How to Start a Thriving Online Community: A Complete Guide

Building an online community is a powerful way to connect with your audience, support your customers, build your brand, and drive more recurring revenue into your business.

In fact, at SPI, we've completely changed our business model to focus on the community, and it's the best decision we've ever made.

However, starting a community from scratch can feel overwhelming, especially if you don't know where to start.

In this comprehensive guide, I'll walk you through the process of building a successful online community, step by step. Along the way, I'll address common concerns and share practical tips and strategies to help you achieve your community building goals.

Let's go!

Before we dive into the details of starting your online community, it's essential to understand the value that a well-managed community can bring to your business or organization. An online community can:

Foster connection and engagement among your audience or customers Establish your authority in your niche Provide valuable information and feedback to help you improve your products or services Generate additional revenue through membership fees or other monetization methods (optional)

When you realize how valuable a community can be to your business and brand, you'll take the extra care to make sure it's awesome for your employees and fits well with your brand.

Step 1: Determine your "why"

Your "why" drives your community. Having a clear understanding of the purpose and value your community will provide is essential, which will help guide your decisions as you build and grow your community.

Consider the following questions:

What problem are you trying to solve for your audience? How will your community help your audience achieve their goals? What unique perspective or expertise do you bring to the table?

Never forget: your revenue is a by-product of how well you serve your audience. Start by thinking about your people and revenue will become the reward.

If money is your primary driver, this won't work.

Step 2: Identify your target audience

To create a thriving community, you need to know who your ideal members are. Think about the characteristics that define your target audience, such as demographics, interests, and needs.

Also think about the struggles and challenges they go through, and ultimately their goals.

It is these common elements that unite a community. People on the outside may not really "get" or understand, but when you're inside, you feel like you've found your people.

This type of critical thinking will help you adapt your community's content, structure, and engagement strategies to attract and retain the right members.

The core values ​​of your online community serve as guiding principles for how members interact with each other and what they can expect from your community. Examples of core values ​​may include mutual respect, continuous learning, or collaboration.

The core values ​​of our community are shared during the onboarding process, as soon as a person joins one of our communities. If you're curious or looking for help with your online career journey, click here to see what we have to offer!

It's important to clearly communicate your core values ​​to your members: they help set the tone for your online community and encourage positive behavior.

Photo by Sigmund on Unsplash

Part 3: Choosing the right platform and technology

What...