In recent years, Japanese companies have also begun to focus on community marketing. According to a 2023 survey by Nikkei Research and Commune, about 40% of list of argentina consumer email companies have already implemented community initiatives, and about 30% are considering or interested in doing so .
About 70% are positive. However, I think there are some marketing personnel who cannot imagine how to proceed with community marketing in B2B companies.
In this article, we will introduce the overview of community marketing, specific methods, and what effects it brings. We will also introduce key points for community management that are beneficial for B2B companies, as well as examples of companies.
What is Community Marketing?
Community marketing is a method of managing or supporting communities where users, companies, business partners, and other stakeholders can interact and then use that community for marketing purposes.
The main purpose is to deepen trust with users. There are the following community styles.
Community site
FAQ site
Social Media Groups
Communities such as Slack and Discord
Exchange events
For participating users, such communities provide a place where users can freely interact and teach each other, with the benefit of being able to obtain new information and knowledge as well as expand their connections.
For businesses, the community can provide feedback about their products. It can also help deepen interactions between users, which can lead to improved retention and loyalty, and can help spread word-of-mouth.
The benefits of community marketing
The difference between community marketing and traditional marketing methods
Community marketing is quite different from general marketing methods in its approach. Traditional marketing is aimed at acquiring new customers. It approaches the masses after setting a persona.
Therefore, the goal is to start with attracting potential customers and letting them know about your company, then gradually build a relationship with them, and ultimately get them to make an inquiry or purchase from you.
Typical methods include advertisements, commercials, exhibitions, business blogs, and e-mail newsletters. Basically, information is transmitted in one direction, from the company to the user.
On the other hand, community marketing targets existing customers who are members of the community. Although the number is small, the main group of existing customers are those who are attached to the product and those who want to use it more effectively.
And the flow of information is not one-way, but interactive between users, between users and companies, and between partner companies. Tools include social media, business chat, and dedicated platforms. The differences are summarized below.
The difference between community marketing and traditional marketing methods
Why is community marketing important?
Japan is a fairly mature, developed country where convenient, high-quality products are widespread throughout society, meaning that demand is declining for many companies.
As products and services become increasingly commoditized, it is becoming more important than ever for companies to maintain long-term relationships with existing customers. In order to continue to create unique products, it is necessary to constantly and precisely understand customer needs.
Community marketing has been gaining attention because it has many benefits, including:
Increased customer loyalty and retention
Focusing on community marketing can help you build stronger relationships with your customers, as members can learn from each other how to solve their problems or improve how to use your products.
Especially in the case of B2B SaaS, where users have a high hurdle to get used to and use the product, having a community will allow users to use the product without stumbling over small issues. The community acts as an ecosystem for users and increases customer retention.
And as members benefit from the community, they gradually become attached to it, which in turn increases their loyalty to the company.
According to a 2019 survey by Vanilla Forums , 66% of business professionals said that online communities have had a positive impact on customer retention.
