Understand Your Community: WHO and HOW

Before launching your membership community, you need to know who you are serving and how you are serving them.

Let’s start with the WHO. 

You first need to understand who you’re serving to align your purpose to meet their needs and wants—your “who” will likely reflect that of your membership business. 

Let’s call this “who” your Ideal Customer. 

This is the person your membership was created for, otherwise known as your most valuable member. Yes, we know that you might have several different audience personas, but choosing one will allow you to get really specific about who they are and their needs. 

In order to understand WHO you’re serving, you need to identify the 3 Ts: 

1. Trouble: What trouble/pain point does your community solve for your Ideal Customer? 
2. Traits: What are the main characteristics of your Ideal Customer? 
3. Transformation: What is the end goal of your Ideal Customer?

Once you understand your Ideal Customer you can turn your focus to the HOW – otherwise known as the purpose of your community. 

There are 4 main types of community styles that determine how you’ll serve your Ideal Customer: 

1. Support.
2. Educational.
3. Inspirational.
4. Entertainment. 

Take this assessment to learn more about your community style! 

If your result was ‘support’ then you’re approachable and empathetic. Your customers (community members) will feel seen, heard, and cared for. 

In your community, you can share tools and resources with your members until they’re ready to step up and become a community support themselves. 

If your result was ‘entertainment’ then you’re fun and approachable. Your customers (community members) will trust and respect you. 

In your community, you can encourage your members to entertain each other just as much as you entertain them. Build their confidence with each post and let them see the results!

If your result was ‘education’ then you’re patient and caring and your customers (community members) will know they can rely on you to show up with passion and drive. 

In your community, lean into your passion and your vision. Collaborate with your members to let them see success. Your optimism and drive are infectious! Use it to your advantage.

And last but certainly not least, if your result was ‘inspiration’ then you’re calm, cool, and collected. Your customers (community members) will know you’ve got their back and that you’ll stand up for what you believe in. 

In your community, share the things you’ve overcome and encourage your members to do the same. Inspire them to connect with each other as they support each other’s challenges and celebrate their wins.

You can take your results even deeper by mapping out the transformation of your ‘Ideal Customer’ from start to finish. Where is your Ideal Customer starting when they join your community? And what goal do they want to reach? 

For example, maybe you have a filmmaking membership and your Ideal Customer is curious about how to create films themselves. They will join your membership as a novice, and they’ll be a pro after only a few months. 

For additional resources and helpful exercises for identifying your WHO and HOW, you can download our free Community Playbook Extras here.