Why community could be the next big thing in marketing

A new article on Martech.org looks at why even B2B marketers are talking about community.

People like to be part of a group that shares common interests, whether personal or professional. There’s nothing new about that — so why are so many people suddenly talking about the importance of community to brands, including B2B brands, and the rise of new C-suite role, the Chief Community Officer?

The author here says that community is as old as humanity and that almost 20 years ago, they were moderating discussions on message boards. Sarah Cascone is Senior Director of Marketing at Bluecore and has been watching developments closely. Community building, she says, “is already in the works at Bluecore.”

“A B2B company doesn’t have the same emotional attachment for a customer as say a brand or retailer, where the product or mission of the company is part of the customer’s lifestyle. So when you create a passionate community behind what a B2B company stands for, I think that’s when it really gets interesting – because it’s no longer about the product.”

The pandemic has changed the landscape for organizations during the past eighteen months. For Bluecore, the ongoing connectors with its customers turned out to be highlights from their live events which could be replicated digitally — for example, bi-monthly executive forums and hands-on digital training.

There’s always a shiny object to chase,” Cascone adds. “What’s important is to understand what is worth chasing and why. For something like community – when you can tie that to the way in which you’re able to build a pipeline for your business, it becomes something we need to pay attention to. At Bluecore we found it moved the needle for our business in ways that are tangible and not tangible.