Customer Communities

11Law 7: Offline Counts More Than You Think: An Online Community Is Strengthened with Offline Events

By Erin Rhodes and Robin Merritt

We started this book by discussing the galvanizing communities many of us experience as consumers—working at a local coffee shop, watching your favorite sports team in an arena, or seeing Taylor Swift in concert (or other non-Taylor artist faves). There is something special about all of these communities: the magic of in-person human connection.

While we have shared our learnings on the incredible power of online communities—in terms of scale, personalization, access, inclusion, and more—we have learned that nothing beats the power of mixing online and offline communities.

Why do you need to worry about offline communities? Aren't “events” such a dated concept? In our experience, in-person events are more important and impactful than ever for several reasons:

• Connection: While “follows,” “friends,” and “likes” online can generate a temporary shot of dopamine in your brain, technology still hasn't figured out how to replicate the warmth of an in-person smile, the feeling of a handshake, or the comfort of a hug. In Law 10, we'll talk about building culture and values into your community. This is so much more powerful if your community has laughed and learned together in real life. Get your customers together in person, and they will leave more connected.
• Focus: The technology world is ever more—sorry, hold on, I have to check Twitter—distracted. ...