In a capitalistic economy, it’s rather easy to build a company solely on profit, without wasting much time or effort in engaging with potential or actual customers.

This means that for a company – even a people-centered one – the challenge is not how many zeros can be secured before the final buy is made, but rather how to create an authentic connection between the brand and its customers.

Gartner Inc. defines customer communities as a part of an overall customer engagement strategy that enables digital and physical interactions across the customer life cycle. Nevertheless, it should be highlighted that we are not talking about a short-term strategy, but rather a core part of a company’s business philosophy that puts people first.

In order to build a successful community with a sense of belonging, it is crucial to keep every member engaged through content, events, customer support, and even education. People are driven to join a community when they believe in the origin story, the founding vision, and the mission to solve a common problem. Members need strong relationships, a sense of connection and to be seen.

All these ingredients combined lead to a successful people-centered company that can leverage the power of the collective to innovate and make profits. By providing continuous and invaluable feedback, communities can help with product development.

In conclusion, profits are good, of course, but they are not the end-all-be-all. Considering that no company would exist without the needs of the community in which they thrive, then it stands to reason that you should be building a community, not just a company.

                                     the author Alexandra Cristina Mihai, Marketing Specialist