Hi Reader,
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Sometimes providing a safe space for people is a great way to earn trust, and expand the experience around your brand. The people who then congregate become a community.

It’s up to you how you foster that community. It could be in person or online, super regular or sparing, allowing for 1-1 interactions, or be a group focus. It can also be free, or have a paid investment. There could be other perks, like skill sharing, resources, or a directory to amplify the benefits.

Even if your community is aimed at a local market, an online element can help to bridge the gaps between your events or in-person connections.

At in person events, you can create this structure with an agenda, and providing topics, group sizes and facilitating interactions by varying the types of events and constructing formats that foster the connections you’d like to host. If your community is limited to in store interactions, you might like to get more personal with your customers, remembering little nuggets of life they shared with you so you can ask them how it went when you next see them. Showing you genuinely care creates a connection that a cool product simply can’t quite reach.

For an online community, you need to choose a software that will help you facilitate the types of engagements you want to foster.

Some allow for groups where everyone can talk to each other, or make their own posts and you can fill in the gaps or let it flow. Others allow for more of a social media type of interaction, where you post and the community members can comment and interact with each other on those posts. This helps you to share original content with them, or a prompt, but means they have to request through some other communication point for a unique post for something they need. This could be right for you, depending on whether they’d like anonymity, or if you’d like to create a patron style community.

Other tools allow for you to structure forums or specific topics where conversations take place, so members can choose which topics they want to see and everything has a bucket it exists in.

Sometimes the software is what gives you the mental box to build within and understand how you’d manage a community. Some of the tools listed below have a community as just one of their features, so it’s important to review them in the context of your wider tech stack.

• Mighty Networks
• Fourth Wall
• Facebook Groups
• Circle
• Discord
• Podia
• Slack
• Instagram Broadcast Channels

This isn’t an exhaustive list, so if you’re after something specific, it might be out there, you’ll just have to start with some searches.

While many communities host events, you can consider whether that suits you. They give people a time and place to show up, to give people common talking points to break the ice, and allow you to welcome new members more seamlessly. You might create events where everyone breaks off into groups so you don’t have to facilitate every conversation, or create coworking sessions to create a container people do their own thing in. In a recent episode of the podcast Tasha L Harrison spoke of her author community and how you should start the way you wish to proceed, so you don’t get burnt out as the host.

You have options, so you don’t have to make your community the same as something you’ve seen before. You might survey your audience, take on feedback and welcome others to facilitate within your space. Options mean decisions, but they also mean you can curate your own version, and adjust over time.

Ultimately, every decision you make will stem from and filter through your purpose. The purpose of the community might be the same or an extension of your brand’s purpose. Whether its to create a safe space, connect people together, or help people with some desire they have, that purpose is what your members can connect to. That purpose and the values it is based on will attract the right people, and help them articulate why others would join, take part of get involved in some way. It helps people understand the vibe, the etiquette, and how to show up in the physical and digital spaces of your community. Sure, you can take people through a little welcome video, but this is more nuanced.

Sometimes it’s the best choice to not host, but to show up as your own self, on a human level. You can then connect with people who have the same values, purpose, heritage, or intentions as you on an individual level about topics that interest you and often relate to your business. You can embrace your multi faceted personality by being a part of multiple communities, without the burden of hosting. The connection to your business might be more indirect, but it will naturally come up often enough to be valuable. It all depends on how you want to show up, and whether you can find those communities.

When reviewing your approach to communities, consider the following:

• What would a shared space help your audience with?
• How would you protect your own boundaries within a community?
• What would keep people engaged and returning over time?
• How could you be a part of communities hosted by other people?
• Which characteristics, qualities or experiences do you want to seek out in other people?
• What can you offer a lot of, before you ask in any community space?
• What communities are you already a part of which you could dedicate more energy to?
• What would be the ultimate purpose of a community you create?

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This concludes this series! I hope as you read each email, you were able to assess your approach to each type of platform, and whether you want to try a new approach, pause your efforts in one area or ditch a platform altogether.

Remember that your list of ideas can take time in becoming a reality. Tackle the most exciting, smallest or long term investment pieces and leave the rest for later.

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Check out these new podcast episodes

Crafting Connections: Word of mouth and relationship marketing with Rachel Andersen Listen here

Exploring private podcasting and niche communities with Rosa Sarmento Listen here