Feature


Published: 23 Sep 2021

The meaning of the word "community" is still often used as a synonym and a subtle expression to describe a company's customer base. But, according to Bailey Richardson, former Head of Community Instagram, a community is a group that pays more attention to a platform—and members of the group don't hesitate to express it (theprokit.com).

Community is the embodiment of “multiple attraction” and goes hand in hand with user retention. Instead of thinking about how to increase the user base, or increase budget allocations for marketing and advertising costs, building a community means doing more with the people who actually use the company's products.

Take Airbnb for example. Even though they have a new user acquisition strategy through the recommendation method from friends, they also prioritize hosts who have already taken advantage of the platform. Airbnb organizes meetings, protects lodging providers through its Host Guarantee feature which provides property damage insurance, and provides training staff at its community center (id.techinasia.com).

Therefore, community becomes an important element in building and running a business. Like a supporting system, a community is a place for like-minded people to gather and build relationships.

In a community, even though they have one thing in common, of course there are various kinds of individual characters. There are those who genuinely want to play a role in building the community, there are those who just join in or participate only when they have free time. There is nothing wrong, but when it comes to the realm of business, this becomes a challenge in itself. The running of a community also depends on good communication and interaction among its members. When the Covid-19 pandemic hit, there were many social restrictions that occurred in society. This has more or less an effect on the sustainability of the community, as well as business (dailysocial.id). (Ruhmaya Nida Wathoni. Illustration: r1creative.net)