Why Communities Fail: Lessons from behind the curtain

Being part of many communities with community managers and privy to conversations about community-led marketing gives me unique insight.

Psst; before we jump into this edition, did you know we run a weekly live show called Platforming Community Live? You can catch it on Thursdays at 11am, over here.

I get to see behind the curtain of many beautiful communities that are constantly a powerhouse of marketing growth.

With all the highs that community-led marketing brings, we also see the flip side when it doesn't work.

Being part of many communities with community managers and privy to conversations about community-led marketing gives me unique insight.

Let's explore the reasons we see a community collapsing.

Impatience for Results

This is the number one reason we see community-led marketing fail, the desire for instant results in days, weeks or months.

It's the same for campaigns, businesses, anything really, expecting instant results can be a recipe for disappointment.

Building a community is like making friends in a pub; it starts with light, superficial conversations before deeper relationships form. Communities are about building relationships, and that takes time.

There are benefits to starting and building your community slowly, too; you can move quicker, pivot easier, and make decisions without affecting too many people. Slow growth allows for manageable, sustainable development and avoids the pitfalls of peaking too soon, akin to a one-hit wonder in the music industry.

Treating Members Like Consumers

People join communities to engage with like-minded individuals, learn, and grow. Bombarding them with marketing messages right from the start can be off-putting.

Digital Ocean, a cloud-based hosting platform, manage to walk this fine line well. They provide incredible resources for the developer community in the form of guides, and they're spending time building value and relationships with the developers without pop-ups or marketing spiels blocking the article.

Lack of Operational Support

Communities often come as an afterthought, leading to inadequate internal support. There isn't enough budget or resources, so decisions are made under constraints. This lack of support can result in better platform choices and effective management.

Leadership must be on board to make this work and release necessary resources.

16.9% of C-suite executives don't get involved in their communities at any level. This disconnect can hinder community growth and effectiveness.

Failing to Measure and Adapt

Data is a critical tool for community management.

You need to capture and use data to support your engagement strategies; vanity metrics won't cut it; communities need meaningful data to guide their actions and decisions.