Differentiate marketing channels by their purpose. Use online platforms for broad reach and repeated touchpoints. Reserve offline, in-person events for fostering the genuine, vulnerable connections that are difficult to replicate digitally and are critical for building strong relationships.

Don't just treat other channels as spokes for a central email list. Instead, build a multi-channel network where email, YouTube, SMS, and other platforms all point to each other. This creates a resilient web that captures and retains audience members across their preferred platforms.

The most powerful form of community isn't a walled-off Slack group. It's about becoming the 'host of the party' for a specific audience's shared interests. Companies like HubSpot built a community around 'inbound marketing' by owning the conversation, long before they had private user groups.

Don't limit your definition of "community" to a Facebook group or Substack. Treat everyone who interacts with your content—on email, social media, or in person—as part of the community. This "community-first" mindset shifts communication to be more personal across all channels.

Transform your customer base into a community by hosting exclusive meetups. This strategy builds a "culture machine" where customers feel like family, fostering loyalty and generating organic referrals without a hard sales pitch.

TMC builds loyalty by outsourcing key programming decisions. Using simple polls, they let members vote on event topics and nominate speakers. This co-creation process ensures content is always relevant and gives members a powerful sense of ownership over the community's direction.

To foster deep loyalty, media brands should cultivate a sense of belonging that transcends mere content consumption. The goal is to make readers feel like they are part of an exclusive club or movement—an identity they are proud to associate with and share publicly.

The Marketing Club's growth accelerated dramatically after launching in-person events. This strategy transformed their online group into a tangible community, allowing members to form deeper connections and feel a true sense of belonging. This propelled membership from the hundreds into the thousands.

Educational content and events are effective for acquiring new community members. However, the true "sticky feature" that drives long-term retention is the genuine connections members form with each other. Marketing hooks people, but relationships make them stay.