When setting up your gated event, a VIP customer group can be an excellent way to get guaranteed attendees quick, but according to marketing specialist Jordan West, that's just a fraction of the potential profit-driving power groups & communities can bring if you know how to use them.

Building your Community

"What counts as a VIP group?"

• Your email list does not count as a VIP group, it is far too broad, impersonal and easy to miss, block or ignore. These are the customers who took the extra step above and beyond, signing up for SMS, joining official forums and sites, or signing into official apps. An in-group customer is a proven and interested customer

"How do I build my VIP group?"

• The best VIP communities are made by the community themselves, not the brand or product the community gathers around. Simply set up the space, entice customers to join, provide light moderation and allow them to make it into the kind of community they want to have

"Where should I set up my group?"

• Facebook remains the best option for a basic, universally accessible private or public communities with all the important tools for promotion and moderation. There are of course many other options, some free and some at cost, focussed around a wide variety of mediums. Choose what feels right for your customers, and listen to their feedback

"What else can VIP groups do for my brand?"

• Far more than just an available contact list, VIP community members are deeply committed to your brand, and will provide innumerable amounts of free promotional material, positive exposure, product testing and customer support, amounting to thousands of dollars in free material, coverage and assistance. Even a small community is capable of explosively exponential exposure, and provide a positive and supportive space for their brand loyalty to grow

Our Sponsors

Omnisend - ShipBob - Gorgias

Mentioned in this episode:

Triple Whale - Whale Mail