8 steps to establish, launch, and grow a community from expert Brian Oblinger

Brian began the series by defining a community as "a group of people doing something together" with shared interests or experiences, like discussing a product or exchanging knowledge on a topic. A key element of a thriving community is members feeling they belong and benefit from shared knowledge and camaraderie. As Brian mentions, great communities foster this sense of belonging, making members feel "part of something bigger."

There are several types of online communities, and communities can exist on a business's domain (e.g., a dedicated community website) or off-domain (e.g., social media platforms, Slack channels, or in-person events). Brian advocates a flexible approach when deciding where to build your community, recommending it should depend on a company’s strategy, goals, and where their audience already engages with them.

The benefits of online communities for businesses are significant. Communities can drive down costs, increase revenue, and improve operational efficiencies, especially in customer support and success areas. Brian notes, "We can build sustainable support and customer success models [with community] that we just couldn't do in any other way."

Additionally, a community can differentiate a brand by offering a superior customer experience, which helps with customer retention and advocacy. Through community engagement, businesses build stronger customer relationships and create a competitive moat that improves overall customer satisfaction and loyalty.

Community building also allows organizations to improve internal cohesion and alignment. Community initiatives often have “second-order effects” that drive cross-functional collaboration and innovation beyond just the community itself. Thus, for businesses, the impact of a well-executed community can extend far beyond the customer-facing aspects, fostering a more collaborative and aligned internal environment.

Watch session one on-demand now! Community Learning Labs: Understanding why brands turn to communities

After mastering the community basics, Brian underscores the need for community managers to establish a clear vision and strategy. He defines vision as a "perspective" that identifies the problem, the community's role, and expected outcomes. The vision should translate into actionable goals, as high-level concepts alone aren't enough. "You have to know where you're going and how to execute it," he explains, stressing the importance of aligning the vision with business outcomes.

Once the vision is set, there are five key components of a successful strategy: people, content, programs, technology, and design. Start with the “people” piece by understanding members’ needs and building personas to guide the strategy and follow with content. As Brian explains, "People come for the content and stay for the community." If you’re unsure where to start with building content, begin by tackling the most common support questions.

The third building block in a community strategy is “programs,” which are essential to creating value within the community. These programs should cover all stages of the member lifecycle, from acquisition and onboarding to engagement and retention. Brian dives more into this topic in sessions six, seven, and eight.

Technology and design are the final pieces in a community strategy, though many businesses get ahead of themselves by starting with the “technology” component when building their strategy. By leaving this at the end, community managers are at a better advantage, with clear expectations for what they need from a community solution to reach their goals versus trying to mold a community solution to their needs. In mentioning “design,” Oblinger stresses that "how it works" is more important than "how it looks," advising that reducing friction in user interactions should be prioritized over aesthetic design. 

Finally, operationalizing the strategy by breaking it down into manageable tasks and assigning responsibilities is key to execution. Brian warns that a common pitfall is failing to turn lofty goals into actionable steps, saying, “Pretty slides are good, but it doesn’t matter if you can’t do what you say.”

Watch session two on-demand now! Community Learning Labs: Setting the vision and strategy for your community

With the community foundation set, it’s time to get the rest of the organization on board. In session three, Brian introduces the essentials of building a business case and securing internal alignment.

Oblinger highlights that community initiatives must show how they contribute to revenue, retention, or efficiency to align with business outcomes. "You have to earn the right to build connection, belonging, and vibes" by proving the community drives results. When building your case, he advises focusing on the "Biz 6" goals—brand awareness, new customers, expanding relationships, retention, scaling, and profit margins—and showing how these company objectives link to community outcomes.

When crafting your business case, it’s also essential to present community initiatives as investments with long-term benefits like increased customer satisfaction and reduced support costs rather than focusing on immediate expenses. It’s important to commit to measurable outcomes with specific KPIs and timeframes, such as "We aim to reduce support costs by 15% within the next year through a self-service community model."

Focusing on solving others’ problems rather than pushing your goals is key to securing internal alignment. By positioning cross-functional teams as heroes in the narrative, community managers can create a business case that resonates with teams across the organization and gains enthusiastic support. Ultimately, the business case for a community should be framed in terms of tangible benefits for key stakeholders, ensuring that the community is seen as an asset that drives core business objectives.

Watch session three on-demand now! Community Learning Labs: Building a business case and getting internal alignment

Evaluating and selecting a community vendor is the next item on the community building “to-do” list, which Brian covers in the fourth Community Learning Labs session. Before embarking on vendor evaluations, revisit your strategy and assess whether it requires on-domain control, such as owning the customer experience and data, or if building community on open platforms like Facebook Groups, for example, is sufficient​ to meet your goals. As Oblinger says, "It's not a foregone conclusion that you need a community platform."

If leveraging a community platform vendor is the path forward, form a cross-functional selection team to ensure a well-rounded evaluation. Based on the intended use case, this team should include representatives from various departments, such as marketing, product, or support. For instance, if the community's goal is customer support deflection, the support team should be part of the selection process.

Carefully documenting functional and business requirements is also a necessary step to take before engaging vendors. "One of the biggest mistakes I see is people showing up to these conversations without documented requirements," he explains. Precise requirements ensure community managers can properly assess vendors on key criteria, such as platform capabilities, API integrations, and alignment with business objectives. He recommends building a scorecard to evaluate each vendor objectively, focusing on core functionality, customization, and analytics, among other factors​.

Finally, when contacting potential vendors, do this simultaneously and in the same manner, ensuring a fair, unbiased comparison and providing insight into how vendors respond. Pay special attention to the vendor's responsiveness, who they bring to the table, and how they position themselves. The selection should focus on the product features and the vendor's ability to act as a long-term partner, helping ensure the community's success beyond just the platform.

Watch session four on-demand now! Community Learning Labs: Evaluating and selecting the right community vendor

Now, the exciting part: getting ready to launch! Session five covers the essentials for developing a community launch plan, governance structure, and system integrations.

Pulling from his robust Community Launch Guide, Brian emphasizes that a structured launch plan starts with a clear timeline and understanding of each launch phase: discovery, strategy, vendor selection, planning, implementation, QA/Beta, soft launch, and public launch. Successful launches often require overlapping phases and team collaboration to keep the project moving efficiently.

Tackling the community’s governance is one of the many critical aspects involved in a launch. It requires creating key documents like community guidelines, employee and partner guidelines, and terms of service, which outline expected members and specific internal employee policies to ensure smooth participation and clarity on engagement. He notes, "When I say governance, there's two pieces to it: the documentation and the structure within which people work." Getting governance documents through legal review early can help prevent delays and project timeline derailment at this step.

Oblinger also flags single sign-on (SSO) as a common blocker in community launches, stressing it should be prioritized immediately after vendor sign-off. "SSO is the number one derailer of community launches," he warns. Early identification of integration needs and coordination with internal teams and third-party vendors can ensure smooth data flow from day one. 

A coordinated onboarding and collaboration plan with internal stakeholders, like legal, marketing, and IT, is vital to a successful launch. Early involvement and alignment on mutual goals help create a seamless launch that resonates across the organization.

Watch session five on-demand now! Community Learning Labs: Launching your community — Part I

As covered in session six, the next critical steps of a community launch include hiring a community lead, creating community programs, and promoting the community.

Brian highlights the importance of hiring a dedicated community lead, noting that “a full-time resource is a top indicator of community success.” Organizations should prioritize finding a professional who aligns with strategic goals and possesses the right skills rather than assigning part-time roles to existing staff. Clear job descriptions and internal alignment on responsibilities are key to ensuring success.

Building community programs, from acquisition to retention, is key to creating value. Brian advises prioritizing early-stage programs like acquisition and onboarding, warning, "You can't engage or retain members that aren't there." More on this in sessions seven and eight.

Effective promotion is another key to a successful launch, likening it to the adage, “If a tree falls in the forest and no one hears it, did it make a sound?” Without promotion, people won’t engage. The best place to start is with internal promotion, which can be done by educating teams like marketing and support and embedding calls to action in customer communications. Ongoing external promotion through multiple channels with a clear value proposition is essential for sustaining visibility and growth.

From hiring a skilled lead to developing thoughtful programs and crafting a robust promotion plan, all these activities should connect to business outcomes and measurable goals. When aligned and executed effectively, these efforts differentiate great communities from average ones.

Watch session six on-demand now! Community Learning Labs: Launching your community — Part II

In the seventh Community Learning Labs session, Brian stresses that "launch is only the beginning." Community managers should focus on sustaining engagement post-launch through early-stage programs that build a strong foundation for participation.

Onboarding programs are a critical yet often overlooked ingredient in building user momentum. Oblinger describes it as a "choreographed, curated collection of experiences" that helps users understand the platform, gain confidence, and feel welcomed. Completing profiles, introducing themselves, and making first posts are necessary onboarding steps that gradually build familiarity and reduce friction. “Data shows properly onboarded users engage more and stay longer,” he notes, emphasizing the long-term value of effective onboarding.

Gamification and recognition programs are also vital tools for sustaining momentum. Gamification should align with user motivations and offer meaningful rewards like badges, ranks, or real-world incentives. Recognition tools, such as leaderboards and spotlighting top contributors, foster achievement and encourage participation when thoughtfully aligned with user goals.

With these activities implemented, Oblinger stresses the need for continuous measurement and optimization. He advises tracking user engagement metrics to identify drop-off points and adjust strategies, enabling community managers to refine programs and drive long-term growth. “It’s a game of optimization more than maximization,” he concludes, underscoring the iterative process of sustaining user momentum.

Watch session seven on-demand now! Community Learning Labs: Creating and building upon user momentum

In the final Community Learning Labs session, Brian focuses on long-term community management and best practices for sustained success. He emphasizes that community management is not just about continually growing engagement but driving meaningful business outcomes over time, saying, "Engagement is a means to an end—it’s about using it to achieve the business outcomes we care about."

Community managers should focus on operational metrics like active user rates and engagement depth and tie them to business outcomes when measuring and reporting community success. Show how the community drives revenue, improves satisfaction, or reduces costs. Data-driven storytelling can also be an effective tool for communicating the community’s impact to stakeholders.

Additionally, a foundational element of long-term community success is understanding and adapting to members' needs. Oblinger underscores the importance of building and continually refining user personas to guide program development. He notes, "Communities are dynamic ecosystems—what members need and value will evolve, and so must your programs." Best practices include actively seeking feedback, monitoring trends, and iterating programs to remain relevant and valuable​.

Lastly, Oblinger stresses the importance of retention, advocating for a holistic view of the user journey. Managers must identify where members disengage and why and then refine their strategies to address those gaps. He emphasizes, “We’re so focused on the front door we forget about the back door.” By combining proactive engagement with robust data analysis, community managers can build ecosystems that attract, retain, and delight members over the long term​.

Watch session eight on-demand now! Community Learning Labs: Long-term management and best practices

Special thanks to leading community consultant Brian Obligner for sharing his knowledge and resources to support the creation of this webinar series.

With 20+ years in the industry, Brian has launched and contributed to the success of hundreds of communities, including Acer, Alteryx, Autodesk, Comcast, eBay, Hewlett-Packard, and Sony PlayStation. As a strategic community consultant, he's helped hundreds of companies connect with their customers to build engagement, satisfaction, and retention engines.

Brian also co-hosts a podcast with Erica Kuhl called 'In Before The Lock,' where they share their experiences and free resources to help community professionals succeed.

Learn more about Brian and get in touch with him here.