New – Community Software Platforms Ecosystem
Why empower your community with Community Software platforms?
Community is the next big thing on the internet. Gone are the days when large corporates and startups focused on creating marketing collateral focusing on their own products and services. Today, even Fortune 500 companies relay on creating a community and nurturing them constantly to enhance their brand image and eventually sell their products and solutions.
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Internet entrepreneurs, people who are interested in a particular field of interest, and nonprofit organizations can not rely on static websites or blogs. There was a time when “community software” just meant forum software where members could create a topic, post images or videos, share their experiences, or seek answers from other members of the community.
What are the Features to expect in a Community Management Software?
One of the best things I like about any standard community software is that their tech team keeps releasing several new features and updates.
1.Instantly create an online community. (Plug and Play Community Software)
2.Ability to categorize different forum topics into what they call “Spaces.”
3.Connecting to your own domain is quick and easy.
4.You can create an events directory or member directory. (For community builders who run virtual or real events)
5. Their technology team recently enhanced the speed of how the SaaS product works. When you are switching between spaces and topics, the transition happens fast.
6.Create a paywall to earn money from your community members. A few topics can be reserved only for members who pay you a monthly fee. Payments are processed through Stripe.
What is an Online Community Management Software Platform?
Online community management platform is a software product that offers functionality for brand building as well as assisting in the creation of communities through the use of forums, educational tools, collectives, and other social aspects, such as social media integration.
The best community software platforms in 2023
Community Management Software Directory
Exo Platform
Vanilla Forums
Khoros Communications
Forumbee
Please give me sometime to review each of these community software platforms.
Community Software Platforms has evolved
Community software platforms have evolved over the years. Today, most community software comes with the ability to host events, send newsletters, and even suggest topics to individual members using artificial intelligence.
Currently, I am recommending a Community Software platform called Circle in all my consulting practice to nonprofits, coaches, online course creators and even software organizations.
Using Circle community platform, you can try building your community with a completely free package to start building your community and also analyze the features. The advantage of building communities through me is that, I also feature your communities (all the decent communities) through an interview.
Write to me if you need any clarifications regarding building a community using community software platforms.
Customer community for enterprise software companies and SaaS products
I wrote a blog about SaaS companies that are running successful customer communities. I will be listing more SaaS companies which are using such community management software to create awareness about their products, answer customer queries, and also enhance their product features based on customer expectations.
When communities established for business software or SaaS startups grow, they may help the product gain traction and energy that would otherwise be impossible to achieve even with massive marketing budgets.
I am yet to do my research on Enterprise Software companies which are running active communities to engage with their customers. Wait for a new blog.
Your organization should have strong sense of community
Customers’ perceptions of Fortune500 businesses such as Google, Microsoft, Apple and evenvehicle manufacturers such as Tesla and Jeep have been transformed into communities, and community software technology is enabling them to achieve their vision.
The benefits of creating an online community for your brand
It’s important to learn what your company gains by creating an online community for your brand using community software.
1.Engage with customers by providing a platform for the exchange of ideas and views.
2.Many firms utilize community software to store frequently asked questions (FAQs), some even use it as a Knowledge Base Software (KB).
3.It is important for startups to discover what their prospects and consumers think about them. A free product community may assist founders and the product team in identifying what consumers expect from their products.
4.Customers are expecting a shared space for interacting with experts in the industry through webinars, podcasts, and other interesting activities.
5.Creating a company culture that is warm and welcoming: It is also possible to use community software platforms to create a digital workplace where your employees can connect and interact with each other. In particular, the forum and live chat capabilities available on these platforms assist your brand in creating a collaborative and interactive environment.
“Community” has become a buzzword among technology professionals.
Community has risen to become one of the most popular buzzwords in Silicon Valley today. Several startups that build community platforms and solutions are being funded by venture capital firms across the United States, Europe and even South East Asia.
The truth behind creating successful online communities
Professionals from a wide range of industries develop online communities for their peers. Online communities are being built by course creators, SaaS founders are developing communities for their customers, and YouTubers are creating online communities for their own audiences.
Don’t forget that the key to launching and managing a successful community is not simply buying the best community management software, but also creating valuable content for your members.
So, before you launch your online community, commit yourself to working hard to create content for your community members. This is the only way to be successful in the online community space.
Club Membership Management Software Alternative
Community software can also be used as a closed community exclusively for members. You can create a paywall and charge a monthly fee to your club members. So, if you feel that your club or organization requires a community feature to be prominent, you can use community software instead of club management software.
Creating online communities for nonprofits
One of my biggest missions is to help nonprofits around the world try to create online communities and help their volunteers and donors engage on a daily basis to learn and work for their good cause.
Nonprofit organizations rely entirely on the sending of newsletters to its volunteers and donors. If you want to build your brand beyond the newsletter, you should consider using a community software platform.
A request before you buy the best community software platform
There are at least 2 to 10 good community software solutions to choose from.
However, the success of your online community is entirely dependent on your ideas and your dedication to creating valuable content on a consistent basis. So, please remember it’s always your hard work that makes your community a success story.
I will be happy to guide you to choosing the right community software for your business. Email me when you find time.