#143 Innovate Like LEGO with Community-Driven Product Development

Hey Listener!

Communities are more than just support forums; If deployed correctly, they can be a fantastic channel for product teams to sift signal from the noise.

In the latest episode of Way of Product, I had the pleasure of chatting with Jake McKee, a seasoned community expert with over 20 years of experience working with companies like Apple, Lego, and clients such as Southwest Airlines and H&R Block.

In this interview, I chat with him about his journey in the customer engagement space, working with major brands like Apple Global Support, Lego Global Community, and more.

His expertise in creating community-driven product development strategies and operationalizing community feedback in large organizations like Apple offers unique insights for anyone looking to enhance their customer engagement programs.

Listen now on Apple and Spotify.

And if you like what you're listening to in this episode, I highly recommend checking out his work at jakemckee.com

Actionable Takeaways

✅ Bridging the Gap Between Customers and Companies

✅ Empowering Customers to Become Advocates

✅ The Power of Relational Customer Engagement

Time Stamps

02:45 An Introduction to Jake and His Journey in Community Development

06:22 Bridging the Gap Between Customers and Companies

13:10 Apple Community Insights

18:08 Operationalizing Community Feedback

27:45 Community-Driven Product Development

37:00 Challenges and Strategies in Community Engagement

46:30 Understanding Developer Needs Beyond the SDK

57:50 The Importance of Honest Communication

1:06:20 Creating Shared Success in Communities

1:15:05 The Power of Relational Customer Engagement

1:25:15 Final Thoughts and How to Get Started

Bridging the Gap Between Customers and Companies

"My work has always had some connection to bridging the gap between customer and company."

—Jake McKee

Jake emphasizes the importance of community programs over mere platforms. He believes in building long-term programs that foster genuine relationships between companies and their customers. This approach leads to better customer satisfaction and product development.

Takeaway: Focus on bridging customer-company gaps through meaningful community programs, leading to enriching customer relationships and better product insights.

For me, meaningful customer engagement means meeting them where they're at - at industry events—creating a third place where people could hang out at those events, like a lounge or a podcast. Apple invested heavily in SEO for its support community. So that if you looked up anything Apple-related, there would be a support community link.

Empowering Customers to Become Advocates

"You don't create fans without a relationship."

—Jake McKee

Jake discusses the power of empowering customers as advocates through transparency and open communication. He highlights how involving community voices in product development processes can lead to better products and product launches.

Takeaway: Empower your customers by involving them in your processes, building trust, and creating advocates who support and promote your brand.

To do that, customers need to feel seen, heard, and understood. They need to think that you're building on their behalf, that you're making their work possible, and that they feel empowered to share how fantastic your product is.

The Power of Relational Customer Engagement

"Think about relational activity, not just data gathering."

—Jake McKee

Jake shares that successful customer engagement relies on building genuine relationships rather than focusing solely on data collection. This relational approach encourages consistent and meaningful interactions with your audience, leading to long-term connections.

Takeaway: Build relational connections with customers, treating engagements as social conversations to foster trust and long-term loyalty. You create loyalty by giving and establishing a sense of reciprocity. Doing things that you don't have to do as a company are great ways to generate reciprocity.

That's another episode. Listen to the whole thing to get all the extra context that wasn't included in this post.

Again, thanks for opening and listening.

Cheers,

Caden Damiano

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