Note from Jackie:
I wrote this post almost 2 years ago… and yet it’s even MORE true now than it was then.
We’re in the middle of this creating your product series. I thought I’d be able to think of ways you could sell your first product without having a “community”. I could only think of one. Warrior Forum special offers. Unless your product is in the IM niche (which I don’t recommend) that’s not going to work. I don’t think I’ve seen any products on “How to care for your horse” sell or even listed as a WSO, so that’s out.
It got me thinking.
So who are you going to sell those first products to?
Which got me thinking… you’re going to have to know people, and they’re going to have to know you.
Which got me thinking… you’re gonna need a community.
Which got me thinking… Damn people are going to freak out. (Damn I’m freaking out a little bit!)
Which got met thinking… yeah, but it doesn’t have to be hard and if you’re gonna build a blog you’re gonna need one anyway.
Which got me thinking… that maybe we oughta talk a little bit about community building before we finish these products so we have someone to buy them.
Which got me thinking… just what is community building?
What is community building?
When I think of community building at the very core I think of readers who come regularly to read my blog. More than that I think it’s people who not only read my blog, but look forward to my emails and new posts. They are people who of all the “newsletters” they’re subscribed to that they have “labeled” or otherwise funneled into their very own trash file… mine stays in the in box. They read my emails, not only that, they click through the links in my emails.
This happens because I offer value. I offer information, insight, things to think about, things to ponder, reviews, tutorials, all the things my “community” have shown me over the years they want. I value my community. They value me.
That’s my first thought of community ~ which I’ve done a pretty good job of creating around here (although it took me a long time ~ because I wasn’t consciously doing anything to build it, I was just doing what I do lol).
My second thought about community is meeting other people in your niche. For me it would be meeting and connecting with other bloggers, other internet marketers, other people who do what I do. This is something I haven’t done quite as well. I’ve kind of sat over here being a hermit. Talking with people who show up here, but not really venturing out of my cave.
This is something that’s really held me back in terms of building my community. It’s fantastic that I have readers who love me, but when you get peers who love you ~ your reach extends way farther than you could ever reach on your own.
What the heck are you talking about?
Here’s an example. We live in the middle of nowhere. Our nearest neighbor is a mile away. For the first 8 or so years we lived here we didn’t know anyone out here. Hanna came along ~ we didn’t know any other kids for her to get together with. We didn’t know anyone who might be willing to baby sit so we could go out. We didn’t know anyone I could call when I thought I would go insane from being up with a screaming kiddo for 18 hours straight.
Then Hanna went to school. I was forced to get out of my cave (and away from the computer screen). We started meeting people. They started introducing us to other people, who introduced us to other people. Here’s what happens when you meet a couple people.
After 10 years of living here we had never gone to a party. We were invited to 3 or 4 parties and get togethers last year.
After 3 years of Hanna being here she’d never had a playdate. Now she has a number of friends she gets together with regularly ~ and gets invited to birthday parties, and sledding parties, and halloween parties…
After 10 years of knowing no one out here… when my husband had to close his business he was offered 2 jobs from local farmers.
The Power of Connection.
This is what connection does. Imagine if you had a few key connections in you niche! If you became friends, really, friends with a couple bloggers in your niche what could come of it?
Could you get guest posts on their site? Would that open you to a totally new group of readers?
Might they know other bloggers you don’t know? Might they introduce you? Might that get you in front of a whole new group of people?
When you come up with your first product do you think your blogger friends might be willing to send people to see it? Whether they’re affiliates or not? I know I have done that for some of my blogger friends.
Do you think you and your blogger friends could get together and form a mastermind group?
Do you think you and your blogger friends could work together and come up with some exciting products?
Do you think you could do your first podcast by interviewing your blogger friend?
Do you think you could have your blogger friend do a guest post on you site about something they know a little better than you?
The answer is YES YES YES… to all of the above.
Here’s the thing. You, all by yourself, may be a fantastic blogger. You may have a fantastic audience, and your arms are only so long, and they only have so much reach. When you reach out to other people, your reach becomes as far as they can reach, and as far as all the people they connect you with can reach… it becomes almost infinite.
So what is building a community?
Creating a place where people come to get information and make a connection and a place where you get out in the world and get information and make connections.
Friends help friends. Would you ever say no to a friend if they asked you for a cup of sugar? My guess is no. I’m finding out it’s pretty similar with friends online.
Tips to get started building your connections:
1. Stop being scared people aren’t going to like you… YOU are likeable… and bloggers are just people. 
2. Go say hello. Yeah, go ahead, just drop in, you don’t need to call first. Stop by and leave a comment. It’s a great ice breaker. Don’t say “great blog”, but say something that adds to the conversation, adds to the community.
3. Go say hello to someone who you think is way out of your league. What’s it gonna hurt. Best way to do this is to retweet one of their posts, or reply to a question they might ask on twitter.
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short aside: if you’re going to build a community ~ and make connections ~ you’re gonna have to get on twitter.
4. Go say hello to someone who looks interesting. Follow a button on their blog to their twitter page or their facebook page. Add them, send them a hello message ~ tell them why you decided to follow them. A personal message goes a long way with a friend request. (they will remember you!)
Just remember… this is just an introduction. We’re just getting to know people here. You wouldn’t ask someone to marry you on a first date… we’re not asking any business favors in our introduction. We’re just shaking hands.
Let me hear it.
What are your fears about creating a community? What other ways can you get out there and “shake hands” with someone new today? Can’t wait to hear what you come up with… tell me in the comments.
No related posts.
I agree that community building is of great advantage in an online business industry. In writing it is best to think of your community as it make you write creatively. It is just like coming out of your shell. You are free to express all you learn and share ideas to them. Aside from enjoying expressing yourself you are enlightened upon knowing that they like your posts.
Community building isextremely important. But it can be scary to get out of our comfort zone and to expose ourselves to other people. But fear is crippling and detrimental and fear will never make us successful.
Thanks for the reminder of the importance of community building, Jackie. I’m definitely in hermit-in-cave mode, more out of living circumstance necessity than personal choice, but I am working on finding my tribe via the internet. Besides the friendship aspects, I know that’s an essential part of the process in building a sustainable online business. I’m just really grateful for the electronic connection for folks like us who live in relatively isolated rural areas!
I have actually made sales on the internet. I had totally given up on squidoo and I looked at my amazon report and there were advertising fees all over the place. At first, I thought they were charging me a fee but to my amazement I have been making money all along due to your advice.
They were dumping it into my business account and I had overlooked it. I’m blown away! Thanks!
Fear can cripple us, which is why it is important to be part of a community. Often are friends can tell us the truth even when we don’t want to hear it. In addition, check out my new blog post on saving costs: http://yourlifetube.com/vitacost_coupon_codes.
H Jackie
I have just stopped being afraid of leading. I realize that knowing what I am talking about is most important. Once I found that confidence It is becoming so much easier to lead, especially when there is personal experience to back it up. Knowledge can be a very powerful thing and getting out of the shell can be truly intimidating.
Hi Jackie,
Having a community is very important. This is the most important thing that every blogger must consider. Failure to see the connection of connection will lead to isolation.
thank you Jackie you always hit the nail on the head.
As my area is probably what you call a niche area “selling Machine embroidery” on line I will continue backlinking where possible
Hi Jackie,
Very well written post. I really enjoy your personal examples. It’s definitely an easy trap to fall into becoming a hermit. It takes effort to build a community but it’s really worthwhile. The connections you make can really open the doors to your success.
Hi Jackie,
Nice post. Definitely something I need to work on. I have been developing a community and getting good number of reader, but it never seems to be moving along at the rate I hope. I guess there is no magic pill.
devin
My post!
From day one, community has been my #1 priority and blog commenting my #1 technique…..it worked in spades on my original marketing blog; 200 posts with 8000 comments, soon to be duplicated I hope!
I’ve recently started something new, which i’ll be sure to write on soon. I’m hoping thus will double me up…
Blog commenting on others of course, with personal emails to those new commenters on my blogs.
NOT using one of those automated plugins either; real live personal emails…anyone doing/done this?
Making new connection with people related to your community is very important, that’s where the new blogger’s fail and quit internet business.
Hi Jacky, my son will give you full marks on this post. He is always going on about “communities” and telling me I cannot do without them. So, I see now I’ll have to climb out of my “box” and meet others. Thanks for your kind reply to my comment. As always I keep on learning from you.
Margriet,
As I said in the post, this related to BLOGGING. If you are going to be a niche marketer because blogging and being in community doesn’t feel good to you, then this doesn’t apply.
Niche marketers selling physical products don’t really need a community. They need to learn how to get their keyword ranked in google, and get their traffic straight from google.
The important thing when you’re reading ANY TIPS about internet marketing is to know what strategy YOU’RE working, and whether the tip is relevant to that strategy.
From here on out, most everything I write about will be related to building an authority type blog… not small niche sites. You can of course, go back to the articles page where I have covered tons of stuff about making niche sites work.
How this resonates!
Once again a highly perceptive writing.
Hey Jackie – I love the way you explain the “hermit” aspect that will creep into your life as you start working more and more on a new online business.
It’s easy to get so wrapped up in all you have to do – that you will eventually start to “cringe” when the phone or doorbell rings.
The hermit lifestyle creeps up on you… when you notice that you haven’t taken a shower (or changed your jammies) in several days… You need to “Get A Life”.
I would like to expand a bit on the “Friends help friends” bit.
Become Memorable. I’ve had many people reach out and want to become part of the community where I hang out… but they do it in such a bold – pushy way that it turns me off.
I learned long ago that “walking softly” is applicable online as well as off.
Don’t always ask for help. Offer to help. My business and circle of online friends grew by leaps and bounds when I started helping.
I don’t just mean giving advice or council… that’s a given. I mean offer services. Give till it hurts… and then give more.
Volunteer to write – help with product creation – research – all sorts of things can be a big help to someone else. It makes you memorable.
Eventually you will become the “go to person” or the “I don’t know what I’d do without you person”.
Others will start sharing your name and your skills.
It may not work the first few times you put yourself out to help… but eventually you will connect with the right people and then “watch out” because you will be part of a bigger circle than you ever imagined.
Just a thought.
Oh Debra,
You’re absolutely right! It is about giving. No one likes that friend or coworker who is always taking from the community ~ who always needs something. Of course you can draw from your community when you do need something, but it’s essential to give too! I love your examples. Thanks for sharing!!
Hi Jackie
Congrats to Kelly. And thanks for letting us know about her PLR content shes a star.
Whats your discussing here is something that a lot of us find hard to do. “making new friends” is one way to look at it. In the internet world this is just a s true as in the business world. With out contacts or referals any new product will flounder. ofcourse we cna drive traffic through search and adwords but “friends” are still required.
This ofcourse is another take on Seth Godins “tribes” the need to build a following in our specific niche. Not every niche but the niche we want to occupy as an athourity.
regards
It is exactly what Seth speaks of, but I’ve found it can be very intimidating for people to think of being the leader of a tribe. Our noisy voices can start getting the better of us and we don’t even get started! I find it exhilarating, but, we can break it down into teeny tiny steps to make it not so overwhelming, like saying hi (figuratively or literally) to one new person today.
Thanks for your input!
I’m definitely one who likes the idea of tribes but gets scared at the thought of being the leader. That kind of fear can make me totally ineffective. But I do find if I’m just going along being myself, and people start following me, or looking to me as the leader, I’m actually fine with it. So I really appreciate the teeny, tiny steps approach!