I recently had the pleasure of speaking with Alan Perrottet, co-founder and CEO of Decommerce, on my podcast. Decommerce is a company that helps brands build online communities around their products and services.
Alan had a lot of great insights into how to cultivate meaningful communities online. Here are some key takeaways from our conversation:
Focus on Creating Value
The foundation of any successful community is delivering real value to members. As Alan explained, “It’s all about what the value, what people want to hear. So depending on your niche, but let’s say in your niche, people want to learn something. They want to get a problem solved.”
Brands need to understand what their audience cares about and create content that speaks to those interests and needs. Sales pitches don’t cut it. Livestreams where brands engage directly with their audience are a great way to provide value.
Own Your Community Platform
While social media can be useful for discovery, Alan advised against building communities solely on rented platforms like Facebook or Instagram. On those sites, brands have little control or ability to directly engage with followers.
Having your own community platform allows you to tailor the experience and foster deeper, more lasting connections. You also own the data, which is invaluable. Livestreams are a great type of content that works well on owned platforms. eStreamly can help you to create exciting liveshopping experience for your website.
Empower Your Superfans
Diehard brand fans can become your secret weapon. Giving select community members special privileges and responsibilities – like moderating or creating exclusive content – helps them feel valued and deepens their investment.
As Alan put it, “They are going to bring the spirit in your community. It’s very difficult to be a distractor, a bad actor in a place where there’s a lot of love.” Let these superfans host their own livestreams to share their passion with others.
Add Gamification
Fun competitions and games are a great way to organically bring new users into your community. Decommerce has seen success with tactics like scavenger hunts that reward engagement with free products and other perks.
Gamification provides entertainment while exposing new potential customers to your brand community. For example, why not livestream your next product launch to build excitement?
Use Blockchain Thoughtfully
While Alan believes blockchain technology can enable new models like direct cashback rewards, seamless payments, and exclusive NFT-gated experiences, user experience is paramount.
No one should need to understand crypto wallets or the blockchain to participate. The tech should work silently behind the scenes to remove friction. Livestream an intro to blockchain session to educate your community.
Building a thriving brand community takes work, but the rewards for customer loyalty and retention are immense. I highly recommend listening to our full conversation linked below for more insights from Alan on community commerce!
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