Online communities have surged in popularity in the last few years and are expected to grow even more. Brands, businesses, group coaches, and creators are all making the move to community spaces, using them to form deeper connections with their audience, provide value, and advertise products and services.
With 64% of online community visitors admitting that they visit community sites more often now than they did a couple of years ago, it’s clear that the community landscape isn’t likely to dry up anytime soon.
However, despite this, brands are still on the fence about whether to build an online community. Although community spaces can be hard work to set up and maintain, the benefits of growing your own community space far outweigh the disadvantages.
Here is why every single coach should consider creating their own online community, regardless of their niche.
An online community is a virtual space where individuals of similar interests or goals can share information, offer support, make connections, and even form lifelong friendships.
The online world is vast, but so are online communities; you can find them on Instagram, Facebook, or even on specialized websites and forums designed for specific niches. These spaces are built to stand the test of time, scaling as their audience grows.
No two communities are the same. Online communities come in different spaces and sizes to fit a wide range of interests and needs. Here are the most common types of online communities:
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Online communities come with a range of benefits that coaches can take advantage of. Whether you’re a fitness coach, a lifestyle coach, or you’re starting a business training company, virtual communities can help you reach your goals.
Here are 10 online community advantages.
One benefit of building an online community is the ability to connect and engage better with your audience. Communities aren’t just a way to sell products– they offer an avenue to build a fanbase, letting creators talk to their audience directly through comments on posts, specific videos, or even live events. This personal touch builds loyalty in the long run, which is invaluable for your brand. Loyalty creates organic brand advocates, which can help your community grow to new heights.
Furthermore, being able to connect directly with community members means you get access to instant feedback from your audience. They can let you know what they love about your brand and services, but they also may have suggestions about what you could improve on. This will help you create better services that are more aligned with your audience in the future.
Online communities offer coaches more visibility. Through interacting with their audience and sharing their knowledge, coaches can establish themselves as a trusted figure in their field. This will help you draw in more clients and scale your coaching business.
Setting up an online community also leads to greater visibility. This is due to the ripple effect of community members sharing content from the community. Content sharing will entice new members to join, grow the community through word-of-mouth interactions, and get your brand name out there.
Setting up a virtual community offers you promotion and marketing, which will boost sales without you having to fork out funds for ads. This is because healthy communities offer a ready-made audience you can use to promote new products, courses, or even live events.
If community members truly believe in your community, they will naturally spread the word about your products and services, meaning you get free marketing through word-of-mouth.
Online communities provide a space where members can learn together. Members are encouraged to help out their peers by sharing tips and offering advice, which, in turn, creates a stronger and self-sustaining community.
Moreover, creators and coaches can use feedback from the community to improve their offerings. Simply checking in with the community will reveal whether their members are struggling with the course content, finding certain modules more difficult than others, or even something as simple as which formatting they prefer.
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One huge benefit of online communities is the emotional support and motivation they can offer their members. Online spaces can be used to share struggles and celebrate successes. Whether your community is learning a new language, entering a fitness journey, or learning how to master marketing, online communities provide a space where members can support and motivate each other. This is something that is often missing from typical online courses, which can make learning something new incredibly isolating.
However, encouragement doesn’t necessarily have to be related to the community topic. Communities can quickly become support spaces for other issues that individuals may be struggling with, such as loneliness, bereavement, stress, or anything else. In fact, research has shown that individuals are more likely to invest in online communities during trauma, crisis, or major life changes. These safe spaces can provide support that individuals might not have access to in their real lives.
By regularly checking in with your community and providing frequent updates, you can offer support and motivation, too. Just being available and letting community members know they can talk to you will inspire trust and make them feel more valued and comfortable in the community.
A huge benefit of online communities is the ability to network and form new connections that members wouldn’t have had the chance to. Virtual communities can create a range of different opportunities for collaboration between members, from partaking in group projects to attending live events.
Furthermore, the professional connections members make and nurture within the community may be invaluable to their careers going forward. Writers may be given contact details of literary agents, and coaches may find their next clients. This type of value is hard to replicate in any other type of online space, particularly social media.
Running an online community can also offer you insights into your chosen market. Engaging regularly with your community, whether checking in and providing updates, searching forums, or hosting live events, will offer you valuable insight into the needs and preferences of members belonging to your specific niche. In fact, according to Personify, more than half of users in the U.S. actively seek product recommendations on community sites, and 77% of individuals join communities to discover new things.
By keeping a close eye on your community, you’ll also be able to spot new trends early and use them to your advantage. This can help you offer new services, refine existing products, and provide a USP (unique selling point) that will entice new members to join your community and try your services.
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Online communities can encourage customer loyalty. If you create a vibrant space that provides lots of value to its members, they’re more likely to feel valued and decide to stick around.
Providing a space for feedback and support will increase overall customer satisfaction. Happy customers mean better testimonials, higher online ratings, and more clients. By focusing your energy on making sure your community members feel happy and valued, you’ll create a coaching business that others will be inspired to use.
Online communities offer the type of customer support that other brands simply can’t replicate without a community space. Since communities provide a network of like-minded individuals, it’s natural for members to want to support each other. This can reduce your workload as a creator, allowing you to focus on other aspects of the business, such as creating new courses and providing more value.
Furthermore, the community can become a go-to place for common questions. Community members can offer solutions or point other users in the direction of FAQs for more information. This resource hub is invaluable for brands and companies who want happy customers.
One of the biggest benefits of hosting online communities is the ability to monetize it and create a sustainable business. Creators and coaches can use communities to earn money in a variety of different ways, including:
Communities also offer different ways to pay, including through subscriptions or tiered memberships. Creators can design a series of tiers with prices that reflect the amount of value each one offers. For example, the lowest-priced tier may include digital downloads and courses, whereas higher-paying tiers might provide members with access to live events and direct teaching. You can choose what you’re willing to offer.
With so many platforms available, building a sustainable online community has never been easier. Once you choose your platform, you can start providing value, building courses, advertising digital products, and creating a space that community members will be proud to call home.
Teach.io provides the perfect platform to build a sustainable community and monetize your passion. This all-in-one platform is designed to eliminate the need for app-switching. Chat with community members, host live events, and build courses all in one place. Whether you’re a fitness coach, business coach, life coach, or another type of teacher, Teach as you covered.
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Online communities come with a huge range of benefits for both creators and community members. Watch your audience connect with like-minded individuals and offer support, get feedback directly from an engaged audience, monetize your space through courses and products, and so much more.
Community platforms allow coaches to connect directly with their clients, creating a more personalized teaching experience that will make members feel valued. With a range of community platforms like Teach.io designed to suit your needs, there’s never been a better time to get started.
