Building communities within companies has numerous benefits. They help increase employee loyalty, build brand awareness, and communicate better with target audiences. These are the main reasons why companies should invest in them. But how should they start? And how can they avoid common mistakes? Jan Meissner from the startup Mews and Jiří Nečas from Productboard provide insights on these questions and more at our upcoming event, CC Uncover, where we will explore why people are the key to a successful company.
Launching on Tuesday, November 30th, our first event in the new hybrid format of conferences, CC Uncover, will delve into topics related to caring for people, building great companies, and hacking recruitment. Tickets at a discounted price can be purchased on the event website until midnight tonight.
Among the speakers at CC Uncover sharing their experiences in building companies are Jan Meissner, who serves as the Community Manager at Mews, and Jiří Nečas, the Employer Branding Manager at Productboard. In a recent interview with CzechCrunch, they highlight the essential aspects of building communities within companies and emphasize their benefits.
Why should companies invest in building communities?
Jan Meissner: The motivation for each company may vary. For example, if you are a B2C platform, you need your followers to become your customers. For B2B companies, it’s a bit different – in our case, the main motivation for community work was that we were not known as an employer. This is a significant issue in the world of startups and tech companies because developers and other professionals in the industry have many options, and salary is not always the deciding factor. Therefore, a company must openly discuss what makes it unique and what defines its team.
Jiří Nečas: Within a company’s internal environment, a community helps increase employee loyalty, as they want to believe they are an essential part of the organization. In the external environment, a community helps define the brand, increase its awareness, and communicate with the relevant target audience to gain feedback. For a better understanding, I can provide some examples of communities at Productboard.
Our main focus was to build a strong internal community of enthusiastic and active employees, which serves as the foundation for the entire company’s operations and is essential for building external communities. One of our external communities, for example, helps strengthen our employer brand.
Through educational lectures, workshops, articles, and other activities, we aim to connect with people in tech communities and show them that we are not just about work but also have a great company culture, strive to advance the world of technology and product management, and want to work with interesting individuals. Another external community, Product Makers, is built around people who are passionate about product management. It is crucial for us to have the highest quality ecosystem of product managers.
How to get started? And what if we are not an IT company?
Jan Meissner: How to start? It’s essential not to overcomplicate things and just begin. Don’t wait for perfection. It is crucial to determine what you want to achieve with your community work and why you are doing it. Also, it logically follows that defining your audience is essential. You will never cover everything and everyone. This will prevent wasted effort and, most importantly, a sense of failure. Whether you are a tech company or not, community management originated from the needs of tech companies and people, but taking good care of your team, customers, and potential colleagues is necessary everywhere and always.
Jiří Nečas: From my perspective, a community is a place where people with a tremendous passion for a particular topic come together and find meaning in that place. In my opinion, anyone can build a community. In our case, communities connect the world of technology, but they can also help companies sell beans or educate and connect veterinarians. It is crucial to always clarify why the company wants to build a community, what it expects from it, and what its goals are. In some cases, a community may not be the most effective solution.
Furthermore, it is essential to find active people within the company or organization and connect them with the outside world. The basic assumption is that you will provide the community with content that interests its members and addresses their problems. For example, if I wrote an article or spoke at a conference for developers, it would not interest anyone because I am not a developer. Marketers should target marketers with their content, and developers should target developers.
Another prerequisite is that every company has enthusiasts who are active, want to meet and discuss their problems, and have a lot of energy. We found that if you support these individuals and give them the opportunity to become leaders, it is the best way to build communities. These people are authentic and naturally attract other active individuals with similar interests and enthusiasm. And that’s who you want in your community and company.
What are the most common mistakes companies make in this area?
Jan Meissner: They are not authentic. The recognition of our work is when a person comes after three months and says, „It’s exactly as you sold it to me.“ This also applies in reverse; after all, a three-month notice period has its reason. I would mention another mistake – not doing it at all. It is not necessary to hire community managers right from the start. In every team, there is an enthusiast who can kick things off nicely in their daily work, and then either continue with it or pass it on to someone who will do it full-time. Support and involvement of top managers are necessary in this case.
Jiří Nečas: A community can be a great tool that can solve many problems and prepare a company for significant growth. However, if it is not based on shared values and a passion for the topic and does not provide added value to its members, it will not work. People are not in communities to buy something from you. They primarily want to learn something new, feel part of a larger whole, feel they can influence something, meet interesting people, or solve a problem.
If you are ready to listen to them, want to address their problems, and decide to launch a community, another challenge arises – realizing that you are not alone in leading the community, and people want to be active and help. Once you find active leaders who will help you develop and lead the community, you are on the path to success. Then it’s just a matter of persevering and being consistent. Communities often yield results in the long term. However, it is doubly true that what you give will come back to you.
In conclusion, building communities within companies is a valuable investment that can lead to increased employee engagement, stronger brand presence, and better communication with target audiences. By following the insights and advice shared by experts like Jan Meissner and Jiří Nečas, companies can navigate the process effectively and avoid common pitfalls, ultimately fostering a thriving community culture within their organizations.