When social media first surfaced it was generally dismissed as largely inconsequential for businesses. These days it’s almost impossible to imagine a successful business without a social media presence. With the rise of web three and the ubiquity of social media comes the integral concept of community and the impact and engagement it creates. Here to help us interrogate this rapidly expanding field is David Spinks, VP of Community at Bevy and Cofounder of CMX, two platforms dedicated to helping businesses create and support a thriving community. He is also the author of the new book The Business of Belonging: How to Make Community your Competitive Advantage. In our conversation, we discuss the key difference between building an audience versus a community, and why community drives deeper and more meaningful engagement for business. Learn about some of CMX’s useful resources, like the SPACES Model, a fundamental framework for defining your community’s business value. We also discuss the most common mistakes businesses make when they first build their communities and how to go about it the right way. Be sure to tune in to learn more about this important topic from an expert in the field!

TIME-STAMPED SHOW NOTES:

• [00:00] Before we jump into today’s interview, please rate, review, and subscribe to the Leveling Up Podcast!
• [00:15] Introducing today’s guest David Spinks VP of Community at Bevy and Co-founder of CMX.
• [01:14] How community is being factored into how businesses are structured. 
• [02:28] Outlining the differences between audience and community.
• [04:30] How community encourages participants to create rather than consume.
• [05:40] Examples of communities where David has seen people create and contribute.
• [07:35] The importance of a skilled and competent community manager. 
• [08:42] How to find the right community manager.
• [09:39] How Bevy, a pioneering community event engine, was started.
• [11:29] Why it’s important to start small and set an intentional example with your initial community members.
• [15:59] How to ‘push out control’ to manage large communities with fewer community managers and why many businesses make the mistake of growing too fast. 
• [18:04] The SPACES Model and how to use it as a framework for defining your community’s business value.
• [21:07] The best way to grow your community and why most businesses start in the wrong place.
• [24:07] David’s top book recommendation and its far-reaching applications.
• [24:39] David’s podcast Masters of Community and what you can learn from it. 
• [25:24] Exciting new AI tools to take your community to the next level!

Resources From The Interview:

• David Spinks
• David Spinks on LinkedIn
• David Spinks on Twitter
• The Business of Belonging: How to Make Community your Competitive Advantage
• Masters of Community Podcast
• CMX
• The SPACES Model: The Framework for Defining Your Community’s Business Value
• Bevy
• Startup Grind
• Orbiit.ai
• Orbit.love
• Must-read book: Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind
• Subscribe to our premium podcast (with tons of goodies!): https://www.marketingschool.io/pro

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