Should You Build A Community Around Your Info Product?

At the end of the day, only you can judge whether or not to do something for your business; I am just here to share ideas and insights that could help you improve your return on investment (ROI) and scale your conversions.  

Having a community around your info product is one of those ideas. 

Let’s explore what it means to have a community around your info product business, what benefits a community brings, and how to create one.

First, let’s define it. In marketing, a community is a group of people who share common interests, needs, and values and typically revolve around a niche, product or service, or brand – or all of the above. 

There are different types of communities. Some exist to provide help and support. Some offer discussions and insights. Some are just chats where people can connect with each other. (I’m sure you are part of at least one yourself. 🤭)

Both businesses and regular people can create such discussions and chats—the difference between them is the purpose. Today, of course, we’ll discuss why businesses should consider creating, maintaining, and participating in such communities. 

How Does A Community Benefit Your Business?

Having a community around your info product business is one of the most effective ways to increase engagement, trust, brand loyalty, and conversions. 

• Increases Engagement And Retention: Having a community encourages, maintains, and increases overall engagement for your business.
  
  People trust other people more than ads, and having a community provides a dedicated space for people to interact, ask questions, offer insights, and share thoughts.
  
  When people are surrounded by others interested in and invested in the same product or service, it is easier for them to become paying clients and even return to your brand in the future. 
  
  
• Strengthens Brand Authority: A successful, thriving community positions you as an expert in your niche. When people consistently receive value from you, they trust you and your recommendations naturally.
  
  This can open other doors for you in the future if, for example, you become a public speaker or collaborate with others in your niche.
  
  
• Drives Organic Growth: If your communities offer genuine value, members will soon start inviting their friends to join.
  
  This leads to organic (free) growth, supports word-of-mouth marketing, and creates a compound effect, which in turn leads to an inevitable increase in conversions and sales.
  
  
• Increases Customer Loyalty: Communities foster a sense of connection between people and the brand. When people feel connected, they are likely to return to your brand in the future.
  
  Communities have the power to turn your audience into long-term customers, increasing your overall return on investment (ROI).
  
  
• Provides A Space For Customer Insights: Communities foster connection, which fosters real-time feedback and insights from customers.
  
  If you pay attention to what people are discussing, you’ll find out what they want or need. This can help you create the perfect product or service (solution) that you know for a fact will sell.
  
  Communities also help with product validation. You can always ask community members what they think of your products or services before you launch them, which will help you identify how high of a demand there is for your idea.
  
  
• Reduces Customer Support Workload: You can have a community for commonly asked questions and user support. Most chat platforms allow you to pin specific topics, making it easier for people to find answers.
  
  Many times, people who have been members for a while will offer their own support to those who are new or who are struggling with a certain issue. This reduces your workload and increases engagement without your involvement. 
  
  

Community Types 

There are several types of communities, and all of them serve different purposes. Let’s dive in! 

• Free Public Communities: These are good for lead generation and brand awareness. They provide free value upfront, help build an organic audience, and attract potential buyers.
  
  
• Private Paid Communities: These can be used for providing premium support, exclusive content, and sharing limited-time offers. You can charge a one-time fee for entry or charge people on a subscription basis.
  
  
• Specific Course Support Communities: These communities are only for those who are taking a course or are members of your program, meaning they are actively paying clients.
  
  Here, you can offer help and support with anything relevant to the course or program.
  
  You can also share any resources (free and paid) that would enhance your customers’ experience with their current course and hold exclusive webinars and coaching calls.
  
  
• High-Ticket Communities: You can have a high-ticket community that offers members exclusive access and networking opportunities.
  
  It is essential to provide real value in these, especially if you plan on charging people a yearly or monthly fee to become and remain members.
  
  These are best for consulting services, high-ticket coaching programs, and mastermind groups.
  
  

Pro Tips For Creating A Community

Here are some ideas that you can implement should you decide to build a community (or communities) around your info product business.

• Define Your Community’s Purpose: Apart from promoting your product, your community should provide value outside of another value, too.
  
  It should be a place where people can connect with you and each other, learn things, and get support and motivation.
  
  You can create different communities/groups for different purposes. Some great platforms for that are Discord, Facebook, and Reddit.
  
  
• Engage In Discussions: Participate in discussions and engage with your community members.
  
  Without the fuel your participation provides, your community will quickly become messy, and people won’t see any value in sticking around.
  
  To receive engagement, you have to offer and encourage it first.
  
  A good place to start this type of engagement could be in existing groups and communities around your niche, for example, on Reddit or Facebook.
  
  You can participate and engage with people there, and once you’ve established a good name for yourself, you can start redirecting and inviting those people to your community.
  
  
• Attract Members: You can attract members by giving access to exclusive content, offering limited-time deals, inciting people to a webinar or masterclass, and using lead magnets.
  
  If you’ve been in business for a while and already have a loyal audience and customers, you can invite your social media followers, email list, and existing students to join.
  
  
• Encourage Word-Of-Mouth Marketing: Encourage and incentivize referrals. You can do so by creating challenges with rewards for those who invite the most friends or by featuring top contributors.
  
  Acknowledge and reward those who participate with special deals, a free piece of exclusive content, or even monetary prizes.
  
  Create an affiliate program for your product to give people an opportunity to earn a commission. 
  
  
• Convert Community Members Into Customers: Invite people to private or high-ticket communities where you offer exclusive value and charge them either a one-time or a subscription fee.
  
  Host live sessions and webinars where you tell and show people how your product or service solves their problems.
  
  Offer special deals on your products and services for community members only.
  
  

Closing Remarks 

Building and maintaining a community might sound like a lot of work, but the ripple effect can bring many long-term benefits to your information product business. 

A community around your info product can boost your engagement, increase your conversions and sales, and improve customer loyalty and retention rates. 

Once your community is up and running, you can create sub-communities focusing on different goals, like providing support, exclusive value, and sharing new products or services. 

You can convert your audience and community members into paying customers by selling them your products or charging them a community membership fee. However, it is essential to provide actual value in your communities, especially in those you decide to charge for. 

By the way, have you subscribed to Vavoza Insider yet? We share actionable marketing tips here weekly, so subscribe and stay tuned! 

Always Be A VIP!

– Steph