From: alexhormozi
Effective community engagement is crucial for business growth and customer retention. It involves more than just delivering valuable content; it focuses on creating a dynamic and interactive environment where members feel connected and motivated.
Building an Engaged Community
A highly effective strategy for acquiring and converting leads is often referred to as the “group funnel” [06:00:00]. This funnel typically involves driving traffic to a free community group, nurturing members, and then converting them to a paid offering [06:00:00].
Traffic and Outreach
Content creation on platforms like YouTube and Instagram reels, especially short-form content, can be highly effective for driving traffic to a free community [00:21:00]. Links to the free group should be prominently placed in video descriptions and social media bios [01:41:00]. Cold outreach can also contribute, though it may be less effective for direct group promotion [00:23:00]. Organic traffic from the platform itself, including profile visits, can also be a significant source [01:10:00].
Onboarding and Indoctrination
When new members join a free group, an automated direct message (DM) can initiate communication [02:22:00]. A “Start Here” pinned post in the classroom section can guide new members to a course or webinar [02:28:00]. This course can serve as an “indoctrination” tool, similar to Russell Brunson’s “perfect webinar,” designed to encourage booking a call for a paid offering [02:46:00]. Breaking a long webinar into smaller, disarming modules can improve consumption [06:57:00]. Direct messaging (DMs) can also be used for follow-ups and to encourage calls [02:56:00].
A simple onboarding call can personalize the experience for new members, addressing their goals and obstacles, and naturally leading to sales pitches for higher-ticket offers [04:48:00].
Fostering Community Culture & Retention
Community culture is defined by the unspoken and spoken rules that govern reward and punishment within an organization [00:59:19]. A strong culture leads to higher retention and raving fans [03:42:00].
Encouraging Interaction
- Personality and Fun: Move beyond generic “value posts” to create fun, engaging content that encourages comments and participation [03:30:00]. Posts that are “broccoli wrapped in bacon” – silly and fun but deliver learning – can be very effective [03:56:00].
- Member-Generated Content: Encourage members to share things about themselves, such as favorite books, movies, GIFs, or photos of their workspace [04:54:00]. This helps members find commonalities and connect with each other, creating a strong network effect where connections are made amongst members, not just with the leader [04:26:00].
- Direct Instruction: Sometimes, simply telling members why they should engage or utilize certain features (like watching Q&A recordings) is enough [04:14:00].
- Strategic Engagement: Community leaders should actively engage, respond to comments thoughtfully, and ask questions rather than just answering [04:29:00].
- Meme Culture: Memes can be a powerful way to communicate information and build a shared culture, making the community fun and relatable [04:55:00].
Platform Features and Tools
- Categories: Use categories to signal what kind of posts are encouraged, guiding member behavior [00:59:46]. Gamifying categories (e.g., “Show me the money” for wins) can increase engagement [01:05:00].
- Pinned Posts: Regularly rotate pinned posts to highlight ongoing activities, community members’ contributions, or important announcements [00:53:51]. Pinning member posts incentivizes participation and shows appreciation [00:55:04].
- Calls/Live Sessions: Transitioning interactions from text to live calls adds depth and personal connection [01:30:34]. Even casual “coffee hour” calls without a strict agenda can be valuable [01:31:15].
- Member Profiles: Encourage members to add calendar links to their profiles for 15-minute introductory calls, fostering organic connections among members [01:04:40].
- Location Mapping: Encourage members to share their location to facilitate in-person meetups and connections [01:06:36].
Strategic Leadership
- Reward Top Contributors: Actively identify and reward the most valuable contributors by giving them more access, opportunities, or even bringing them into the team [00:55:32]. This creates an incentive for others to strive for similar engagement [01:03:08].
- Address Problems: Leaders should continuously listen to their community to identify common problems and then provide solutions through posts or new features [02:03:00].
- Curate Content: Focus on creating highly impactful, concise content that addresses specific pain points rather than overwhelming members with excessive information [01:39:00].
- Saying No to Money: Strategically declining revenue from clients who don’t fit the ideal avatar or business model allows for greater focus on the most valuable customers [03:18:17]. This can be a tough but necessary step for long-term growth and sanity [03:20:06].
- Focus on Consumption: The highest priority should be to ensure members consume the value provided. Overwhelming them with too much content, especially in a classroom, can lead to churn [01:52:16].
Reviving a Dead Community
- Identify the “Why”: Before attempting to revive a dormant community, determine the core purpose it serves for your business (e.g., lead magnet, upsell funnel) [01:41:16]. If it doesn’t solve a critical problem, consider whether reactivation is the best use of resources [01:46:01].
- Exciting Launch/Challenge: Introduce something new and exciting like a challenge or competition to re-engage members [01:41:09].
- Owner Engagement: Posts from the community owner tend to get more attention than those from community managers, especially in smaller or dormant groups [01:43:10].
- Targeted Outreach: During reactivation efforts, encourage existing active members to tag less active members they’d like to compete with [01:43:40].
Measuring Success: The Four Levers of Business Growth
To grow a business, focus on these four levers [01:05:00]:
- Traffic: Increase the number of people coming into the community [01:02:00].
- Conversion: Improve the percentage of traffic that converts into paying customers [01:02:00].
- Price: Optimize pricing to maximize earnings per click (EPC) [01:02:00].
- Churn: Decrease the rate at which customers cancel their memberships [01:02:00].
The overall goal is to maximize earnings per click (EPC) over the longest period of time [01:05:00]. Regularly analyzing and adjusting pricing, even quarterly, can significantly impact profitability [01:19:25].
Ultimately, the most successful communities cultivate a strong culture and build a network where members are connected to each other, reducing dependency on a single leader and ensuring long-term retention [01:19:01].