B2B Community - Acquiring and Retaining Members for Growth (Part 1 of 2)
Discover effective strategies for B2B community growth, focusing on acquisition, retention, and engagement. Learn how patience, value, and personal touch enhance member experience.
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I have been building startups for the last 7 years and working with founders on GTM, growth, people-first strategies, communities and anything else about building a startup.
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Last week, I got the chance to discuss with Todd Nilson about “Acquiring and Retaining Members in B2B Communities”.
Todd has been building communities since 2013…
About Todd Nilson
- Founder of Clocktower Advisors since 2015.
- Building communities since 2013.
- Built communities for Kickback Spaces, Truth Initiative, SAP, Greenpeace, and Steelcase
- Cofounder of TalentLed Community and Core Team Member of Community Consultants Collective (CCC)
We brainstormed and collated our experience on the following topics:
Part 1 (Covered below)
Identifying and Targeting Potential Members in B2B Community
Attracting New Members with Personalization in B2B Communities
Best Practices for Onboarding New B2B Community Members
Communicating Value Proposition to B2B Community Members
Role of Community in B2B Community Engagement and Retention
Part 2 (Will be released in next publish)Leveraging Community Feedback to Enhance B2B Member Experience
Fostering Community and Engagement Among B2B Members
Enhancing B2B Community Experience with Technology and Digital Tools
Key Metrics and KPIs for B2B Member Acquisition and Retention
Overcoming Challenges in B2B Community Member Retention
To make it easy, I have translated our strategy discussion as a set of pointers and is releasing it into 2 parts…
Identifying and Targeting Potential Members in B2B Community
1. Think about identifying individuals within your personal or brand's network who already have an affinity towards your brand.
How can you engage these individuals to validate your community's value assumptions?
2. Consider starting with member interviews to explore the emotions, reactions, and language of potential members.
How can this insight, followed by quantitative validation, improve your strategy?
3. Identify the needs your community initiative can meet, not just functional but also psychological, social, and emotional.
How can you incorporate elements like networking support, best practice guides, exclusive information and career opportunities to meet these needs?
4. Target members who not only stand to benefit from the community but also influence purchasing decisions.
How can you ensure your community is relevant and impactful by including both decision-makers like CTOs and daily users like project managers and IT staff?
5. Identify and build communities in niches that aren’t already saturated with similar offerings.
How can focusing on a unique value proposition and targeting specific gaps, such as a community for "Community Building for B2B Companies," benefit your strategy?
Attracting New Members with Personalization in B2B Communities
1. Look at the ways to tailor your community's content and interactions so that they resonate with potential members on a personal level.
How can you ensure the content feels relevant and engaging, rather than generic or misaligned with their interests and needs?
2. Plan out the initiatives for establishing trust with the community members.
How can you demonstrate the safety and value of your community to encourage participation, especially considering the inherent scepticism around new social circles?
3. Socialise at conferences or meetings for one-on-one engagement with potential members.
How can these interactions be utilized to introduce your community and spark interest among a relevant audience?
4. Begin with a small, closely-knit group of individuals who are likely to interact well.
How can starting with casual conversations, whether through Zoom calls or live meetups, foster a sense of affinity and shared interest among members?
5. Start with a spark—organise conversations around compelling content or ideas to attract the first few members.
How can this MVC (Minimum Viable Community) approach, followed by personal outreach and engagement, help in scaling the community effectively while maintaining personalization and trust?
Best Practices for Onboarding New B2B Community Members
1. Implement clear guidelines and rules for conduct to foster a sense of safety and trust among new members.
How can creating a welcoming and secure environment enhance member activation and long-term engagement in your B2B community?
2. Personalize the onboarding process with introductions, exclusive content, and invites to networking sessions to make new members feel valued and engaged.
How can personalized onboarding experiences improve a member's initial perception and long-term involvement in the community?
3. Encourage new members to interact by sharing simple things like favorites or responding to daily polls, reducing the barrier to initial participation.
What strategies can be employed to ensure that new members find it easy and rewarding to start interacting within the community?
4. Provide exclusive content and opportunities for networking that cannot be found elsewhere, showcasing the unique value of the community.
How does offering exclusive features and content contribute to building trust and a sense of belonging among new members?
5. Create spaces and opportunities for members to contribute, share, and build their personal brands within the community, fostering active participation and engagement.
How can enabling members to actively contribute and showcase their work or interests within the community lead to deeper involvement and commitment?
Communicating Value Proposition to B2B Community Members
1. Develop a landing page for your community that clearly articulates the value proposition, benefits, and unique aspects of joining.
What key messages should be included on this landing page to effectively communicate the community's value to prospective members?
2. Record video introductions from community leaders or founders to personalise the welcome experience for new members.
How to craft a video introduction to enhance the personal connection between new members and the community?
3. Showcase the exclusive content, learning opportunities, and unique value that members can only get by being part of the community.
How can emphasising exclusive benefits in the onboarding process encourage new members to engage more deeply with the community?
4. Use onboarding emails and weekly summaries to keep new members informed about what's happening in the community and to reinforce the value proposition.
How can regular one-on-one communication and touchpoints help maintain member interest and engagement over time?
Role of Content in B2B Community Engagement and Retention
1. Create a library of resources that includes blog content, PDFs, recorded videos, webinars, and more, which is accessible exclusively to community members.
This library should serve as part of the community's value proposition, offering content that cannot be found elsewhere.
What types of resources and content should be prioritised in the library to ensure it meets the specific needs and interests of your community members?
Facilitate and encourage the creation of user-generated content such as cheat sheets, helpful guides, personal journeys, or case studies by community members.
This content not only enriches the resource library but also fosters a sense of ownership and contribution among members.
How can the community management team effectively encourage and support members in creating valuable user-generated content?
Regularly feature member spotlights to recognize and celebrate the achievements, contributions, or interesting projects of community members.
This recognition not only rewards active members but also motivates others to contribute and engage more actively within the community.
What criteria should be used to select members for the spotlight, ensuring fairness and diversity in recognitions?
Focus on creating and sharing content that is highly consumable, relevant, and tailored to the needs of the community members.
This includes checklists, how-to guides, and expert insights that directly benefit members in their professional activities.
How can the content strategy be continuously adapted to remain aligned with the evolving interests and needs of the community members?
Final point - Acquiring and retaining members in a B2B community hinges on patience, value creation, proactive engagement, quality interactions, and a human-centric approach. By focusing on these pillars, community managers can foster a thriving environment where members feel valued, engaged, and motivated to contribute and stay.
Before we end, i want to share one of my loved posts on B2B GTM:
Jonathan Pipek is the Founder & CEO of Blue Manta Consulting, a Go-to-Market consultancy for B2B startups. He helps startups develop and execute their GTM strategy.
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