones, and build a deeper connection. 🔌 Step 4: Stay connected and nourish the relationship Share relevant articles, resources, or updates about your journey. This demonstrates that you value the connection and keep the conversation flowing. Networking doesn't have to be forced or stressful. 🔊 My Story: Four years ago, I was interested in living a hybrid life in the US and Ghana. Through LinkedIn, I found Jeph, whose profile resonated with my goals. We connected via DM by expressing curiosity and listening to each other's stories. Over time, this genuine curiosity blossomed into a strong friendship. By sharing ideas and updates on our career journeys, I've learned invaluable insights into setting up a business in Ghana. This knowledge has helped me progress towards my initial goal to live and work in Ghana and the US, and it's no coincidence that I was already scheduled to be in Ghana in December, thus being able to attend Jeph's wedding (pic attached)! Networking is about building a community, not just collecting connections. Through focusing on genuine curiosity and connection, I overcame my reservations about networking and cultivated meaningful relationships that have taught me so much in my career and #personalgrowth . #networking #linkedin #introvert #neurodiversity #careergoals #community

In today’s increasingly isolated world, I have always viewed books as the ultimate currency for fostering connection. …..Conversations are had. ……………..Communities are built. Here’s how this is achieved: 💡Shared Experience When people read the same book, they share a common experience. This shared narrative can serve as a conversation starter, bringing people together to discuss their thoughts, emotions, and interpretations of the text. 💡Empathy and Understanding Books often delve into diverse perspectives and experiences. Reading about characters from different backgrounds or facing unique challenges can promote empathy and understanding among readers, encouraging them to discuss and reflect on these themes. 💡Safe Conversational Space Book discussions provide a structured and safe space for dialogue. Participants can express their opinions, ask questions, and engage in meaningful conversations without fear of judgment. 💡Intellectual Stimulation Books challenge readers to think critically, analyze complex issues, and explore new ideas. Engaging in book discussions stimulates intellectual curiosity and encourages participants to broaden their horizons. 💡Community Building Book clubs and reading groups create a sense of belonging. People with a shared interest in reading come together, forming connections and friendships that extend beyond the books themselves. 💡Breaking Isolation In an increasingly digital world, books provide an opportunity for people to disconnect from screens and engage with printed material. This break from constant digital connectivity can reduce feelings of isolation. Ray Oldenburg's concept of "Third Places" highlights the importance of informal, public gathering spaces beyond home (first place) and work (second place). Book groups can fit into this concept in several ways: 💡Social Interaction Book groups provide a physical location for people to meet and interact. They offer a "third place" where participants can engage in social conversations outside the home and workplace. 💡Community Engagement: Book groups often meet in local libraries, bookstores, or cafes, contributing to the vitality of these community spaces. They bring people into these establishments, fostering community engagement. 💡Sense of Belonging: Just like Oldenburg's ideal "third places," book groups create a sense of belonging. Participants feel that they are part of a community that values reading and thoughtful discussion. Books and book groups play a vital role in counteracting isolation by providing a platform for shared experiences, meaningful conversations, and community building. They align with the concept of "Third Places" by transforming physical locations into social, cultural, and intellectual hubs that foster connections and a sense of belonging. This captures the essence of our mission at “Great Books + Great Minds” of igniting a new world of community, connection, and conversation, one book at a time.

Are your LinkedIn connections filled with followers or friends? How well do you know your community? Last night I hosted another CONSCIOUSXCHANGE Block Party, my "alternative" version of networking and though I preach that deeper conversations lead to deeper connections, I had no idea of the depth of conversation that would come up. I've been hosting these types of events for years and have received some great feedback from people saying things like "I love the people you attract" and "that breakout room was a divine experience." This is exactly the type of feeling I intend to create every time I host an event. Lately, I have been asking myself the question of what's next? Where do these connections go when they leave my space? What happens? Do folks connect outside of me and if not, why not?! I posed a market research question to a small group of attendees who stayed behind to figure out what my community wanted more of and what emerged was an even deeper conversation around chronic pain, human trafficking, sex work, and building businesses that are aligned with our values and for our communities so that people who look like us never have to experience the pain and struggles that we may have had to endure in our journeys. Magic was created last night and ideas are pouring out of me around ways to continue to build connection and turn followers to friends. In today's fast-paced world, understanding the needs and desires of your community members is more important than ever. Aside from interviews, one of the most effective ways to do this is through regular surveys. Here’s why: 🔍 Gain Valuable Insights: Surveys provide direct feedback from your members, offering insights into their preferences, pain points, and expectations. This information is gold for tailoring your services to meet their needs. 🤝 Strengthen Relationships: When members see that their opinions matter and lead to real changes, it builds trust and strengthens their connection to the community. 🎯 Enhance Engagement: By asking members what they want, you can create targeted offerings that resonate more deeply, increasing overall engagement and participation. 🚀 Drive Innovation: Member feedback can highlight new opportunities and ideas you might not have considered. This can lead to innovative services and programs that set your community apart. 📈 Improve Retention: When members feel heard and see tangible improvements based on their feedback, they are more likely to stay and actively participate in the community. Remember, a thriving community is built on listening and adapting. Regularly surveying your members ensures you stay aligned with their evolving needs and continue to provide value. 💬 Have you interviewed or surveyed your community recently? What insights did you gain? What magic has come from taking some time to get to know folks in your atmosphere? Share your experiences below! 👇