Community marketing
What is community marketing?
Community marketing covers two things: participating in existing communities where your customers are (subreddits, forums, Slack and Discord groups, Hacker News, Indie Hackers), and building your own brand community.
In both cases the currency is usefulness: answering questions, sharing knowledge and being transparent about who you are.
Why community marketing matters
Communities concentrate the people with the problem you solve, and recommendations there carry trust ads cannot buy.
Related marketing terms
Reddit marketingWhite hat
Reddit marketing is reaching customers on Reddit by joining relevant subreddits, helping in discussions, and posting or advertising within the rules.
Community-led growth is growing a business through a community of users who help, teach and recommend each other, with the company as host.
Forum marketingWhite hat
Forum marketing is taking part in online forums where your customers gather, helping with questions and mentioning your product where it fits.
A brand community is a group of customers and fans who connect with each other around a brand, in forums, chat groups or events.
Building in public means sharing your product’s progress, numbers, decisions and mistakes openly as you build, to grow an audience along the way.