Building an online community is more than just a trend—it has become a necessity. But how can you, as a self-employed person, build a successful community that not only strengthens your brand but also creates real added value for your followers?
In this article, you'll learn step by step how to build an engaged community that supports your business and helps it grow. From defining your target audience to tools and monetization strategies, we cover everything that makes for effective community management.
1. What is an online community?
An online community is much more than just a group of people who gather on social media.
It is a digital space where like-minded people meet to exchange ideas, support each other, and pursue common goals.
According to a study by Facebook and NYU's The Governance Lab , 77% of respondents said that the most important group they currently belong to operates online. This underscores the growing importance of digital communities in people's lives.
A successful online community is characterized by the following features:
- Strong relationships between members
- Common needs and interests or goals
- Active participation and commitment
- Continuous development
Building a successful community means creating an environment based on trust and mutual respect, where every member can contribute to the overall experience.
2. Define the target audience
Before you start building your community, it is crucial to know your target audience inside out. A precise target group definition helps you to create relevant content and choose the right platforms for your community.
Methods for identifying your target group:
- Create detailed buyer personas (German: customer avatars)
- Analyze your existing customers
- Conduct surveys and interviews
- Use social media analytics
Remember: the better you know your target audience, the easier it will be to build a community that is truly engaged.
The KlickDojo as an example
I currently work (still) less with fully developed buyer personas and more with the experience I have gained from over 100 SEO bootcamp audits I have conducted to date. This is how the target group(s) of my German-speaking SEO community 'KlickDojo' on skool.com are currently, for example:
- Self-employed individuals, startups, and entrepreneurs with limited budgets: These individuals cannot or do not want to invest much in their website, but are willing to do the work themselves. Although I usually don't earn anything from them, they often benefit the most from my expertise. As loyal fans, they act as my best inbound marketers.
- Successful entrepreneurs with digital sales problems: These entrepreneurs wonder why everything in their business is going well except for sales or lead generation on their website.
- Successful entrepreneurs who need an SEO audit: These entrepreneurs want to have the work of their advertising or SEO agency reviewed. They are looking for inspiration for future projects or want to know whether their service provider is reputable.
Defining your target audience means more than just collecting demographic data. It's about developing a deep understanding of the desires, needs, and challenges of the community members you want to reach.
3. Create added value for followers
The key to a successful community lies in continuously creating added value for your followers.
As long as your content offers added value, the form of interaction with your followers (text, audio, video, or images) is irrelevant.
Keep in mind that building a community is a journey where even small gestures can make a big difference. A personal thank you in the form of a personalized Loom video, an exclusive discount on a premium product, or simply taking the time to respond to comments in detail and honestly can make your members feel like they are part of something special.
Proven strategies for creating added value:
- Share exclusive knowledge, experiences, and insights
- Offer solutions to specific problems faced by your target group
- Encourage interaction between community members
- Run a useful newsletter
- Organize offline/online events and webinars
Practical example - Boxing-Arts Academy:
Ferhat, the former Bundesliga boxer from Hamburg, has joined forces with the Boxing-Arts Academy , he has created a dynamic community that brings together fitness and boxing enthusiasts. His main channels for marketing, visibility, and gaining followers are SEO, YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok, where he generously shares his knowledge and comments on current boxing events.
To convert his reach into leads, he gives away a free training plan that helps his newly acquired contacts get to know him and his training better. He also runs an online academy where interested parties can access online courses on boxing as well as weekly live training sessions with Ferhat himself. And if that's still not enough, Ferhat offers individual coaching and an offline event.
4. Tools and strategies for community building
Choosing the right tools and strategies is crucial to the success of your community.
Here are some proven options:
Types of communities | platform | benefits |
|---|---|---|
forum software | Discourse, WordPress with BuddyPress | Here you can delve deeper, share knowledge, and engage in discussion. |
Social media platforms | Facebook, Instagram, Discord, LinkedIn | They provide a broad stage for fast and dynamic interactions. |
Community platforms | Skool, WordPress with Digimember | A protected space for exclusive exchange and deeper connections. |
Strategy tip: Join the Skool Games
Choosing the right platform to interact with your followers should be done wisely, as moving or changing your platform base always involves a lot of administrative work and the loss of quite a few past members.
As you can probably imagine, I personally recommend Skool in 90% of use cases because the platform has been developed with extreme care and sophistication. It combines all the important basics and, with "Skool Games," also offers you the professional training you need to do everything right when building a community.
5. Monetization of the community
A well-managed community can not only strengthen your brand, but also contribute directly to sales. Monetization is a word that sometimes leaves a bitter aftertaste, but it doesn't have to be that way. Approached correctly, it is a process that can be valuable for both you and your community. It's not about profiting from every interaction, but about creating offers that provide real added value.
Monetization opportunities:
- Premium memberships with exclusive content
- Online courses and workshops
- Affiliate marketing recommendations
- Sponsorship and advertising partnerships
- Sale of own products or services
- Value bombing for loyal brand ambassadors
Example: Value bombing for loyal brand ambassadors
Not so long ago, it was common practice in the world of infomarketing to divide up one's knowledge and release it bit by bit. For example, a free webinar in which I was shown supposed account statements from a dubious provider led to an online course on creating my own homepage for €50 and an upsell with an online course on traffic generation for €500 and more.
Alex Hormozi has completely broken with this outdated paradigm with his new generation of marketers. His motto is "Share your expertise generously, including all your 'secrets and hacks,' and inspire your followers so much that they can't help but tell everyone they know about you."
Building such a community takes time and effort, but Alex Hormozi's success shows that it's worth it. His book "100M$ Offers" became a bestseller on Amazon in the Marketing & Sales category and sells thousands of copies every day without him spending a cent on advertising. The key to his success is his loyal fans, who enthusiastically recommend his book to others. This kind of attention is invaluable in our fast-paced digital world, where TikTok videos and declining ad impressions dominate.
6. Offline meetings and events
Although the focus is on the online aspect, offline meetings can significantly strengthen your community. They transform abstract profiles and avatars into living, breathing people.
Ideas for offline events:
- Annual community conferences
- Local meetups
- Workshops and training courses
- charity events
These events not only offer networking opportunities, but also strengthen community spirit and brand loyalty.
7. Keep the community active
Building a community is one thing, keeping it active and engaged is another. According to Jakob Nielsen's 90-9-1 rule, users are divided into passive members (90%), partially active users (9%), and active power users (1%). A recent study by the BBC puts this ratio at 23% lurkers, 60% part-time active users, and 17% active users, but you shouldn't give up too quickly if it doesn't seem to work for you right from the start.
Tips for continuous engagement:
- Ask questions regularly and initiate discussions.
- Celebrate community successes and milestones
- Conduct regular surveys to gather feedback
- Appoint active members as moderators or ambassadors
It's not so much about what you say, but how you listen.
Being open to feedback, willing to adjust your plans, and involving your community in shaping the future are crucial steps in fostering a vibrant, growing community.
Conclusion
Building an online community is a rewarding but challenging task. With the right strategies, tools, and ongoing commitment, you can create a thriving community that not only supports your business but also offers real value to your followers.
Remember: Although there are no specific current growth figures available for the entire Internet community market, various indicators such as the increasing use of social media and the growing importance of online interactions show that this area continues to gain relevance. Now is a good time to start building your own community and benefit from this trend.
Take the first step today—define your target audience and create a test account on my favorite platform, Skool. Your future community is already waiting for you!