Basically, a brand community is a group of people who possess a common interest in a brand. But a powerful brand community, one that has a powerful impact on the bottom line for your business, has another element: instead of just being a group of people who are interested in a brand, they are a group of people who are also deeply interested in and connected to each other. There are 3 secrets to developing interest and connection among brand community members that will build a powerful brand community: you must offer your fans and customers mutual acceptance, expression, and transparency. Doing this breaks down barriers and builds connection. These are 3 very different brands whose ability to leverage these 3 secrets in their brand communities has had a significant impact on their bottom line: CrossFit Inc, Free People, and Buffer.

1. Secrets to Building a
Powerful Brand
Community
@MJSchindler
www.nexDimension.net

2. Brand Community
Brand
Community
Fans and
Customers
Brand
Affinity
Shared
Values

3. Powerful Brand
Community
Powerful
Brand
Community
Fans and
Customers
Brand
Affinity
Shared
Values
Connection
to Other
Community
Members

4. The 3 Secrets
Brand
Community
Expression
Acceptance
Transparency

5. Powerful Brand
Communities

6. CrossFit

7. 7,000
Affiliate
gyms

8. 166%
Year-over-year
growth rate

9. 2%
Failure rate

10. $2 Billion
Estimated net of
CrossFit affiliates

11. Interest in CrossFit
Over Time

12. Acceptance

13. Acceptance
• Eliminate fear and uncertainty
• Make your members feel important

14. Eliminate
Fear and Uncertainty

15. Eliminate
Fear and Uncertainty

16. Eliminate
Fear and Uncertainty

17. Make Them
Feel Important

19. Make Them
Feel Important

20. Acceptance

21. Free People

22. 30%
Revenues
increase

23. 20%
Fourth quarter
Sales surge

24. 24%
Rise in wholesale
revenues

25. 54%
Rise in retail
revenues

26. Expression

27. Free People’s FPMe

28. Free People’s FPMe

29. Expression
• Meet them where they are
• Empower them to share

30. Meet Them
Where They Are
#ootd #outfitoftheday #lookoftheday
#fashion #fashiongram #style
#currentlywearing #lookbook #wiwt
#whatiwore #whatiworetoday
#ootdshare #outfit #clothes #wiw
#mylook #fashionista #todayimwearing
#instastyle #instafashion #outfitpost
#fashionpost #todaysoutfit
#fashiondiaries

31. Empower Them to Share

32. Empower Them to Share

33. Empower Them to Share

34. Expression

35. Buffer

36. >1 Million

37. > 2 Million

38. > 16,000

39. > 87 Million

40. Transparency

41. Default to Transparency
Among Your Community
Transparency Trust Community

42. Transparency
• Default to transparency within your
brand
• Default to transparency among your
community

43. Default to Transparency
Within Your Brand

44. Default to Transparency
Within Your Brand

45. Default to Transparency
Among Your Community

46. Buffer: Hacked

47. Buffer: Hacked

48. Buffer: Hacked

49. Buffer: Hacked
• Pattern of upgrades to paid plans
was unaffected
• Spike in downgrades from paid
plans evened out within a few
days
• “Almost record number of
signups” during the hack

50. Buffer: Hacked

51. Default to Transparency
Among Your Community
Transparency Trust Community

52. Building a Powerful
Community
POWERFUL
Brand
Community
Expression
Acceptance
Transparency

53. Acceptance
• Eliminate fear and
uncertainty
• Make your members feel
important

54. Expression
• Meet them where they are
• Empower them to share

55. Transparency
• Default to transparency
within your brand
• Default to transparency
among your community

56. Building Your Powerful
Brand Community
Powerful
Brand
Community
Fans and
Customers
Brand
Affinity
Shared
Values
Connection
to Other
Community
Members