What causes some communities to get and stay close, while others dissolve? All of this boils down to one essential ingredient: shared experiences.
Rooting for a sports team, attending a cultural festival, or even discussing in online forums, sharing the same experience is always the best base to find each others. They connect — they bind; they help create a deep sense of rootedness.
Today on the blog, we’re taking about the power of shared experiences in community building. We’ll find out why they are important, how they enhance unity, and how you can use them to create thriving, long-lasting communities.
The Importance of Shared Experiences in Creating Community
At their essence, they’re an act of connection. They exploit our most basic desire of finding where we belong by giving us something in common with their characters. Think about a few of your tightest friendships or your most valued social connections. Odds are they were born out of shared memories or experiences that made each party trust, feel comfortable with, or both.
This is why shared experiences are so powerful for building community:
- They create emotional bonds: When you engage in an activity with someone, whether the experience is positive or challenging, the shared emotional touchpoint fosters loyalty and strengthens relationships.
- They foster a feeling of ownership: When people contribute to — or take part in — something special, they become more committed to the community.
- They bridge gaps: Mutual activities or experiences foster trust and reduce social borders, making new recruits feel welcome.
No wonder, then, that strong communities of all kinds, from local clubs to national and global online platforms, are built around common experiences shared by their members.
Feeling Cool in (Half) Dark Rooms, Rediscovering Music, and the Importance of Shared Digital Experiences
As technology has made virtual “neighbourhoods” increasingly accessible, the concept of fostering community has shifted to digital realms. But communally experienced encounters are just as important online as they are offline. Digital communities succeed when they become like real-life connection and offer their members moments of interaction and engagement.
Shared Experiences in Digital Communities by Example
- Live events: Something like a livestream, a webinar or a virtual watch party, when people can react in real time as they participate.
- Collaboration: Many online communities and micro-communities foster a willingness to work together on creative or social projects.
- Gamification: together: a leaderboard and reward system adds a feeling of joint participation and collaboration.
An excellent example is Peloton. And its users are paying — amenities may be bemowed and baked-goods consumed — because its subscription model is built on the communal experience of a real-time live-streamed fitness class that makes participants feel like they are a part of a fitness movement. So this sense of communal alignment is what makes them feel connected and loyal to your store.
How to Create Communities With Shared Experiences
If you’re trying to build and sustain lasting communities, shared experience is the way to go. Six actionable steps to get there are:
1. Identify Your Common Ground
Begin with your community’s shared interest, value, or goal that binds you all together. Do your members share a passion for sustainability, technology, fitness or anything else? And this “common ground” will trigger shared experiences.
So, for instance, Glossier formed a core customer base by highlighting beauty fiends who prioritize authenticity and inclusivity. Their followers enjoy a sense of camaraderie around user-generated content, and peer product experiences.
2. Create Interactive Platforms for Dialogue
When members of a community talk, participate and share, then it becomes stronger. Add interactive spaces where people can collaborate and communicate such as private Facebook groups, Slack channels or Discord servers.
These platforms should not just be a place to make announcements, remember. Instead, create rich discussions on concepts that are relevant to your members and emphasize storytelling.
3. Offer Live and Virtual Events
Hosting virtual events that are specific to your community’s interests deepens the connection people have with members. These may extend from meetings held at a local level all the way to global virtual webinars.
What is even more important than physical shared experiences for digital-first communities is virtual shared experiences. Platforms such as Zoom or YouTube Live make hosting online experiences easy. One such solution, Netflix Party, lets people watch films together in the comfort of their own homes, turning binge-watching into a social act.
4. Encourage Collaborative Experiences
Commonly held shared experiences are deepened when community members engage. Consider mixing up the group by creating joint projects, common goals, or content creation. These events provide members with something they can touch – a way they can help the community, in other words.
Case in point? Airbnb’s host community. Hosts are also prompted to exchange tips, stories, and experiences. This sharing of ideas enriches the Airbnb community and enables a sense of community amongst hosts.
5. Leverage User-Generated Content (UGC)
UCT allows you to create shared experiences within your community while focusing on individual members. Invite your members to share photos or videos, or write testimonials, and reward them by sharing this content yourself!
Nikes You Cant Stop Us campaign displayed user-generated content, motivating each other, inspiring others and instlillimg a sense of connection in their active, global community.
6. Celebrate Milestones and Achievements
There are rituals, celebrations, and transferable waypoints communities gather around and cling to. Set up milestones to celebrate, events to gather key team members together to celebrate progress or your results.
For example, vitual shoutouts or loyalty recognition for active contributors. Recognize anniversaries, product introductions, or milestones with everyone. Little moments of acknowledgment make big inroads in engagement.
Why it Pays to Develop Durable Online Communities Through Common Creating Experiences
Mobil iShares Investing in Shared Experiences And while the rewards are certainly worthwhile, investing in community building itself are no less:
- Increased loyalty and retention: Members who feel part of a community are higherly likely to be engaged for the long run.
- Natural growth: Members love the community in a way that leads to word-of-mouth growth.
- Greater involvement: Experiences shared create emotional links, the basis of true interaction and participation.
- More resilience: Communities based on real shared interests will be more resilient when challenge or change comes along.
Bond With Community Over a Common Experience
A community is made up not only of the people in it but also by the moments they bring into existence together. If you ground your community development activities in shared experience, you build places where individuals feel valued, connected and are inspired to share.
Even better – listen to them, partner with them and celebrate alongside them. By creating opportunities through live experiences, interactions online, or for new creative projects, you can create a shared experience that will keep your community alive for years to come.
