Customer Education Community Pitfalls: Customer Ed Nugget 20

Successful companies understand the value of educated customers. Knowledgeable customers adopt products more quickly and tend to be more satisfied. They’re also less costly to support and more likely to purchase again. As a result, these relationships are more profitable. Sounds like a winning strategy. But in a world where numerous business priorities are always vying for attention, why should you invest in a customer education community?

In short, the answer is leverage.

A well-managed customer education community relies on network effects to grow exponentially. It leverages the power of relationships at scale. This means you can operate in a more nimble way, even while rapidly expanding your brand’s reach.

The Anatomy of a Customer Education Community

What exactly is a customer education community? Think of it as a group of individuals that engage and interact based on a shared desire to learn about a product or service. Typically, the group is facilitated by the company that produces the focal product or service.

This kind of community can exist online, offline or both. Regardless, it serves as a platform that brings together diverse audiences who share a common interest in your brand.

Often it serves as a beacon of light for customers, partners and employees who want to connect with each other, ask questions, share experiences, offer support, gain knowledge and develop product-related expertise.

Popular ways to support members of a customer education community include online forums, knowledge bases, social media groups, live or virtual user groups, conferences, advisory boards and more.

There are countless ways to cultivate a vibrant community of brand enthusiasts. But there are also countless ways to miss the mark. And that’s what we’re discussing on this 20th episode of the Customer Ed Nuggets Podcast!

Buying or selling a customer-focused learning system? Get independent insights you can trust, with our in-depth analysis of 20 top solutions. Learn about our 2024 Customer LMS Capabilities Report >>

Today’s Guest Expert

Back by popular demand today is Shannon Howard, Director of Customer & Content Marketing at Intellum, a leading customer education LMS.

Shannon is a customer community builder extraordinaire who joined us earlier this year to discuss key reasons to build a customer community. Now, she’s back to expand on that topic by exploring common pitfalls to avoid in this process.

10 Customer Education Community Mistakes to Avoid

A strong community can drive engagement, enhance learning experiences, foster customer loyalty, fuel brand advocacy and boost business revenue. But many missteps can derail your efforts. For instance, Shannon and I developed this list of the top 10 issues to avoid when building a customer education community:

1. No Clear Purpose or Goals — Failing to define your community’s purpose and objectives leads to confusion and poor engagement. Be sure your mission is clear, compelling and aligns with your customers’ needs and motivations.

2. Unrealistic Time Expectations — Community-building is a long game. You can’t reach critical mass overnight. It takes time, persistence and consistency to achieve significant results. If you can’t commit to at least 1-2 years as an early phase runway, don’t bother.

3. No Designated Owner — Someone must own the agenda. Choose a person who can dedicate a significant portion of their time and effort to develop a strategy and lead this program, including coordinating and communicating with members as well as internal and external stakeholders.

4. Insufficient Funding — It’s tempting to assume that customers will interact naturally and this process should be free. But it takes more than a dedicated program owner. You’ll also want to invest in appropriate technology, design and content development resources, as well as moderation and marketing.

5. Ignoring Member Feedback — Not paying attention to member input is the fastest way to kill engagement. Listening provides highly valuable insights — not just about the community, but about your products and services as well. Regularly solicit input from all members to pinpoint hits and misses. Then make adjustments with their continued involvement.

6. Inconsistent Engagement — Sporadic interaction can cause a community to lose momentum. Engage consistently with members by developing a regular cadence of new and updated content, discussions and events. This keeps people aware, interested and active.

7. Too Much Selling — Depending on the community primarily as a sales channel can alienate members. Instead of directly pushing your company’s products and services. focus on providing connections, content and support that customers find valuable.

8. Lack of Moderation — Without effective moderation, discussions can move off-topic or become toxic. Publish appropriate guidelines and ensure that an active moderator is available to maintain a focused, positive environment.

9. Not Providing Valuable Content — For communities to thrive, they need a steady stream of useful, relevant content. Regularly provide educational activities, materials, resources and other opportunities for skill development.

10. Neglecting New Members — Failing to properly onboard new members can lead them to feel unwelcome. Create an approachable onboarding experience that includes introductions, resources and guides to help them integrate easily and confidently.

Watch This Episode of Customer Ed Nuggets

Once you establish a strong customer education community, your organization will never look back. That’s because the upside is undeniable. But you can’t achieve these results without steering clear of several crucial pitfalls. Which ones?

Watch this brief 7-minute video as Shannon and I compare notes about what matters most…

If you’d rather listen to our conversation, tune in to this Customer Ed Nuggets audio podcast right here at TalentedLearning.com.

The Bottom Line on Building a Customer Education Community

A thriving customer education community is a powerful force multiplier. But vibrant communities don’t materialize overnight. It takes time and effort to gain momentum.

Fortunately, you can accelerate this process with careful planning. In particular, you’ll want to steer clear of common mistakes — such as vague goals, insufficient funding and failing to integrate member feedback.

Also, by focusing on critical success factors, you can create a dynamic, supportive environment that empowers customer learning and drives continuous business growth.

NEW 2024 Customer LMS Capabilities Report

Buying or Selling a Customer LMS?

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• Customer LMS Buyers: Clarify key requirements and dramatically reduce the time needed to identify vendors who address those needs.
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• LMS Vendors: Identify your offering’s strengths and weaknesses in comparison to the top 20 customer LMSs.

LEARN MORE >>

About Talented Learning Customer Ed Nuggets

Hosted by Talented Learning CEO John Leh, the Customer Ed Nuggets podcast is a trusted source of advice, guidance and best practices for customer education professionals of all types. In this series of brief video and audio “nuggets” (each 10 minutes or less), we explore key topics with numerous guest experts.

Join us anytime here or on our YouTube channel to explore all facets of customer education learning tech, from how to build a persuasive business case, to effective strategies, technologies and content that help professionals create, deploy and grow successful customer-centered programs.

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Learn More About Intellum

To find out more about Intellum, check the vendor profile in our Learning Systems Directory, or visit their website at Intellum.com

Need Expert Guidance to Find the Right Customer Education LMS?

Looking for a new or improved system for customer education? Be sure you make the right decision. Fill out the form below to request a free consultation with me, John Leh, Founder and Lead Analyst at Talented Learning: