Use Your Current Clients To Build A Community Around Your Business

If you run an agency, building a community around your business is a brilliant idea. It adds value, develops a lock-in and you can invite prospective clients. It might become a new sales funnel in itself.

But it requires you taking some steps. Here are 10 steps that might help.

1. Begin By Building An Online Hub of Quick Tips. Tips that you usually wouldn't charge for. Highlight things that have worked well in other industries. Suggest ideas that would work well in the near future. Pitch a few wacky curve-balls.
2. Create A Tip Sheet Invite. Compile a short-tip sheet for your clients. Put in 5 practical tips they can use immediately, and invite them to register for the community to see the rest.
3. Ask Clients To Post Their Top 5 Problems This Month. You and your community's other members can solve them. Make a culture of helping each other solve your top 5 problems each month. It's worth the time investment.
4. Introduce Clients To Each Other. Be clever. Don't say "Bob, I'd like you to meet Joe". Say "Bob, I think Joe might be able to answer your tax questions".
5. Highlight The Work You're Doing For Other Campaigns. Post about the work you're doing for each client. If a client likes what they see, they can ask for it too.
6. Welcome Newcomers. Invite any perspective clients, or perhaps a few business friends, to join the community. Perspective clients get a taste of what you can offer, and your business friends increase the value of your community.
7. Develop Fun Events, Like Client Of The Month. Don't base this on your favourite clients, but rather the client that has had the most successful month. Why not given them a small trophy for it too?
8. Start Debates About Your Services. "What more would you like us to do for you?". That's a good way to start. Let them tailor-make an agency that suits them.
9. Let Clients Invite Friends. Keep the invitations scarce, but once the community starts going - encourage clients to invite their friends. It might be a great source of new business.
10. Commit. A slapdash effort will do far more harm than good. Make a real commitment to this for 3 - 4 months. Either find a staff member who can spend at least 50% of their time on it, or hire a specialist.

If this sounds like an expensive or time-intensive process, imagine having clients that can't be swayed by competitors and find news business for you. It's wort it.

Comments

[Andy]

Really like this idea but would only work for an agency that's totally comfortable in its skin; is confident in their proposition/relationships. Still, if that isn't the case you have far more pressing matters to deal with I guess :-)

The benefits of up-selling alone could be huge, but I do fear that many agencies would focus on the potential negatives of opening the debate. Would love to see this in action though. Anyone you know of doing anything along these lines?