Hi friends! Elles has covered some important fundamentals on community already, including -

• Trust is a growth strategy

• How to set a community up for relationship-driven success

And since we’re all here to learn about how to strategically and tactically scale go-to-market and revenue, let’s quickly talk about the very real ROI you can get from investing in community -

• Customer acquisition costs (CAC) drop 10-15% (Higher Logic)

• Deal velocity improves 71% (Common Room)

• Customer lifetime value increases 25-40% (Higher Logic)

Some specific companies and their self-reported community case studies -

• Salesforce community members (Trailblazers) spend 2x more than non-members

• Atlassian achieves 98% retention with community-engaged users being 2-3x less likely to churn

AND, I’d still like to remind you that…

There is no easy button for GTM or revenue growth. I repeat - there is NO easy button.

Community can absolutely be a profitable strategy, but it still requires a significant investment of your time and resources, consistency, and the right intentions to work.

Next up from Elles: What happens when you build community just for leads.

Let’s go.

What happens when you build community just for leads

Let’s talk about the elephant in the room: a lot of startups launch “communities” that are really just glorified lead gen funnels.

And that’s not inherently bad — but it has to be done with clarity and care.

Because if you get it wrong, you won’t just lose leads. You’ll lose trust.

Why people sniff out performative community fast

You invite someone to a new Slack group. The description sounds promising. "Come connect with other operators," it says.

But two days in, it’s just:

• Product updates

• Announcements

• Pitch decks

• Crickets

Nobody’s talking to each other. Everyone’s just waiting for someone else to make it feel like a community.

That’s what happens when the intention behind the community is unclear — or worse, self-serving.

People don’t join communities to be sold to. They join to learn, connect, and feel understood. If you lead with extraction instead of value, they’ll tune out fast.

You can still use Community to drive leads — Here’s how

If your goal is pipeline, that’s okay. Just design a space that still genuinely helps the people inside it.

Some things that actually work:

• A monthly roundtable for your ICP to talk shop (no selling)

• A curated group of beta testers who give feedback and feel like insiders

• A peer group hosted by you, with clear conversation prompts and facilitation

The trick is to shift from “I need these people to convert” to “How can I make this space valuable enough that they want to be here?”

When people feel seen and supported, they:

• Talk about you without you asking

• Refer others who fit your ICP

• Buy — but on their timeline, with higher trust

If it’s a Referral Network (or Product Council), call it that

Not every group needs to be (or should be) a “community”.

If what you’re building is a referral network, or an expert roster, or a product advisory council — call it that.

People don’t mind structure. They mind misaligned expectations.

When you’re clear about the purpose of the space, people show up accordingly:

• In a referral network, they expect to give and get intros.

• In a product advisory council, they expect to test things and share thoughts.

• In a peer community, they expect mutual support and shared identity.

So if you’re building a space that’s intended to support your GTM efforts, make sure:

• You’re transparent about that

• The format matches the goal (ex: don’t build a forum if your audience doesn’t want a forum)

• The value exchange is real

• You’re actively hosting — not just collecting email addresses

You can build community with GTM in mind. But if it’s only about you, it’s better not to pursue it.

Instead, be useful. Be clear. Be human. People will show up — and when they trust you, they’ll buy too.

In part 4 we’ll talk specifics; format, platform, and how to curate the space in the right way. 

Want help mapping out a sustainable, value-driven community? I’d love to support you. Let’s chat!

See ya next week.

Elles Skony

Want to learn more about how I help startups increase their revenue by 150-590%? 👀 

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With love and gratitude,