Our recent gathering of community and business leaders from the SaaS, Knowledge industry in London on June 1st was an insightful and engaging event. I had the pleasure of interviewing with industry experts like Kirstin Simons from Bain & Company, Emma Davies from Advocitude, and Jack Bartrop from Zapnito. We delved into the game-changing framework of Community-Led Growth and its impact on ROI.

From our conversations, it became clear that building a community is essential for establishing trust and forging deeper connections, increasing product adoption and engagement with prospects and customers. Online Communities offer a platform for individuals to engage, learn, network, and have meaningful conversations, providing a sense of validation and a dedicated space away from the noise of social media and other communication tools.

Key takeaways

Here’s what you need to know:

1. Communities are the secret sauce that drives acquisition, adoption, retention, and advocacy. They boost customer retention, slash marketing costs, skyrocket engagement, and generate conversions and leads.
2. Communities are essential for establishing trust and deeper connections with prospective customers, providing them with validation and a sense of community away from social media and other communication tools.
3. They go beyond traditional forums and discussions, offering comprehensive solutions that cater to individuals at different stages in the buyer's journey. 
4. Wanna leave your competitors in the dust? Align your community with your business goals to drive true value. 
5. Communities weren’t built in a day. You need to constantly iterative, improve, and avoid a one-size-fits-all approach. 

Delivering ROI at all community stages

Conventional marketing tactics are losing their effectiveness, hence why forward-thinking SaaS & Tech organizations are embracing community-led growth as the key to enhancing business returns. Communities have a far-reaching impact across the entire customer journey from acquisition, to adoption, retention, and advocacy.

Aligning a community with your business goals creates a huge competitive advantage, particularly for SaaS companies and those reliant on subscribers and high retention rates for growth. A dedicated community space adds value and sets you apart from competitors.

As I explained at the event, “Communities have demonstrated their ability to deliver impressive ROI in various ways. For instance, some of Zapnito’s clients have witnessed substantial increases in their Net Promoter Score (NPS), ranging from 50% to 90%, thanks to the influence of their communities.”

Value is everywhere in your community

There’s so much value to be tapped into through your community.

As Jack Bartrop, Head of Product Marketing at Zapnito shared, “When you combine the value your product provides with the power of bringing individuals together to share knowledge and generate even more value, it elevates your value proposition to new heights. In my perspective, community is as important as the product itself. Your product helps people accomplish their goals, and your community can provide the support they need to excel. This sets you apart from competitors and positions you as the ultimate solution provider. Especially if you’re the first to do it in your space.”

Communities also scale as your business grows. Something that’s critical in high-growth environments. Building processes that enable one-to-many interactions rather than one-on-one engagements, a community can alleviate the strains of rapid scaling. 

Creating competitive advantage

By aligning your community with your business goals, you can deliver top and bottom-line benefits that make your organization more competitive. 

As  Emma Davies, Chief Growth Marketer at Advocitude explained, “For someone working in SaaS, it is crucial to align the goals offered to clients throughout their customer journey. The user experience plays a pivotal role, and scaling a product requires providing training and resources that seamlessly mirror the product experience. This is where a community like Zapnito shines, neatly packaging valuable resources and support that align with customer expectations.

She continued, “In today's marketing landscape filled with noise, having a dedicated space committed to supporting and assisting your audience is a powerful differentiator. It cuts through the clutter and becomes an additional value-add for potential customers.”

Two tips for getting started

We all agreed that building a community is an absolute must for establishing trust and forging those deep connections with potential customers. Forget about the noise and distractions of social media and other platforms—communities provide a dedicated space where individuals can engage, learn, network, and have meaningful conversations.

So how can you get started?

1. Don’t try the one-size-fits-all approach

It all hinges on value. And you only get that when your community is tailored to your business goals and needs. 

As Jack shared, "There's no one-size-fits-all approach when it comes to building communities. The biggest lesson I've learned from successful and failed community ventures is the importance of constant iteration.”

Start by addressing specific pain points and bringing people together around those common challenges. You don't have to build everything overnight but focus on creating value by solving specific problems.   

This is something that Zapnito goes into more detail about in our exclusive community-led growth course. 

2. Find your biggest fans

As I see it, Building a community is like attending a party. You start with your closest friends, as it’s a great way to initiate new connections. Make your core members feel like valued contributors through co-development. 

Kirstin summarised this well, explaining, “Don't hesitate to reach out to your early adopters and explain your vision, emphasizing the importance of their involvement. Advocacy goes beyond mere recommendations; it involves individuals who are deeply invested in your product and genuinely want to see your business thrive.” In summary, get your advocates involved early in the process and give them a sense of ownership throughout the lifecycle of the Community.

Zapnito’s expert resources

Building a thriving community for business growth requires strategic planning, continuous adaptation, and an ongoing commitment to delivering value to your members.

We have created some expert resources to guide you in community-led growth. Our Strategy Generator tool allows you to create a tailored strategy document that maps out the key actions needed for your community's success.