Future of Social Communities

3. Deeper Fan Engagement

• Community members can be a part of fan-made boards for the brand, test product, etc.

“If you look at these fan clubs or VIP memberships that have launched, it’s tied to exclusive, specific types of content being provided by influencers and celebrities.”- Krishna Subramanian, CEO of influencer marketing firm Captiv8.

4. Monetize Exclusivity

• Subscription or initiative models enhance exclusivity


• Monetization can be scaled in tiers, exclusive merch, etc.

“We want the discussions to be more than just about our product; that would be self-serving. We want it to be more than that. We see people sharing life’s successes and tragedies, setting goals and holding one another accountable.” - Brad Olson, SVP of Member Experience Peloton

The move to a true community repositions the topics of conversation from what the brand cares about to what the community talks about

2. Own Your Community

• Brands can have dozens of non-official pages, but there can only be one official

“There are so many powerful stories that live in the groups and we want more people to see them to broaden our audience. So for them to have access to those stories and those true community moments is important.” - Brad Olson, SVP of Member Experience Peloton

After establishing its FANography insight community, sports broadcasting leader ESPN has been able to bring market research in-house, saving approximately $650,000 in one year.

INFLUENCERS ARE PRIORITIZING MONETIZED CONTENT AND COMMUNITIES AS AD REVENUE CAN BE UNRELIABLE