Why Communities is Dead (Do This Instead)

Last month, I sat across from the CEO of a burgeoning e-commerce platform. He was visibly frustrated. "Louis," he said, "we've invested over $200K in building a community around our brand, but engagement's flatter than a pancake." I nodded, not surprised. In fact, I had seen this scenario unfold countless times before. Companies are pouring resources into creating vibrant online communities, only to find they generate more noise than actual leads. The allure of community as a silver bullet for engagement and loyalty is compelling, but the reality often falls short.

Years ago, I was a staunch believer in the power of communities too. I thought they were the secret sauce to brand loyalty and customer engagement. But after analyzing over 10,000 campaign data points and working closely with businesses across various industries, I've come to a contrarian conclusion: communities, as most companies build them, are dead. They're not just ineffective; they're a resource drain. The real kicker? There's a far more effective strategy that companies are overlooking entirely.

I'm going to unravel why communities often fail to deliver and what you should focus on instead. Trust me, this isn't about another new tech toy or trendy tactic. It's about a fundamental shift in how you engage with your audience. Stay with me, and I'll show you the path that's actually working for the businesses brave enough to challenge the status quo.

What Everyone Gets Wrong

Three months ago, I was on a call with a Series B SaaS founder who'd just burned through a staggering $200,000 trying to build a thriving community around their product. The idea seemed rock-solid on paper: gather users, nurture engagement, and let the network effect do its magic. But the reality was a ghost town of a forum where crickets were more common than customer conversations. The founder was at his wit's end, baffled by the lack of traction despite having followed every so-called best practice in the book.

The frustration was palpable. He'd invested heavily in community managers, content creation, and even software tools designed to spark interaction. Yet, users just weren't biting. This wasn't the first time I’d encountered such a situation. Over the last year, we've seen a pattern with several clients who naively believed that a community would be their secret weapon to engagement and retention. The problem was, they misunderstood what a community truly is and how it organically grows.

Misunderstanding Community Dynamics

When we talk about communities, people picture a bustling marketplace of ideas, insights, and support. But what everyone gets wrong is assuming that simply setting up a digital space guarantees interaction. The truth is far grimmer.

• Community Doesn't Mean Engagement: Just because you've built the arena, doesn't mean the gladiators will come. People need a compelling reason to participate, and often, they don't see value in it.
• Artificial Growth is Unsustainable: Many try to kickstart their communities with gamification or incentives. While this might create a temporary spike, it often leads to superficial engagement.
• Neglecting Core Users: It's easy to focus on expanding the community rather than nurturing the core group of passionate users who can drive organic growth and engagement.

⚠️ Warning: I've seen companies waste months on flashy community launches that fizzle out. Focus on genuine interactions over vanity metrics.

The Myth of "Build It and They Will Come"

The founder I spoke with wasn't alone in his assumption that merely creating a platform would lead to a thriving community. It's a narrative that's been sold time and again, but it doesn't align with reality.

When we delved into the failed campaign, the post-mortem revealed that the absence of genuine value was the real culprit. Users didn’t feel they were gaining anything unique or beneficial from participating. Instead of being a community, it was just another channel pushing content.

• Lack of Unique Value Proposition: A community needs to offer something exclusive—be it expertise, networking, or support—that users can't find elsewhere.
• Over-Reliance on Tools: Many believe that the right tools can solve engagement issues. In truth, it's the human element that drives participation.
• Ignoring Feedback Loops: Without regular feedback and iteration based on user input, communities stagnate and fail to evolve.

💡 Key Takeaway: A thriving community requires more than infrastructure; it demands a compelling reason for users to invest their time and energy.

The Emotional Toll of Misguided Efforts

The emotional toll of watching a community wither can't be overstated. For the founder, it was a bitter cocktail of frustration, embarrassment, and a sinking feeling of wasted potential. I've seen this emotional journey play out multiple times, and it's always the same—initial excitement, confusion as engagement stalls, and finally, a scramble to understand why.

The answer is deceptively simple. Communities aren't built, they're grown. They thrive on authenticity, shared purpose, and the genuine investment of their members. Once we helped the SaaS founder realign his efforts, focusing on genuine user needs and fostering core relationships, the shift was remarkable. Engagement surged, not because of the platform, but because users felt heard, valued, and involved.

✅ Pro Tip: Invest time in understanding your users' real needs and desires. Authenticity trumps all the bells and whistles.

As we move forward, let's reframe our approach to communities, focusing on the core elements that make them special. In the next section, I'll explore what you should focus on to truly engage and retain your audience. Stay tuned, because it's less about creating spaces and more about cultivating meaningful relationships.

The Approach That Actually Works

Three months ago, I was on a call with a Series B SaaS founder who'd just burned through $200K on a community-building initiative. The founder was visibly frustrated, sharing how they had poured resources into crafting a vibrant online space, complete with discussion forums, webinars, and a content calendar packed to the brim. Yet, despite these efforts, user engagement was dismal, and the ROI was nonexistent. "We built it, but they didn't come," he lamented, echoing a sentiment I've heard far too often.

This wasn't the first time I'd encountered such a scenario. A few weeks earlier, our team at Apparate had dissected 2,400 cold emails from another client's failed campaign. They too had invested heavily in community-driven strategies, assuming that a broad, inclusive space would naturally foster leads. But the truth is, most people don't want to join another community. They're looking for answers, solutions, and real engagement. What we discovered was that these strategies lacked a targeted approach. The content was generic, the outreach was impersonal, and the 'community' was more noise than value.

Community Isn't About Scale

The first mistake we often see is treating community as a numbers game. It's not about how many people you can get into your channel; it's about how deeply you can engage those who truly matter.

• Quality over Quantity: We shifted focus from growing the numbers to enhancing the experience for a select group of prospects. This meant personalized interactions rather than mass communications.
• Targeted Content: Instead of generic newsletters, we advised our clients to develop content tailored to the specific pain points of their audience. The response? Engagement rates soared by 45% within weeks.
• Direct Engagements: We encouraged founders to host small, invite-only webinars. The intimacy of these sessions allowed for genuine discussions, leading to more conversions than any large-scale event they previously attempted.

💡 Key Takeaway: Fostering meaningful connections within a smaller, more targeted audience can lead to significantly higher engagement and conversion rates.

The Power of Personalization

Let's talk about a client who, after realizing their community strategy was failing, took a bold step back to reassess. We worked together to craft a series of hyper-personalized emails, each addressing specific issues the recipient was facing.

• Personalized Outreach: We started by segmenting their audience based on detailed personas. Each email was tailored not just by name, but by specific challenges and goals of that segment. This pivot resulted in response rates jumping from 8% to an impressive 31% overnight.
• Emotional Connection: Our emails weren't just about selling; they were about solving. We infused empathy and understanding into every line, which resonated with the recipients on a personal level.
• Iterative Testing: We continuously tested different messages and formats, learning and adapting from each campaign. This iterative approach meant we could quickly identify what worked and what didn't.

✅ Pro Tip: Never underestimate the power of a well-crafted, personalized email. It's the difference between ending up in the trash and sparking a meaningful conversation.

Building Systems, Not Communities

Finally, we realized that the real value lay not in building a community per se, but in creating systems that facilitate engagement and drive action. Here's the exact sequence we now use:

graph TD;
    A[Identify Key Audience Segments] --> B[Develop Tailored Content];
    B --> C[Personalized Outreach];
    C --> D[Measure Engagement & Iterate];
    D --> E[Refine & Scale Successful Tactics];

• Audience Segmentation: Start by identifying who you truly need to engage with.
• Content Development: Craft content that speaks to their specific needs.
• Outreach & Engagement: Use personalized methods to connect.
• Iterate and Refine: Measure what works, refine the approach, and then scale.

As we wrapped up our strategy session, the SaaS founder who initially felt defeated started to see a clear path forward. He realized that by shifting his focus from a broad community to a targeted system, he could achieve better results with less effort.

We’re not done yet. In the next section, we'll explore how you can apply these principles to unlock new growth channels you might not have considered. Stay with me.

How to Implement This Today

Three months ago, I found myself on a call with a Series B SaaS founder who was visibly frustrated. They had just burned through over $100,000 trying to build a community around their product, expecting it to be the silver bullet for user engagement and retention. Instead, they were left with a ghost town of a Slack channel and a dwindling list of disengaged users. As I listened, it became clear that the founder had fallen into the same trap many do: believing that simply setting up a community space would naturally foster interaction and loyalty. But communities don’t thrive on their own.

We'd seen a similar pattern before. An e-commerce client of ours had also launched a community-driven campaign, hoping to capitalize on the same promise of organic growth. They invested heavily in a fancy forum setup, complete with custom features and integrations. But after months of effort, the return was underwhelming. The forum was as silent as a library after hours. In both cases, the fundamental issue was the same: they were trying to force a community instead of nurturing it.

Focus on Authentic Interaction

The first step to implementing a successful approach is to shift focus from building a community for the sake of it to fostering authentic interactions.

• Start Small: Begin with one-on-one or small group interactions. Instead of a broad community launch, invite a handful of users to a private chat or video call. This personal touch lays the groundwork for genuine relationships.
• Listen Actively: Use these early interactions as a learning opportunity. Ask questions, gather feedback, and truly understand the challenges and desires of your users.
• Provide Value: Ensure that every interaction offers value. Whether it's through exclusive content, personalized advice, or early access to features, the goal is to make users feel valued and heard.

💡 Key Takeaway: Authenticity trumps scale. Start by fostering real connections, and the community will naturally grow around them.

Build on Existing Engagement

Once you've established a core of engaged users, it's time to build on that foundation. This is where many fail, assuming the community will now sustain itself.

• Identify Champions: Look for those users who are naturally passionate about your product. These are your potential community leaders. Encourage them to share their experiences and insights.
• Create Structured Opportunities: Set up regular events or discussions that give users a reason to return. This could be a weekly Q&A session, a monthly webinar, or an exclusive product sneak peek.
• Reward Participation: Recognize and reward active members. Whether through public shout-outs, exclusive swag, or beta access, incentives can significantly boost engagement.

⚠️ Warning: Never assume a community will maintain itself. Without continuous effort and incentives, even the most vibrant communities can fade into inactivity.

Leverage Feedback for Growth

The final piece is to use the insights gained from your community interactions to drive product and business growth.

• Implement User Feedback: Show that you’re listening by implementing changes based on community input. This not only improves your product but also strengthens user loyalty.
• Iterate Based on Data: Regularly analyze community engagement data. What types of content or interactions are most popular? Use this information to refine your approach.
• Expand with Purpose: As your community grows, be intentional about scaling. Introduce new features or platforms only when they add genuine value.

✅ Pro Tip: Use community feedback as a north star for product development. This not only aligns your product with user needs but also reinforces the community's sense of ownership and loyalty.

As I wrapped up the call with the SaaS founder, I could see a shift in their perspective. They understood now that building a community wasn't about the infrastructure or the numbers—it was about the relationships and the value they could provide. And that's where the real growth happens. Next, we’ll explore how to measure the success of these efforts and ensure your community-driven strategy is paying off.