There is a difference between developing a community as a strategy and developing a community strategy.
An organization might want to increase repeat purchases from their existing audience. Their strategy might be to create a community. The goal is increased engagement, the strategy is to develop a community. That’s clear enough.
But a community strategy (a strategy for the community) is different. A community strategy is the approach to developing a successful community. That approach might, for example, be growth, engagement or improving the sense of community amongst members.
Too often, the organization might push an objective (repeat purchases) upon the community. A community needs a strategy based upon it’s current health and stage in the community life cycle, not direct by a bigger corporate objective. Don’t mix the process with the end-result.
