Community platforms: what's that?

Community platforms are relevant for creating a special connection with communities, promoting community engagement and offering a new and distinct experience to users. In this respect, with our solution, Virtual Clubs, we create applications or online platforms that resemble you. If you want to know more about community platforms, if you are ready to start, then you are just at the right place: follow the guide!

What is a community platform?

Community platforms are websites or applications connecting members of a community over a common interest. The idea behind community platforms is to create a dedicated space for exchange over a shared passion, project or problem. Members of a community platform do not know each other (or rarely do) in real life, but share strong common interests.

These communities provide a variety of uses and features. Their users range from companies, brands, event organisers, associations, sports clubs to federations. For such organisations, content creation and dissemination is thus centred and fine-tuned for a highly receptive community. Consistent with your brand strategy, you will be concerned with identifying the most relevant contents to engage your community: publication of magazine articles, videos, photos, as well as event, contest and challenge organisation,...

What does a community platform look like?

If you have understood its use, but still have a hard time effectively grasping what your community platform may look like, with our solution, Virtual Clubs, we create branded platforms and applications. In other words, we design a virtual space with your brand colours, codes and contents. A customised virtual space to enable you engage your fans, supporters or customers. In short, your community.

To find out more about our solution, read THE ICONIC case study, the number one fashion and lifestyle destination in Australia and New Zealand, who wanted to drive engagement around the brand in order to become THE destination for sportswear.

6 good reasons to create your community platform

Community platforms’ dynamic is different from traditional social media’s, (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram...) as members voluntarily join an existing community, instead of progressively building a network, themselves, with people they know.  

Community platforms further offer a wider range of advantages! The first of these is mutual benefit. Members of a community benefit from the platform’s resources, while contributing to its development, as they operate on basic principles of cooperation and interaction. 

Clearly, this new tool can make a difference in various strategic sectors of your business, from customer experience to brand image, through business development. 

Creating your community platform enables you go the extra mile to:

• Build customer loyalty: Community platforms entail creating tailored contents. If customers find satisfaction (which we are confident they will), there are great chances that they become loyal brand ambassadors. That was the case at Sport 2000, whose feedback you can access here.

• Promote the brand’s values and commitments: Unlike traditional social media, your community platform may display your brand colours and codes in a customised manner. This will enable you to build your brand image and highlight all your brand specificities.

• Provide improved visibility to sponsors or partners: To strengthen your partnership with sponsors, you may decide to dedicate them some space on your community platform. So doing, you secure opportunities to expand your community.

• Build a sustainable relationship with your community (customers, athletes, fans…) worldwide: the overall objective of a community platform is to connect a community over common interests, via a dedicated space accessible everywhere (with internet connection) at any time. 

• Valuate and protect your community’s data: By joining your community platform, members trust you with the management of their personal data. It serves as an added value for innovation and meeting expectations with new strategic actions.

• Monetize members’ engagement: By providing your community members with premium experiences and paid challenges or contests, rewarding them with discounts or vouchers, or offering greater visibility to partners and sponsors, you create new sources of income.

Building a community like those on Facebook is patience-demanding, but it’s worth it. Valuing the quality of engagement on your community platform over its quantity will equip you with a precious marketing tool.

So, how do you see your community platform?

Find out our experts' tips to launch the perfect sports community: