367 - Building an Online Community (for Your Web Design Clients) with Carol Dunlop
Feb 17, 2025
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In this conversation, Carol Dunlop, a seasoned entrepreneur with over 30 years of experience and host of the Unmarket Your Business podcast, discusses the art of building online communities for web design clients. She shares how a small adjustment in her maintenance plan skyrocketed her monthly recurring revenue. The duo delves into when to sell community memberships, effective pricing strategies, and the delicate balance between community building and service work. Packed with practical insights, this chat highlights the transformative power of client relationships.
Building an online community for clients enhances relationships and fosters loyalty, ultimately leading to increased monthly recurring revenue (MRR).
Personalized communication and sharing individual success stories significantly boost client engagement and create a sense of belonging within the community.
Testing community offerings through short-term programs allows web designers to gauge interest and adjust strategies before committing to long-term initiatives.
Deep dives
Creating a Support Community for Clients
Establishing a support community for clients is essential for web designers aiming to enhance client relationships. By offering membership perks, such as access to a resource page or a marketing academy, web designers can address frequent client questions and provide ongoing support. This model not only fosters loyalty among existing clients but may also lead to additional revenues through long-term maintenance and support plans. It becomes easier to upsell services when clients are aware of the broader offerings available to them.
The Importance of Personal Touch
Personalized communication, such as sending welcome videos to new members or clients, significantly impacts engagement levels. By sharing individual success stories and building rapport, service providers can cultivate a sense of belonging and community. Clients who feel valued are more likely to stay engaged, refer others, and utilize additional services. This approach fosters an environment where clients actively participate and share their successes with one another, ultimately driving business growth.
Leverage Client Success for Marketing
Using client testimonials and success stories in marketing strategies can be a powerful way to establish credibility and showcase value. When clients achieve significant milestones or growth through services offered, sharing these stories can attract new clients who relate to those experiences. Engaging clients in this manner not only strengthens the bond with existing customers but also serves as a marketing tool. Highlighting these wins in newsletters, podcasts, or during community events can further amplify visibility and appeal.
Trial Runs for Community Building
Starting a community should involve testing the waters first through limited-duration programs or bootcamps. This approach allows service providers to gauge interest and determine the level of engagement they can sustain before committing to a long-term format. If the initial trial period reveals a lack of interest or is too overwhelming, providers can reevaluate their plans without major commitments. Establishing a temporary framework can serve as a foundation for future developments in community offerings.
Balancing Community Engagement with Other Responsibilities
For those managing multiple priorities, it's crucial to balance community engagement with other business responsibilities. Structuring the community to have high engagement during certain times and allowing for periods of less intensity can help in managing workload. This strategy involves planning out active and quieter phases, ensuring that engagement does not become overwhelming. Finding this equilibrium enables service providers to maintain a thriving community while also focusing on the broader facets of their business.
As a web designer, you may eventually get to a point (or maybe you’re there now) where you want to connect, support and continue to empower your clients in one place.
One way to do that is by offering a customer membership or community. It’s a great way to build MRR, stay top of mind, create powerful customer relationships, partnerships, etc.
I get it, as a web designer, you didn’t sign up to be a community builder BUT you might be sitting on a golden opportunity here so to dive into this subject, I’m excited to share a conversation I had with Carol Dunlop – a Web Designer Pro member and entrepreneur of over 30 years, recently on her podcast!
While she interviews me in this one about online community building and about how to reignite HER customer marketing membership, everything we discuss can be implemented by you if you’re considering having a customer membership of your own.
We dive into:
How a little change in her maintenance plan massively increased her MRR almost instantly
How to build an online customer community
When to sell said community in the lifetime of a customer
How to balance community building and service work
How to price a customer community
And much more.
Big thanks for letting me repurpose this chat with you and to Carol for having me on her show!
Head to the show notes to get all links and resources we mentioned along with a full transcription of this episode at joshhall.co/367
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Web Design Business Course
Maintenance Plan Course
Scale Your Way Course
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