Building Communities and Groups

Growing up, I had a natural knack for creating friend groups, study groups, and even module-based communities where we helped each other out. Now that I’m in marketing, I’ve realized that the strongest thing you can do for your brand is to build a community. Whether it’s through adding people to your email list, getting them to subscribe to your YouTube channel, or tuning in to your weekly baking classes (swap baking with whatever you do in your business), community-building is the key to long-term success.

The Power of Smart Promotion

I call this smart promoting—a way to make your promotional efforts compound over time.

What do I mean by “compound”? Think about investments. Everyone loves the magic of compound interest, right? Now, let’s apply that concept to marketing.

Let’s say you launch a promotion for your brand-new line of bicycle tools. Great! But once the promotion ends, the results you gained stay in the past, offering no stepping stone for future promotions.

Now, imagine a smarter approach. You run the same promotion, but this time, you invite people to join your email list. You tell them they’ll receive weekly tips and tricks to enhance their cycling experience. You also encourage them to sign up and share the benefits cycling has had on their lives.

Let’s break it down:

• Your promotion reaches 100 people.
• Out of those 100, 10 sign up for your email list.
• It may not seem like much at first, but now you have 10 people ready for your next promotion.
• When the next campaign rolls out, another 10 join. Now, your base grows to 20.
• By the third promotion, you have 30+ people who are already engaged with your brand.

That’s the compound effect of smart promotional strategies.

How to Build a Community for Your Business

To create a thriving community, you need a strong foundation. Here are the key elements:

1. A Place to Connect Everyone at Once

Your community needs a home—whether that’s a WhatsApp group, Facebook group, Discord server, or private forum.

2. Regular Reasons to Engage

Give people a reason to keep showing up. Livestreams, Q&A sessions, and exclusive content are great ways to keep them engaged.

3. A Strong Call-to-Action (CTA)

Your CTA should clearly tell people why they should join and how to do it.

Here’s what I say during live streams to invite people to our Prime Community:

“If you’re not already part of our family-friendly Prime Family group chat, here’s your personal invite! DM us your WhatsApp number or fill out the link in our bio, and we’ll welcome you to the Prime Family!”

4. A Method to Bring in New Members

Your community won’t grow if you’re not consistently bringing in new people. Find ways to reach fresh audiences—whether through social media, collaborations, or content marketing.

Pro Tip: Start with a Waiting List

Before launching a group chat, start with a waiting list form. This ensures that you begin with a decent number of engaged members. When we started our group, we waited until we had 30 members before launching. This created a strong, active foundation rather than a small, shy group of five people hesitant to chat.

The Final Step: A Regular Place for Engagement

For us, that place is our live streams. They serve two purposes:

1. A way to attract new members
2. A hub for existing members to engage

This saves 50% of our time since we’re achieving both goals at once.

Bonus Tip: Give Your Community Something to Do

Most people overlook this, but it’s crucial. Give your community content they can consume on their own—educational resources, entertaining material, or interactive challenges. This keeps them engaged even when they’re not actively participating in group chats.

Final Thoughts

Community-building isn’t just a marketing tactic—it’s a long-term strategy that compounds over time. When you create a space where people feel valued and engaged, your marketing efforts stop being one-time promotions and start becoming ongoing conversations that fuel your brand’s success.