Software and Community aren’t usually 2 words you see together, but if you have an amazing software product and are struggling to get your business off the ground, don’t overlook the value of building an online community of super fans to keep your business alive.
Over the last 12 months, we have built a thriving, referral-based business, off a private Facebook group. Here are my key takeaways.
People aren’t just buying your software, they’re buying you
Building a Facebook community gives people a chance to know who you are. When you can put a face to a company it helps to build loyalty. You become a real person who cares about their success, not just a clunky corporation. When you become a regular helpful and friendly face on their social media, users will begin to like you, trust you, and want to continue doing business with you.
Try this tip: One of the biggest ways our founder shows up for the community is by “going live” in the Facebook Group 5 days a week to provide an update on what progress was made with the software that day. This has helped our users build trust with our company because it shows that we are putting in the work. Our users have become reliant on the live videos for updates on all the latest and keeps them engaged in the product.
Group members will help each other so you don’t have to
One of the biggest advantages to having an online community is that users like to help other users with ideas and support-related questions. It takes a huge load off online chat support when users can help each other, and they show each other what is possible. Users love a place to share their wins or their creative implementation, and other users will chime in that “they never would have thought of that.”
You get to know who is really using your product
When you get to know your users, you learn what people want out of your product. After all, you’re not building the software for you, you’re building it for them. Originally when we created Closebot.ai, our target audience was real estate investors. A few months in, we realized almost all of our users were digital marketing agencies. Through the Facebook group, we are able to listen to what our customers really need and are building a product based on their requests and feedback, and we do it at lightning speed.
We found the rising stars and empowered them
It’s so much fun to find those users who are loud and proud, excited about the product, and finding tons of success. We have some of the most wonderful super fans and created partnerships with several of our users who have created businesses offering paid training, done-for-you, and done-with-you services to other members of the group. This is great for business and does 3 things:
- Ensures our users are finding success with our product
- Gives these businesses a sense of ownership and skin in the game
- Creates a culture of regular referrals for organic growth
People are always watching you
In Facebook groups, all people know is what they see online, so it’s important to be aware of the way we show up. Are we being consistent and professional? Do we have a positive, magnetic energy that will keep people wanting more? Do we do what we say we’re going to do? Having the online community truly holds us accountable to our day-to-day promises.
And of course, it comes with the territory to have a handful of critics. The reality is, not everyone wants to see you succeed. It’s totally normal to deal with some negativity. We believe that if we remain true to our core values in every move, and keep our focus on making the best possible product, we can’t go wrong.
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