Ashley Gallman Williams, US Head of Community at Wix.com, shares how she helped the community programs at Wix and measured their value.

1. Proving the Value of
Community
Ashley Gallman Williams
US Head of Community, wix.com
@ashleygallman
#cmxsummit

2. Proving the Value of Community

3. US Head of Community, Wix
Ashley Gallman Williams

4. @ashleygallman
From The Wix Lounge

5. @ashleygallman
To The Whole US

6. @ashleygallman
Dream the Impossible Dream

7. @ashleygallman
Dream the Impossible Dream

8. @ashleygallman
• There is no magic bullet
• No fancy tool you can download
• One size does not fit all
• Experiment: be brave and question everything
Disclaimers

9. @ashleygallman
Quality Over Quantity

10. @ashleygallman
• Companies Grow and Marketing Budgets Get Bigger
• Community Will Never Be a Super Bowl Commercial
• Traffic and conversion become a less realistic measurement
• ROI likely not the best way to show value of Community
Let’s Get Real About ROI

11. @ashleygallman
Engagement
Community has a super power that other marketing struggles to replicate

12. @ashleygallman
• CTA becomes Engage rather than Click
• 1,000 people who meaningfully engage with the product > 10,000
people who just visit the homepage
• Still technically traffic, but MUCH higher quality
Traffic vs Engagement

13. @ashleygallman
“We want customers who need our clothing,
not just desire it.”
-Yvon Chouinard, Founder of Patagonia

14. @ashleygallman
• Bottom line: Engaged users spend more
• Amazing Use Cases and User Stories for PR
• Super Users = Brand Ambassadors and Trainers
• Brand Affinity and Thought Leadership
But let’s start from the very beginning of the funnel...
What Is Engagement Good For?

15. @ashleygallman
Product

16. @ashleygallman
Thanks CMX

17. @ashleygallman
• Cold calling users = 25% response and attendance
• Users Who Attended a Meetup = 50%
• Users in the Wix Lounge Program = 90%
• Engaged Users = More (and Better) Product Feedback
What I Learned from Usability

18. @ashleygallman
• User Interviews and Usability in Person and via Video
• Beta Tester Recruitment
• Product Teams visiting almost weekly
• User Meetups focused on specific products and features
So We Went A Little Nuts

19. @ashleygallman
“It really helps us to understand our users and how THEY see Wix and
the Web. It's awesome to have first-hand, real-voice, video user
interviews.
“Just wanted to thank you again. Your help was very valuable and as a
result we were already able to craft some important changes to the
product.”
“Such an invaluable resource! Can you add this to the library - so our
product/product marketing will be able to find it and reference in the
future?”
Rave Reviews from Product

20. @ashleygallman
What We Found

21. @ashleygallman
• Not just Product - every department in the company
• Advise the company on how to understand and approach the users
• Knowledge base that is invaluable and irreplaceable
Ultimate Authority on Wix Users

22. @ashleygallman
@AshleyGallman
@Wix | @WixLounge