Having a Small Online Community Allows You to Focus on What Matters
Being small is generally seen as a bad thing. We want to be bigger, we want to have as many members as possible. But if you are small, while you are small, don’t lose sight of the fact that you are provided with a laser sharp focus on what really matters.
When you only have 3, 5, 10, 15 regularly active members, you have a great opportunity to make sure that they are enjoying the community, that they are appreciated and to see if there is anything that you can do from them. You have the time to do so because they are truly all that you have.
That is how communities grow. 1 by 1. For some it is faster than others, but it is always 1 by 1 and the members that you have now form the foundation for future growth.
Sometimes people get lost in the idea of trying to add new members and grow the membership. They lose sight of the fact that those 3-15 members have a direct, substantial impact on the success of any marketing efforts – of any efforts to invite new people into the fold.
It all goes back to the simple truth that activity breeds activity. High quality activity is the best of all. Meaningful on-topic conversations.
If you spend $5,000 on ads to promote a dead community, it’s kind of like flushing it down the toilet. After the money is gone, you may still have a dead community. You can’t just throw money at it.
It’s like trying to sell a house, but you didn’t mow the lawn, the grass is growing out of control and the paint is peeling. Yeah, you may attract some people, but you instantly turn off a substantial portion of potential buyers. It’s an avoidable mistake.
That’s why being small can be fun and can even help you. It allows you to really see the path to success and that path always starts with the small collection of members you have right now.
