Richard Foy At Large Member | River Falls Area Chamber of Commerce and Tourism Bureau
Richard Foy At Large Member | River Falls Area Chamber of Commerce and Tourism Bureau
Small businesses are increasingly adopting a new growth model known as community-led growth, which emphasizes creating value and shared experiences before any sales occur. This approach aims to build not just customers but advocates and connections. When executed correctly, it can transform brands from mere products into movements.
Building a community offers a competitive advantage in today's market, where trust is low and attention spans are short. A strong community encourages audiences to remain engaged even when they are not ready to purchase. It fosters an environment where people share achievements, seek advice, and support one another.
Two examples illustrate the impact of this strategy. Tanya, a branding expert, ran a three-day webinar series on visual storytelling for small businesses. She focused on delivering practical value from the outset, teaching specific concepts and providing free tools like Canva templates. Her approach built trust and resulted in a strong conversion rate with a thriving community that persisted beyond the sales window.
In contrast, Ashley's webinar aimed to promote her custom sales page software by focusing primarily on selling rather than teaching. Participants left with little more than a sales pitch and no real insights or strategies. The lack of value led to minimal engagement and no lasting community.
These cases highlight the importance of earning sales through genuine value provision and fostering spaces for collaboration and learning. Businesses that embrace this model are likely to be remembered in a content-saturated world.
To adopt community-led growth effectively, businesses should focus on teaching before pitching, creating spaces for connection such as Facebook groups or Slack channels, providing useful tools like templates or worksheets, and positioning sales as the next logical step rather than the initial focus.
Community-led growth is poised to shape the future of small business marketing by leading with value and building connections that encourage customer loyalty.
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