6 Lessons from the Future Communities Inspiration Safari
Oct 05, 2021
Go to where they are congregating: The BBC told us to go to your community, don't expect them to come to you. If you keep using your own channels you will only connect with your warmest audiences. Go to where your potential supporters are already connecting and interacting. And prepare to feel uncomfortable in these new spaces.
Find the intersections between your communities: Depop realised their community isn't a single group. It's a patchwork of communities. They look for the common ground - the intersections of their motivations - between these diverse groups and focus on what unites, rather than divides. Driving connection between customers is a brand differentiator and competitive advantage.
Embrace discomfort: Depop's advice: "You can't keep everyone happy all of the time. And that's ok." You're going to get it wrong some of the time. Just stay true to your cause.
Same product, different channels: Byline's business model has been been built on offering the same proposition but through different channels - festivals, newspapers, radio, TV, podcasts and events. This enables members to self-identify how committed they are, and offer support in different way.
Be entrepreneurial: In the words of Stephen, "try shit out". Don't over plan. Listen to your customers. Try it out. Try it out again. Break the rules.
"When you succeed, we succeed": The co-leadership model of community can deliver wins all round. Both Byline and Depop learned that you sometimes have to let go of control and let the community drive change and, in some cases, develop entirely new propositions under your brand (e.g. emergence of Central Bylines). By continuously listening to, and engaging their communities, they have grown, pivoted and responded to the changing needs and voices of their audiences.