So what now?

The recurring theme behind every conversation I had while researching this topic was that communities only thrive when you put in the time and effort to care for them.

That work often happens behind scenes and – if you’re doing it right – probably won’t ever be noticed by your members, which can make it unrewarding, or even frustrating at times. Yet it’s still a necessary condition to a successful community.

No Rush

The other lesson I took from this is that things can take a while. When it comes to building communities, time is measured in months, not days.

You can’t rush things by buying ad traffic or purchasing likes on Facebook. If you truly want to build a great community you’ll simply have to provide value, engage with members, and repeat the process day after day after day.

No Easy Task

All this to say that growing a community is no easy task, but it’s certainly worth it. Beyond the cool factor of building something popular and any revenue you might derive from monetization tactics, communities can also become amazingly useful platforms, both for yourself and your members.

[#Nomads] has been a free focus group for me. Thanks to #Nomads, I now know instantly what people’s problems are while they’re traveling and working. And I can build products for them. Then when I finish them, I can launch them to a pre-existing audience. That’s like every maker’s dream.

Pieter Levels, #Nomads

So the road is long, but hopefully the lessons I’ve shared here will help point you in the right direction. The best you can do now is take it one day at a time, and try to improve things bit by bit.

Homework

  • Apply this guide’s recommendations, one chapter at a time.
  • Let me know if it made a difference for your community!