Where community strategy
meets intentionality.

4:04 Todd Nilson, Head Consultant at Clocktower Advisors, shares his take on community layoffs and considers if enterprise companies could be over-staffing during the pandemic. He mentions that he’s noticed that leadership in large organizations still believes social media managers are community managers. He also highlights the trend of specializations within the community profession, including community operations, referring to the technical setup, design, and overall logistics of setting up an online community. 

9:04 Carolyn Zick, Founder of BadAxe Enterprises, shares that since she entered the community industry in the past two years, she’s noticed a need for data and content, including metrics that help share the community health, including the number of actual active members and member engagement. She sees that the creators in the space are more interested in metrics going into the following year. 

11:57 The Creator Economy and Influencer Marketing industry is valued at $16.4 Billion with 46 Million Creators worldwide. Carolyn talks about the opportunity that software companies focused on metrics have to step into that industry and make a significant impact. Creators will be focused on the stats, engagement, and conversions, so the market is prime for this kind of solution.  

12:45 Clair Spencer, a Community Manager for Fit for Service, shares about the client she’s worked with by explaining the Creator’s challenges in building a better, scalable business model. She shares that the idea of community can be monetized, but the systems that are in place right now need to give the metrics that creators are looking for. She is excited about the “dance” between the online platforms and how they all sync. Creators are at a tipping point where they see that once they get past building an audience of 1,000, they recognize that it’s more beneficial to move the group of people they are connecting with to a private space and then use social media as a way of gaining new community members in the future. 

16:07 Deb Schell, Creator of Find Calm Here LLC, shares that her research and personal experiences have led to the notion that the “promise” to the creators that – If you create content and engagement, you will get compensated for that is invalid. This is because social media platforms continue to change algorithms, making it difficult for anyone to build an audience without paying for advertising. The shift Deb sees in the community industry is of the empire versus the ecosystem. Most platforms are focused on the drive for encouraging a model of access, pay for access to an “influencer,” for example, versus the belief that we are all able to offer value and that the shift we must make as community leaders is to encourage others to be seen, valued, and heard. 

20:43 Paul Bradley, Head of Community at Agorapulse, joins the conversation and offers insights on his experience working as a consultant with Higher Logic before he transitioned to Agorapulse. He transitioned from a social media consultant to a leader in the community industry. He also shares his concerns with thought leaders who’ve left and the shift in fear in the marketplace because of the view that the community team is dispensable. Paul shares his caution about his company’s change from purely educational to marketing, and he’s working on better ways to bring income to show leadership. 

26:26 John Summers, Founder of Comunify, shares his insights as a community expert with over 18 years in the industry. He advises community professionals about keeping their resumes updated and being open to marketing, public speaking, and other areas where community manager could keep their role during an economic downturn. He recommends collecting the comments and engagement and sharing that with leadership.   

34:13 Laura Roth shares insights about the future of society, telling the story of social change and dynamics about the opportunities for companies to shine a light on injustices and elevate others who’ve dedicated their lives to making the world a better place.

35:23 Finally, Ilker Akansel, Community Consultant, wraps up our session with his top trends 2023, including NFTs, personal branding, and talent communities. Creators are going to be front and center in the next year. The concept of community has changed, away from a group that needs a facilitator, but also more elements that have become a business.