12 Rules for Community Led Growth - Lloyed Lobo, Traction

1. COMMUNITY-LED GROWTH
12 Rules for Building Iconic Brands with Raving Fans

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Now
AL SYSTEMS
TICKETLEAP
AUTOMATICLY
SPEAKEASY
BOAST.AI
Warehouse Control
System and Order
Ful
fi
llment Automation
Online ticket sales and
event marketing
company
Chatbot to help agents
automate customer
support
Sales playbook
automation backed by
Bessemer & Salesforce
Automate govt funding
Bootstrapped to 8
fi
gs
before Series A
My Life In Startups
4x failed founder and exec
Now
BOAST.AI
Automate govt funding
Bootstrapped to 8
fi
gs
before Series A

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+110k subscribers, +100 events/ year including webinars, dinners, meetups, and conferences generating huge
brand value and word of mouth leads, funded through sponsorships, run by volunteers, pro
fi
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Community-led growth
Featured In
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If you build a
community, you won’t
become a commodity!
“
Lloyed Lobo

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Everyone’s
looking for a
growth hack…
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12M users in 18 months by simply adding
that to the bottom of each email

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AirBnb jumpstarted
growth by sending
automated emails
to people listing
on Craigslist

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COMMUNITY
This is the era of

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“Don't do something because
other people are doing it. Boil
things down to the most
fundamental truths… and
then reason up from there.”
- Elon Musk

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= Success
Engagement
+Revenue
+Growth

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Signs you’re not ready to grow
1. No Ideal Customer. People don’t come to
your product to get a specific job done
2. Poor Retention. People don’t keep
coming back to your product anytime
they want to get that job done

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Community
Can Help You Get There

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PRODUCT FEEDBACK
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BUG REPORTING
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OPEN SOURCE
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EDUCATION
CUSTOMER
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COMMUNITY
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The Community-led Model

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CATEGORY
Create a
Bring together people who share a common goal or mission

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MOVEMENT
Create a
…it becomes something bigger once everyone including
competitors start supporting the same mission

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6traitsofagreatcommunity
Connection Autonomy Mastery Purpose Energy Recognition

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STARTED
How to get
12 rules to build an engaging community

23. Start with one type of
community
“
Rule #1
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2typesofcommunities…
Practice
First bring together people who share the common goal of learning
about a specific field
Product
Post-PMF, build a space for users to ask questions about your product,
share insights with each other, and stay connected with the company
1
2

25. Align around purpose,
vision, mission, values
“
Rule #2
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Get people excited to become the co-
author of a massive impact

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Greatcommunitieshave
GREATALIGNMENT

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Greatcommunitieshave
GREATALIGNMENT
• Purpose "Forever" - why do we exist?
• Vision "One Day" - what will the world look like
because of us?
• Mission "Today" - how do we do it?
• Values "Right Now" - how do we behave?

28. Serve one audience
exceptionally well
“
Rule #3
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Focus will give your messaging clarity
that will lift the conversion

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Thinkabout…
• Who are your customers (title, industry, geo, etc.)?
• What are the key outcomes they’re looking for?
• What are the tasks to get to those outcomes?
• How do they do those tasks today?
• What are the unnecessary steps? How can you
reduce them?
• What does the delighted state look like?

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CIRCLE OF
INFLUENCE
BUYER
FAMILY COMMUNITY
PAID
SOCIAL
CONFERENCE
COLLEAGUES
BUYER
COMPETITION
PAID
CONFERENCE
COLLEAGUES
ICP
FUND
FREQUENT
FOLLOW

31. Set aggressive goals post PMF
“
Rule #4
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10,000 subscribers in 12 months

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Nail it, then scale it
“ ”
1 customer, 1 channel, 1 offering
Rule #5

33. “If you can get even a
single distribution channel
to work, you have a great
business. If you try for
several, but don’t nail one,
you’re finished. So it’s
worth thinking real hard
about nailing one channel.”
- Peter Thiel, Cofounder, PayPal
& top VC
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START WITH
ONE AND DO
IT WELL
COMMUNITY
PODCASTS
AMBASSA
DORS
EVENTS
Q&A
SPACE
JOB
BOARD
BLOG
GUIDES
COMMS
CONTENT

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Prioritizingyourfocus
Channel Reach Impact Confidence Effort RICE score
Community 450 3 100% 2 675
SDR 2,000 1 80% 4 400
SEO 1,000 2 50% 3 333
• Brainstorm a few channels
• Use RICE to prioritize
• Run tests and iterate
• Double down on what's generating results

36. Get users to an “Aha”
moment right away
“
Rule #6
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Value from the first interaction

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38. Incorporate multiple
senses to delight
“
Rule #7
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Taste, touch, smell in addition to sound
and sight

39. Involve your people
“
Rule #8
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HOW?
1. Allow members to create value for each other
✓ Rally them around a purpose
✓ Member run events, socials, masterminds, fundraisers
2. Be the matchmaker to engage your community members
✓ Curate and facilitate connections
3. Put barriers to make it difficult to enter your community
✓ Member driven recruitment/ interview process
✓ High bar means high quality and serious participants

41. Reward your best champions
“
Rule #9
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43. Make your
community sticky
“
Rule #10
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The more I engage the better it gets or the more I
engage, the more I lose if I were to leave

44. New followers/ follows
+ investment in your
identity makes it sticky
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The more notes you add,
the more value you get and
the harder it is to leave

46. Show up consistently
“
Rule #11
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Doing things with cadence and depth builds trust

47. Measure and
Monetize
“
Rule #12
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Focus on user growth, engagement, and retention

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Thinkabout…
Stage State Conversion % Estimated Value
Acquistion How do you find them?
Acquistion How do you get them to try it?
Activation Do they stay?
Retention Do they keep coming back?
Revenue Do they pay?
Referral Do they bring their friends?

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TAKEAWAYS
1. Start with one - Practice or Product community
2. Great communities have great alignment
3. Serve one audience well
4. Pick an aggressive goal
5. Nail then scale - 1 customer, 1 channel, 1 offering
6. Get people to "aha" moment right away
7. Incorporate multiple sense to delight
8. Involve your community
9. Reward your champions
10. Make your community sticky
11. Show up consistently
12. Measure and Monetize

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Fall in love with your customer and make them
successful beyond your product or service.
AND DON’T FORGET…

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magna fini bus dolor, ut sagit tis nibh lorem in massa. In eget purus et
torto lobor tis auctor non vel ex. Cura bitur ac ultri cies enim. Nulam
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If you build a
community, you won’t
become a commodity!
“
Lloyed Lobo

52. COMMUNITY-LED GROWTH
12 Rules for Building Iconic Brands with Raving Fans