How to build a B2B community
We are all currently facing the great attention deficit. It's now time build a community to preserve yours.
If you’ve been following my content, you’ll know how critical I think building a B2B community is for long term SaaS growth.
Here is why:
Attention is the first and most important step of any buying process.
Markets & media are flooded - available consumer attention is now scarce.
It’s now incredibly hard to get buyer attention, and even harder to keep it.
B2B acquisition is highly dependant on timing and trust (built over time).
Thus - it is imperative to capture and keep your audience’s attention so you can build trust and stay top of mind for when it comes time to solve their problem you’re so good at solving (i.e. your product).
This is where B2B communities shine brightest.
First, what is a B2B community?
A B2B community is a platform that facilitates connections, collaboration, and information exchange among professionals from various organisations. Its primary aim is to offer a space where customers and industry experts can network and exchange best practices, insights, and expertise. (Source: Intent Amplify)
Any B2B market can be simplified right down into 2 main buckets - those buying, and those not buying.
And since 97% of any B2B market is typically in the not-buying stage - communities are an incredibly powerful way to build a relationship until they are ready.
Here’s the full article I wrote on this last year, “The Future of B2B SaaS Marketing is Community Building”.
So the next question is - how should I build a B2B community?
Well, like all things in marketing, there is no single answer.
There’s actually a lot of similarity between go-to-market for your product and creating a your community. Either way you need to establish:
Who is this community for?
What do you buyers/members look like? What channels are they on?
What is your community’s clear and compelling value proposition?
What do they want? What do members gain when joining your community?
Is your community uniquely-valuable?
Why should people spend their scarce attention (regularly) with you?
Are you just copying another community that already serves these needs?
Is it simple and low risk to join and interact with?
Will this integrate to my life? Or will it be a slog to stay connected?
Your community should be an extension of your product and your content.
It’s the waiting room for your buyers.
It’s a place where they get exposure to helpful and interesting content that (indirectly) relates to the value of your product.
For example:
Venture capitalist - want to meet high-performing startup founders.
Community - regular meetups to learn critical topics from industry experts. Attract, meet and form relationships with founders.
Webflow - A no-code web design platform that wants to meet designers, startups, freelancers, etc.
Community - An online platform investing heavily in creating high-quality tutorials, documentation, and courses (Webflow University) to help users learn web design principles.
HubSpot - CRM for marketing automation, wants to meet marketing/sales leaders.
Community - They host the annual INBOUND conference, bringing together marketers, salespeople, and business leaders to network and learn.
All of these follow the same principles when building a community, which we’ll get to shortly.
But first - Important realities to accept before proceeding:
It will take time! In my experience, give yourself 12-18 months at least. A stream of leads won’t appear this month. You need to build audience momentum.
99% of people won’t contribute, but they will consume. So don’t just open a LinkedIn group and expect people to flock to it and create content. They won’t.
You will need to be incredibly active - they are entering your house, and you need to be a terrific host for your guests to set the tone and culture and get the community flowing.
It will rely on consistency and quality content from you a lot in the beginning. People are busy, and you need to give them something of value to join and stay engaged.
So let’s get to the point, below are main steps to building a B2B community:
1. Start with your theme - what’s it about?
Communities thrive when members feel a shared sense of identity and purpose.
So just like your product positioning - it’s important to have a clear and compelling focus.
Think about it like a tv show - what is it about?
Is it a serious crime/thriller show meant for adults?
Is it a light-hearted game-show for the whole family?
Who and why should people tune in every week?
Establish your theme. and make sure it is a win-win for you and your audience.
I.e. There’s no point investing resources into making people happy if it doesn’t eventually lead to growth. Similarly, making a community that is all about selling your product will die, and die quickly (if it even gets off the ground to begin with).
Your community theme needs tick 3 main boxes and be:
Something that is relevant to your product and it’s value.
Something that your customer cares deeply about.
Something you are uniquely an expert in.
Like your content and branding - your focus should be >99% giving value and building trust, with <1% promotion of your product.
Example - An emailing software product for salespeople:
Bad Community - creating content and discussions on the technical details of how Gmail data management works.
✅Something relevant to your product.
✅Something you are uniquely an expert in.
❌Something your customer cares about. (sales don’t care about this stuff)
Good Community - Showing and discussing some of the highest performing outbound emailing campaigns, discussions with experts on what to learn from these and how to do it yourself.
✅Something relevant to your product.
✅Something you are uniquely an expert in.
✅Something your customer cares about.
Find a theme that your buyers desperately want to talk about and learn about. Then make sure the discussion of this theme focuses on the value and need your product can provide!
2. Choose your channel – where will we meet?
You need to establish where and how members will gather. Your choice of platform or channel depends entirely on where your audience already spends their time and what format aligns with your community’s theme and goals.
Chasing CEOs on a discord server - probably not a good idea.
Chasing CEOs through a leadership breakfast - makes a lot of sense!
Online Platforms:
Slack or Discord: Ideal for casual, real-time discussions. These platforms excel in creating tight-knit communities, but they can become noisy without proper moderation.
LinkedIn Groups: Great for professional networking and thought leadership but requires consistent, high-value content to thrive. LinkedIn is also good for low friction engagement - i.e. most people already have accounts and quick access to it (also handing for running direct targeted ads to gain members).
Dedicated Forums: Platforms like Circle or Discourse work well if you want to own your community’s experience, but they require more setup and maintenance.
In-Person Channels:
Meetups and Events: Regular, local meetups or an annual flagship event can generate trust and create lasting relationships.
Workshops or Masterclasses: These are perfect for delivering tangible value and showcasing your expertise directly.
Match your channel to your community’s desired experience:
A community of developers might thrive on Discord with shared problem-solving sessions.
A group of B2B marketers could benefit more from curated LinkedIn discussions and monthly webinars.
3. Fill your community – where will members come from?
Your first members are your early adopters - people who already trust you. These could be customers, industry peers, or even partners.
Ideally if you have an existing subscriber base, invite them directly to it!
Start small, focus on quality, and leverage these early relationships to create momentum.
Here’s how to find and recruit members:
Your Network: Use your LinkedIn connections or email list to invite your first group.
Partner Ecosystem: Collaborate with adjacent brands to co-market the community.
Organic Outreach: Share the community on your social channels, blog, and website.
Paid Outreach: Use paid ads to target, pitch and invite your ideal members (potential buyers).
Content as a Hook: Webinars, guides, or resources can drive new members. For example, end a webinar with an invitation to join the community to continue the discussion.
Tip: Make it easy to join by removing barriers, especially in the beginning. Whether it’s a single-click Slack invite or a sign-up form that’s low-free is critical. However, in saying that, if they are excited to sign up, asking them questions at this point can be immensely helpful during their peak of excitement. Ask them why they are joining? What is their role? What industry are they from? What do they want to get out of the community experience? - then tailor your engagement accordingly.
4. Be the engaging host - how will you build momentum?
To re-iterate - more than 99% of people won’t contribute, but they will consume.
Communities don’t run themselves - at least not initially. User-generated-content (UGC) will come later (or unless highly incentivised).
Your role is to be the host who sparks conversations, sets the tone, and creates a culture of engagement.
Here’s what you’ll need to do:
Seed Discussions: Post thought-provoking questions or share insights to kick-start conversations.
Content First: Regularly share valuable content, whether it’s case studies, AMA sessions with industry leaders, or curated resources.
Celebrate Members: Highlight member achievements or contributions. For example, a shoutout for a great post or a milestone can inspire others to engage.
Moderate Actively: Ensure discussions remain respectful, focused, and valuable.
You’re hosting the party - if no one’s dancing, you’re the one who has to enter the d-floor first!
5. Place your promotion – how to engage buyers?
While your community should focus on value first, there needs to be a strategic way to weave in your product (or LEEP) into the convo for members who are ready - without being overly salesy or pushy.
This is where precision and relevance are key.
Here’s how to seamlessly place your promotion:
Promote Within Context: Tailor your offers to the discussions and needs within the community. For instance, if a member is actively asking about tools to solve a specific problem your product addresses, respond with a helpful resource or offer, such as:
A free tool, template, or guide.
A personalized demo link.
A limited-time offer exclusive to community members.
Dedicated Spaces for Offers: Create a specific channel, thread, or section of your community where members can explore your product or services without feeling pressured. Label it clearly, like “Exclusive Member Perks” or “Tools You’ll Love.”
Seasonal or Event-Based Promotions: Tie your promotion to special occasions, industry events, or milestones in the community. For example:
“As a thank-you for reaching 1,000 members, we’re offering 20% off our platform this month!”
“After our webinar on XYZ, here’s an extended trial to see how it works for your team.”
Integrate with Success Stories: Share case studies or testimonials from other community members who have successfully solved their challenges using your product. Seeing peers succeed creates social proof and lowers perceived risk.
Most people don’t mind an appropriately timed promotion, or a relevant solution to their discussion - so don’t be afraid to do so. Just make sure that the vast majority of your engagement is without intent, i.e. to help for the sake of helping.
When trust and relevance collide - promotion is far more acceptable.
6. Grow your community – how will you efficiently scale?
Once your community gains traction, scaling is about maintaining quality while expanding your reach.
There’s only so much a person can do to manage 1,000’s of people regularly. So you’ll soon need to think about scaling the good stuff (without jeopardising the group’s authenticity).
Focus on these principles:
Leverage UGC (User-Generated Content): Encourage members to share their own insights, questions, and experiences. Find those who are active and adding value to the site and incentives them to continue this.
Automate Onboarding: Create welcome emails, explainer videos, or pinned posts to quickly onboard new members.
Expand Channels: As your community grows, consider introducing new platforms or formats, such as a podcast or live Q&A sessions.
Leverage Partners:
Influencers - if there are people in your industry already creating content like yours invite them in to share in your community as well. Get them more exposure, and you’ll get some (potentially) free content in exchange.
Partner Companies - if you have other partner organisations who have similar audiences - why not get them involved? If they have the same buyers and goals you do, then share the community. Get them working on content and getting involved - make them look good and help their brand.
Employees - get your staff involved in this. A big part of any role is understand your market. So what better way than to do it first hand in your own backyard. Product/Marketing can learn, salespeople and meet and build relationships.
Remember, scaling isn’t just about numbers - it’s about deepening connections while broadening reach. More of the good stuff, with (ideally) less effort.
Whilst building a B2B community can be the most effective long term growth strategy - it isn’t a quick fix or a ‘growth-hack’ to set and forget (nothing ever is).
Building a B2B community is a long-term investment in trust, engagement, and ultimately, growth of your brand and buyers.
In exchange for building a space where your market feels seen, supported, and connected - you in turn get an audience of your ideal buyers who reserve mental space (attention) for you and a trusted channel to you and your solutions.
In 2025, trust, timing and authenticity will reign supreme.
So building your own avid audience in your own community might be the best thing to set yourself up for long-term growth this year and beyond.
We are all currently facing the great attention deficit - it's now time build a community to preserve yours.
If you’d like to chat about building your own B2B community, click here to book a 30min chat!
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