Any given entity or business at its core represents a network of people (employees, partners, buyers and influencers), and is formed by durable relations between them.
Creating a strong following is part art and part science. It takes inbound marketing efforts and corporate philosophy to provide buyers/consumers with a feeling of belonging to a family or club. This feeling gives them a sense of shared community, supported by an almost ritualistic behavior when interacting with a brand.
Such a following may take the form of either a club or a community.
Let’s explore some definitions of a community extracted from online dictionaries:
- a social, religious, occupational, or other group sharing common characteristics or interests and perceived or perceiving itself as distinct in some respect from the larger society within which it exists.
- a feeling of fellowship with others, as a result of sharing common attitudes, interests, and goals.
- a group of people living in the same place or having a particular characteristic in common.
- a body of persons or nations having a common history or common social, economic, and political interests
- a body of persons of common and especially professional interests scattered through a larger society
- a group of associated nations sharing common interests or a common heritage.
Some exceptional examples of communities include MOM365, Foursquare, Duolingo, Zenoss, City of hope, Promotional Products Association International, Broadcom.
Definitions of a club follow below:
- an association or organization dedicated to a particular interest or activity.
- an association of persons for some common object usually jointly supported and meeting periodically
- a group identified by some common characteristic
- an association of persons participating in a plan by which they agree to make regular payments or purchases in order to secure some advantage.
Great examples of brand loyalty clubs – Harley Davidson, Nike, SoulCycle, the Ellen DeGeneres Show, Southwest Airlines, Volkswagen Beetle.
The table below provides a contrasting comparison of the two forms of gatherings and relations.
|
A club |
A community |
| There is a high fee to pay to be included. | A person has a chance to become a part by providing a contribution other than money. |
| Service or product oriented. | Based on shared values and interests. |
| Participants showcase their high status and prestige. | Participants solve problems, establish principles, and promote a shared vision. |
| Referrals are more subtle and go through a system. | No restrictions of communications between participants and each of them adds on a value. |
| Participants show up at their best to impress the network. | Participants are their true selves. They learn, help, inspire each other (peer learning) |
| There is an admission process in place. | Participants are included on their wish to deliver value. |
As you see, a club is more driven by its commercial nature and validation of participants while a community is all about a social impact and values.