Manas Sharma

How to build a community? πŸ§‘β€πŸ€β€πŸ§‘πŸ’ͺ

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Everyone says building a community around your product is important. They help you spread the word, support you in your launches on PH and similar platforms, and give you feedback on new features you add to your product πŸš€. Which are all the great things you would want for your product to happen, right?Β  But how do you actually get started? πŸ™„ Tell us in the thread below πŸ‘‡ ✍️✍️✍️✍️✍️✍️✍️✍️✍️✍️✍️✍️✍️✍️✍️✍️✍️ UPDATED ✍️✍️✍️✍️✍️✍️✍️✍️✍️✍️✍️✍️✍️✍️✍️✍️✍️ Thanks to everyone for their contributions to this thread πŸ™. Summarising the discussion. β˜‘οΈ β˜‘οΈ β˜‘οΈ β˜‘οΈ Checklist for Community Building β˜‘οΈ β˜‘οΈ β˜‘οΈ β˜‘οΈ πŸ”₯ To Start: β˜‘οΈ Identify your target audience πŸ‘‰πŸ» Before you start building your community, it's important to understand who you want to target. This will help you tailor your content and messaging to the right people and ensure that you're reaching the right audience. You can look at how I’m positioning the value to the community for my SaaS as a reference πŸ‘‰πŸ»https://t.me/+UQ7bDtzlyaphNGRl πŸ‘ˆπŸ» β˜‘οΈ Choose the right platform πŸ‘‰πŸ» There are a number of platforms you can use to build your community, including chat platforms, forums, social media groups, and online discussion boards. Choose a platform that aligns with your target audience and offers the features and functionality you need to support your community. πŸ”₯ To Grow: β˜‘οΈ Create engaging content πŸ‘‰πŸ» Once you have your platform in place, focus on creating content that will engage your audience and encourage them to participate in discussions. This could include blog posts, videos, podcasts, or other types of content that provide value to your community members. β˜‘οΈ Foster participation and engagement πŸ‘‰πŸ» Encourage participation in your community by asking questions, starting discussions, and responding to comments and feedback from your members. You can also use incentives and rewards to encourage engagement, such as offering exclusive access to new features or discounts on your product. β˜‘οΈ Promote on Public platforms πŸ‘‰πŸ» There are various communities out there that might be interested in what you have to say or what you are building. Find what works for you. For SaaS products generally, some of the worthy platforms are:Β  Product Hunt, Hacker News, Indie Hacker, Reddit, Beta list, Beta page, Clrt Alt, Owwly, Micro startups, Startup base, Beta bound, Slant, SaaSHub, SaaSWorthy, StartupStash, AppSumo β˜‘οΈ Creating a Freemium version πŸ‘‰πŸ»The audience that you want to reach probably doesn’t want anything to do with you. They are not your customers today. You need to convert them into your fans. One of the time-tested models to do that is Freemium. Many of the legendary SaaS companies that we know today leverage this tool to give people a taste of their product and then those people became their ambassadors to grow. Lastly, don’t forget to:Β  β˜‘οΈ Monitor and manage your communityΒ  πŸ‘‰πŸ» Regularly monitor your community to ensure that discussions are staying on topic and that members are treating each other with respect. If necessary, take action to remove disruptive members or delete inappropriate content. Β I hope this thread helped you learn something new. ❀️
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Sofia Li
There are a bunch of platforms out there. I would suggest focus on one platform to build your community, by investing more of your time and human resources on it. So to get started, choose the right platform that best fits your product positioning.
Manas Sharma
@sofiali - I'd agree that platforms are a great tool for discoverability. 🌏 Of course, there are certain platforms that are specific to a particular niche. But, here is the list of some platforms I have been looking at (sharing it for the PH community to benefit from the list): - Product Hunt - Hacker News - Indie Hacker - Reddit - Beta list - Beta page - Clrt Alt - Owwly - Micro startups - Startup base - Beta bound - Slant - SaaSHub - SaaSWorthy - StartupStash - AppSumo @sofiali - Please add any other platforms that you have found useful.
Sofia Li
@manas_sharma Thanks for the sharing! That's super useful!
Manas Sharma
@sofiali You are most welcome. Sharing knowledge is what makes us all better πŸ˜‡
Edmund Bielonko
@sofiali @manas_sharma thanks a lot for the list! haven't known about certain:-)
Manas Sharma
@sofiali @edmund_bielonko I hope you have enjoyed this thread πŸ˜‡. Can I also request you to join me in my upcoming launch on PH πŸ™? https://www.producthunt.com/prod...
Aaron O'Leary
Ooooh this is an interesting question. Looking forward to seeing people's thoughts!
Amy Hourigan
@aaronoleary RightπŸ‘
Manas Sharma
@aaronoleary @amy_hourigan guys, we got some really nice answers. I have updated the summary in the post. Do check it out. πŸ˜„
Manas Sharma
@aaronoleary @amy_hourigan I hope you have enjoyed this thread. Can I also request you to join me in my upcoming launch on PH? https://www.producthunt.com/prod...
Manas Sharma
@aaronoleary @amy_hourigan I have launched Roundup on Producthunt today! πŸ˜‡ I would greatly appreciate your support & feedback. πŸ™
Anuj Agrawal
I don't think theirs a answer to that, it can be by approaching the right people on linkedIn or offline meeting people at events or finding mails on the desk of organizations
Manas Sharma
@anuj_agrawal8 my question was more from a marketing POV. How do you build an audience off the internet? I see the value in meeting people offline. The connections are certainly more personal. My only problem with that approach is that for early-stage founders, time is limited. And building a decent size community with just outreach can be very difficult. Thanks for sharing your thoughts πŸ˜‡
Marcus Hendricks
@manas_sharma I like the idea of delegating the task. Someone that can act as a proxy and extend connections on the founder’s behalf. The most important thing the founder can do is provide value to the community.
Manas Sharma
@marcus_hendricks Love it. ❀️ So you're suggesting that we should find "Ambassadors" for our startups. People who will help us spread the word. I can think of "early adopters" as those people. Since they are using the product already, we see the value already. I have been getting some really nice emails from my early adopters. If that converts into a word of mouth and these lovely people help us in promoting the product & build a community β€” it will be pretty sweet.
Manas Sharma
@anuj_agrawal8 @claudia_gharai_ I hope you have enjoyed this thread πŸ˜‡. Can I also request you to join me in my upcoming launch on PH πŸ™? https://www.producthunt.com/prod...
Manas Sharma
@anuj_agrawal8 @claudia_gharai_ I have launched Roundup on Producthunt today! πŸ˜‡ I would greatly appreciate your support & feedback. πŸ™
Daniel Burns
Even before doing anything, you should ask yourself "Why am I building this community?" I think that it all starts with establishing an identity around it and choosing the right set of people, the ones that share common goals and interests. I would also have a thought about where should the community be established and which type of content would the community members mostly engage with.
Manas Sharma
Very well said @testifi. Thanks for your advice πŸ™
Manas Sharma
@testifi @andy_ochiltree__ I hope you have enjoyed this thread πŸ˜‡. Can I also request you to join me in my upcoming launch on PH πŸ™? https://www.producthunt.com/prod...
Manas Sharma
@testifi I have launched Roundup on Producthunt today! πŸ˜‡ I would greatly appreciate your support & feedback. πŸ™
phprunner
To build a community you need two things: people and a platform where people can communicate. The platform is easy, you can choose between Twitter, forums, slack channels, Facebook groups etc. Finding people is more complicated. If you are talking about SaaS specifically you can always have a free layer of service and you will attract a bunch of people can join your community.
Manas Sharma
@sergey_kornilov1 Very well put. πŸ™Œ Freemium is a time-tested model that a lot of legendary SaaS products have used to give their potential customers a taste of your product and have built some wonderful communities. Thanks for sharing.
Manas Sharma
@sergey_kornilov1 I hope you have enjoyed this thread πŸ˜‡. Can I also request you to join me in my upcoming launch on PH πŸ™? https://www.producthunt.com/prod...
Manas Sharma
@sergey_kornilov1 I have launched Roundup on Producthunt today! πŸ˜‡ I would greatly appreciate your support & feedback. πŸ™
Marcus Hendricks
This is exactly the question I came here for!
Tracyyyy Dao
@marcus_hendricks me2. Really want to know how to build a sustainable community
Manas Sharma
@marcus_hendricks @tra_dao guys, we got some really nice answers. I have updated the summary in the post. Do check it out. πŸ˜„
Tracyyyy Dao
@marcus_hendricks @manas_sharma got it. Tysm πŸ‘
Manas Sharma
@marcus_hendricks @tra_dao I hope you have enjoyed this thread πŸ˜‡. Can I also request you to join me in my upcoming launch on PH πŸ™? https://www.producthunt.com/prod...
Manas Sharma
@marcus_hendricks @tra_dao I have launched Roundup on Producthunt today! πŸ˜‡ I would greatly appreciate your support & feedback. πŸ™
Halley Victoria
I've read a couple of the posts on your website so far, and I really like the way you write. io games
Manas Sharma
@halley_victoria You made my day ❀️ Thanks for your love.
Manas Sharma
@halley_victoria I hope you have enjoyed this thread πŸ˜‡. Can I also request you to join me in my upcoming launch on PH πŸ™? https://www.producthunt.com/prod...
Manas Sharma
@halley_victoria I have launched Roundup on Producthunt today! πŸ˜‡ I would greatly appreciate your support & feedback. πŸ™
Marcus Hendricks
I’m a marketer and a founder building a community around my brand, and I believe that grassroots is the route to awareness and a strong network. Founders who pound the pavement themselves are going to have the most solid relationships with peers and the public.
Manas Sharma
Thanks for sharing @marcus_hendricks πŸ™Œ
Manas Sharma
@marcus_hendricks I hope you have enjoyed this thread πŸ˜‡. Can I also request you to join me in my upcoming launch on PH πŸ™? https://www.producthunt.com/prod...
Manas Sharma
@marcus_hendricks I have launched Roundup on Producthunt today! πŸ˜‡ I would greatly appreciate your support & feedback. πŸ™
Aiswaria Mohan
Publishing use cases are a great option to marketing your product online. They help marketers understand the tool better and also decide on a paid subscription according to their business requirements.
Manas Sharma
@aishwaria_mohan Love this answer! ❀️ The more your experiment with your positioning with use cases the better chance you have to reach your target audience. Gonna add this to the summary. Thanks for sharing πŸ™
Aiswaria Mohan
@manas_sharma You may read one such guide at https://bridgegap.web-stepup.com...
Manas Sharma
@aishwaria_mohan awesome. thanks for sharing πŸ’ͺ
Manas Sharma
@aishwaria_mohan I hope you have enjoyed this thread πŸ˜‡. Can I also request you to join me in my upcoming launch on PH πŸ™? https://www.producthunt.com/prod...
Manas Sharma
@aishwaria_mohan I have launched Roundup on Producthunt today! πŸ˜‡ I would greatly appreciate your support & feedback. πŸ™
Huy Ngo
This is what i'm thinking in a few months. Thanks for your information. Can we connect/follow and share more? maybe start from a community for ppl who want to build a community lol
Manas Sharma
@huy_xuan hey for sure, love to connect.
Manas Sharma
@huy_xuan I have launched Roundup on Producthunt today! πŸ˜‡ I would greatly appreciate your support & feedback. πŸ™
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