David Spinks, VP of Community at Bevy and co-founder of CMX, shares his expertise on community building and engagement. He emphasizes the difference between building an audience and cultivating a community, highlighting the deeper connections it fosters. The discussion includes the importance of genuine member experiences and the SPACES Model for defining community value. Spinks also identifies common pitfalls businesses encounter when starting community initiatives and offers strategies for successful community management in the digital age.
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insights INSIGHT
Community's Rising Importance
Community management, like early social media, is gaining recognition.
It's becoming a core business function, with specialized roles and departments emerging.
insights INSIGHT
Audience vs. Community
An audience cares about your creations; a community cares about each other.
Community fosters connection, transforming individual problems into shared concerns.
volunteer_activism ADVICE
Driving Community Creation
Prioritize community creation over simply retention.
Empower members to contribute actively, fostering a sense of belonging and scaling the community.
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The Business of Belonging explores the power of community in business, providing insights on how to build and sustain communities that drive business growth. The book offers practical advice on defining community purpose, creating engagement strategies, and measuring community success. It emphasizes the importance of creating authentic connections and a sense of belonging among community members.
Sapiens
A Brief History of Humankind
Yuval Noah Harari
This book surveys the history of humankind from the Stone Age to the 21st century, focusing on Homo sapiens. It divides human history into four major parts: the Cognitive Revolution, the Agricultural Revolution, the Unification of Humankind, and the Scientific Revolution. Harari argues that Homo sapiens dominate the world due to their unique ability to cooperate in large numbers through beliefs in imagined realities such as gods, nations, money, and human rights. The book also examines the impact of human activities on the global ecosystem and speculates on the future of humanity, including the potential for genetic engineering and non-organic life.
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!
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[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!
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