To reach the right consumers in today's cluttered advertising landscape, consider community-minded marketing. This approach involves supporting social causes, creating exclusive content for brand communities, and fostering direct communication with consumers. While it offers benefits like authentic marketing and access to valuable data, it may not be suitable for every business due to its challenges and difficulty in measuring ROI.

1. A WHITE PAPER
COMMUNITY-MINDED
MARKETING
LEAVING A LEGACY THROUGH
YOUR MARKETING

2. Contents
1 Executive Summary
2 Introduction
3 Why Community-Minded Marketing?
7 Get Started with Community-Minded Marketing
12 Community-Minded Marketing Examples
14 Conclusion
15 About Your Sponsor

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Executive Summary
1
You know you have a quality product or service that fills consumers’ needs. Now, it’s about
connecting your business with the right consumers.
But this is becoming more challenging while your marketing tactics are getting buried as
customers are bombarded with an unrelenting stream of advertisements. Furthermore,
consumers are growing increasingly distrustful of ads and are finding ways to block them.
Perhaps you’ve tried to personalize advertisements so they stand out and resonate with
consumers. But that approach is also becoming more difficult as consumers and companies find
ways to guard data.
One solution to these challenges is community-minded marketing.
Community-minded marketing lets companies allocate resources to support social causes
or add value to brand communities through exclusive content. It helps companies learn and
communicate directly with consumers, facilitates word-of-mouth advertising, provides authentic
marketing, and opens access to zero-party data.
Community-based marketing is not for every business, however. It can be challenging to pull off
correctly, it requires a long-term commitment, and it’s difficult to measure ROI.
If your business decides community-minded marketing is for you, take the following steps:
1. Define your community
2. Choose your community platform
3. Use the 60/30/10 rule when sharing content
4. Organize in-person events
5. Create ambassador programs
6. Support a social cause
7. Share gifts with community members
Many companies have used community-based marketing to drive growth. Often people will
support companies that have helped them. For example, lululemon’s growth toward an $8 billion
athletic apparel giant was greatly helped by its strong community-minded marketing strategy that
involved an ambassador program facilitating organic growth in local communities.

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Through community-minded marketing, companies share their expertise and resources to
better the communities they are part of.
Unfortunately, many businesses are struggling to connect with consumers. The first
challenge is being noticed amid the many other advertisements vying for attention. If your
business is able to stand out among the crowd, the next challenge is being able to develop a
relationship to create a loyal customer.
Community-minded marketing helps your business stand out by more efficiently
connecting your products or services with receptive customers who need them. It also
helps your business to create a loyal following of unofficial brand ambassadors. Customers
often become natural cheerleaders of businesses that help them live better lives.
Introduction
2

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With all the marketing options out there, why put your time and
money into community-minded marketing?
Appease Your Social Conscience
Owning a business puts you in an advantageous position to benefit
the community around you. Plus, socially conscious companies are
often recognized for their efforts, leading to positive exposure and a
high return on investment.
Improve Your Workforce
A community-minded business will help improve your current
employees’ skills as they facilitate your business’s desire to improve
the community. Employees will pick up on transferable skills that
they might not have developed otherwise.
Community-based marketing also helps attract higher-skilled
employees. An employee will be more likely to want to work for a
company that cares about and helps the community compared to a
business with no focus on local interests.
Learn from the Community
If your business creates or joins a community aligned with your
company’s goals, you put yourself in an advantageous position
that allows for two-way communication between your business
and customers. This is especially important because being able to
connect meaningfully with customers is essential for the survival of
any type of business.
Community-minded marketing also allows your business to enter
into a two-way conversation with consumers by replying to their
feedback, creating an authentic relationship.
Salesforce found 84% of customers want to be treated like a person,
not a number.
3
Why Community-Minded Marketing?

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People Crave Community
All people have a fundamental human need to belong.
Customers are not just looking for a product, but seek authentic connections where they can share
stories, tips, recommendations, and ask questions. As people begin to shape their identity around
your brand community, community members become loyal to your business and one another.
Facilitates Word of Mouth
Community-minded marketing creates a space for people to talk about your business to share
recommendations with their community.
These brand communities lead to organic growth through word of mouth; strong brand communities
will even recommend products, vouch for a brand, and become unofficial brand ambassadors.
Authentic Marketing
Today, many forms of paid marketing, although beneficial, are in danger of feeling hollow,
inauthentic, and intrusive.
People are much less receptive to this inauthentic and superficial marketing. However,
community-based marketing can help counteract this by creating a space for honest opinions,
emotions, and authentic content all while costing the company less.
Emotionally connected customers are more than twice as valuable as highly satisfied customers,
according to Harvard Business Review.

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Receive Zero-Party Data
Consumers and major companies are taking action to increase data protection. This poses
challenges for marketers because, while personalized marketing is more effective, it is harder to
access.
Marketers need to focus on zero-party data, which is information a consumer willingly shares
directly with a company. This type of data is highly favorable in comparison to…
 First-party data, where data is captured in the background through cookies and is owned
by the company that owns the website.
 Second-party data, where a business is given access to another company’s first-party data.
 Third-party data, where many websites gather their first-party data and sell it to a buyer.
Zero-party data is the most prized data because it is given willingly and freely, and therefore
represents and maintains trust between company and consumer. Community-minded marketing
can be a great way to gather zero-party data, which will help keep marketing personalized without
infringing on customers’ data privacy.
Types of Data
Third-Party Data
Data gathered by
website and sold
to buyer
Second-Party Data
Data gathered
by first-party
company and
given to another
business
First-Party Data
Data captured
through cookies
and owned
by company
Zero-Party Data
Data given
willingly
and freely

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Brand Communities by the Numbers
According to a 2023 study by Vesta researching online brand communities …
 74% of respondents said a brand community makes them more likely to write a product review.
 84% said a brand community impacts how they feel about a brand.
 78% said a brand community makes them more likely to try new products and services.
 56% said their online community involvement increased in the past three years, and 85%
said they engage in an online brand community at least once per week.
 74% agree online brand communities are just as important to their lives as other social clubs.
Downsides to Community-Based Marketing
Although community-based marketing has many positives, there can be some drawbacks.
1. Community-based marketing is difficult to do correctly. This white paper will help you stay
on the right path, but be aware there may be some mistakes that happen along the way.
2. Community-based marketing puts a lot of power into the hands of your customers.
Although this does generate greater authenticity and trust, not all customer comments will
be supportive or positive.
3. Be prepared for the long game. Community-based marketing is not a short-term marketing
strategy. Your business must consistently check the community to listen and respond to
customers and build the community.
4. Because community-based marketing takes time, your company may have to forgo short-
term campaigns in the interim. This strategy will pay off in the long term, but it may be
difficult to see results right away.
5. ROI is difficult to measure in community-based marketing.

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1. Define Your Community
Know what community you’ll be focusing on: your local, physical community, or your brand community.
If you’re focusing on your brand community, decide if you want to create a brand-led community or join a
preexisting group that overlaps with your company. Both options have their own sets of pros and cons.
Run your own group. For example, if you are a fitness business, create a Facebook group centered
around your business.
 Pro: more control over what happens
 Con: requires effort and money
 Pro: gather data
 Con: may be challenging to grow a community
Join a preexisting group. For example, if you are a fitness business, contribute to a Facebook group
for fitness enthusiasts.
 Pro: costs little to no money
 Con: less control
 Pro: more organic and authentic
 Con: takes time to build trust
 Pro: community members are open to purchasing from brands that meaningfully
contribute to the group
Whichever option you choose, know that your business must build trust by adding concrete value
to the group and continuing to exceed consumers’ expectations.
Get Started with Community-Minded Marketing

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2. Choose Your Community Platform
When creating or joining a community, there are many online platforms to choose from.
 Facebook Groups reach many people, with an estimated 1.8 billion users active every day.
 Reddit has about 130,000 active, niche communities to discuss topics, often anonymously.
Some 60% of Reddit users are open to seeing ads or content from brands on the platform.
 Slack. Although most commonly used for work, there are many professional and industry-
specific groups for its 10 million users to join.
 Quora. A popular question-and-answer group with 300 million active users.
 WhatsApp is an instant-messaging platform with invite-only groups and two billion active users.
 Discord. Often associated with gamers, Discord has 140 million monthly users.
 LinkedIn is a professional networking site with 2 million groups and 150 million active users.
Explore the various communities on these platforms to choose the one that fits best with your
brand. If you’re struggling to connect with online communities, social-media creators and
influencers can help.
3. Use the 60/30/10 Rule
Use the 60/30/10 rule when engaging with your community.
 60% of your content should be engaging and benefit the community. This value-added
content could include exclusive, industry expertise. For example, tell community members
how to get the most out of your product or service, share sector trends and the brand’s
future, and connect members with industry experts. Highlight the people behind your
business, because people buy from people.
 30% of your content should be shared from other sources. While sharing content, stay
consistent and share content in a way that the community prefers, whether it be through
videos or words. After sharing content, be accessible to answer questions.
 10% of your content can be promotions or sales driven. When advertising, be sure to do so in
an informative way.
The 60/30/10 rule will help your company add value to the community while not being too
advertising-heavy, as this could turn potential customers away.

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4. Organize In-Person Events
Although online platforms are useful, they can only provide a shadow of an in-person community.
Therefore, take your online community into the real world by organizing or attending events
related to your brand.
These in-person events will provide your business with the opportunity to share with attendees your
exclusive brochures, business cards, and other printed networking items. This will allow potential
customers to learn more about your business at their own leisure, and have a person to contact if
any questions arise. Furthermore, having printed collateral in their house will keep your business
top-of-mind and introduce your business to guests who visit the potential customer’s house.
5. Create Ambassador Programs
All companies need strong cheerleaders.
Brand ambassadors help strengthen your brand community by driving conversations, setting up
events, and welcoming new members. To incentivize people to contribute to a brand community,
businesses often provide ambassadors with rewards, a VIP club, or financial compensation.
Ambassadors can help you grow your brand community from the ground up and foster
organic growth.

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6. Support a Social Cause
Businesses that benefit the community are becoming an expectation, with 76% of consumers
expecting brands to have a positive social impact on the community, according to Salesforce.
Therefore, let customers know your business is benefiting the community by consistently
providing time, labor, and money to support social causes.
Supporting a social cause will not only help consumers view your business more favorably, but working
together to support a social cause can strengthen your brand community. Remember, when supporting a
social cause, make sure you’re doing it for the right reasons; otherwise, things could backfire.
Below are ways your business can support social causes:
 Donate to local charities by setting aside x% of profits and/or asking customers to donate.
 Create your own nonprofit to address a community need if your business has the means.
 Buy locally to reduce carbon emissions and support local businesses.
 Review your company’s policies and impacts to see if they disproportionately affect
marginalized communities.
 Review your company products and packaging, and find ways to make them more
environmentally friendly.
 Offer valuable information to your community.
 Donate money or labor to help the community renovate, build, and improve public spaces.
10

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11
7. Use Gifts
Thank your community members by sending them a gift, such as a popular
company product.
Gifts from giveaways will entice community members to stay. A giveaway
can also help your business receive valuable zero-party data by asking for
customer information in order to apply.
When sending gifts, include a printed catalog showcasing what else your
company has to offer and providing an easy avenue to purchase. While gifts
should not be given with the expectation to receive something in return,
hopefully the gift recipient will love your company’s product or service and
will want to buy more.
62% Activities to participate in
60% Member-exclusive content or offers
57% Rewards and incentives for participation
44% Regularly updated content
43% Discussion between community members
41% Mission, purpose, and cause they care about
52% Community not active
50% The community didn’t provide enough value
41% One-sided communication
41% Lost trust in brand or community
41% Cost too much money to participate
40% Brand asked for too much personal information
39% The online community didn’t match the brand
38% Not enough incentives/perks
37% Uninteresting content
30% Lack of identity in the online brand community
Why Consumers Leave an Online Brand Community
Why Consumers Join an Online Brand Community

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12
Lowe’s
In celebration of its centennial, Lowe’s in 2022 created 100 Hometowns, a
five-year, $100 million initiative that included volunteer work from Lowe’s
employees to support communities in need across the country.
Not only did the project benefit 100 communities, but it also gathered positive
media and public attention.
100 Hometowns is not the only social cause Lowe’s has supported. The
company also spent $124 million in disaster relief and skilled trade
development. Furthermore, Lowe’s is helping entrepreneurs through its
Making IT … with Lowe’s hosted by Shark Tank star Daymond John. All this
is fostering grateful communities that will want to support Lowe’s out of
gratitude.
LEGO
In 2008, LEGO launched the LEGO Ideas platform that allowed fans to
submit ideas for LEGO sets. Fans then voted on their favorites, and the top-
voted proposals became actual LEGO sets with the designer receiving 1% of
royalties.
Today, LEGO Ideas has over a million users and more than 26,000 product
ideas. LEGO Ideas allowed LEGO to facilitate a community of LEGO
enthusiasts who were able to truly be a part of LEGO.
LEGO was able to successfully carry out a community-based marketing
strategy by trusting its customers, focusing on its customer base to separate
its child and adult markets, and keying on a long-term collaboration with
community members.
Community-Minded Marketing Examples

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lululemon
lululemon, a Canadian athletic apparel retailer valued at $8 billion, has risen
to the top through its strong community-led growth strategy.
lululemon’s community-based marketing strategy includes a brand
ambassador program, content creation, and in-person events.
Instead of choosing celebrities and influencers to become brand
ambassadors, lululemon carefully chose everyday people or athletes who
were passionate about an active lifestyle and who shared the company’s
values. This helped lululemon establish genuine connections with
communities.
lululemon then collaborated with these ambassadors to create content (such
as workout programs or travel tips) to help community members. To further
personalize content, lululemon also created other accounts to target various
regions, countries, and languages, such as @lululemonausnz which focuses
on Australia and New Zealand.
Finally, lululemon prioritizes in-person events such as free yoga sessions,
wellness workshops, and sponsored runs. It also hosts an annual Sweatlife
Festival, a full-day event of workouts and speakers with locations in London,
Berlin, and Paris.
The success of lululemon can largely be attributed to its community-based
marketing approach, where it consistently made a genuine investment in the
lululemon community.

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Conclusion
Community-minded marketing is increasingly important as people continue to search for
communities and expect businesses to participate in social causes.
There are many reasons to start a community-minded marketing strategy.
1. Companies that help their community find that communities help them in return.
2. Skilled employees want to work for a socially conscious business.
3. Connecting meaningfully with customers is necessary for the survival of today’s businesses.
4. Community-minded marketing provides a space for customers to shape their identity
around your brand, increasing loyalty.
5. Customers can conveniently share reviews and recommendations with others.
6. Provides more authenticity than other forms of marketing.
Many companies, including Lowe’s, lululemon, and LEGO, have used community-minded
marketing strategies to grow their business. Learn from these companies as you try to replicate
their success.

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15
About Your Sponsor
Community-minded marketing is a long-term marketing approach with long-term results.
Help facilitate that growth by sharing printed collateral with exclusive information with your
community members or by giving out catalogs to winners of giveaways to make it easy for them
to discover the full spectrum of what your company has to offer. Nurturing a brand community
is time-consuming, so let us make the print side of it easy. We’ll quickly design and print
brochures, catalogs, branded promotional items, and whatever else your company might need to
get you started in the world of community-minded marketing.
Contact Us
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