Proving the Value of Community

Ashley Gallman Williams

US Head of Community, wix.com

@ashleygallman

#cmxsummit

Proving the Value of Community

US Head of Community, Wix

Ashley Gallman Williams

@ashleygallman

From The Wix Lounge

@ashleygallman

To The Whole US

@ashleygallman

Dream the Impossible Dream

@ashleygallman

Dream the Impossible Dream

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• There is no magic bullet

• No fancy tool you can download

• One size does not fit all

• Experiment: be brave and question everything

Disclaimers

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Quality Over Quantity

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• Companies Grow and Marketing Budgets Get Bigger

• Community Will Never Be a Super Bowl Commercial

• Traffic and conversion become a less realistic measurement

• ROI likely not the best way to show value of Community

Let’s Get Real About ROI

@ashleygallman

EngagementCommunity has a super power that other marketing struggles to replicate

@ashleygallman

• CTA becomes Engage rather than Click

• 1,000 people who meaningfully engage with the product > 10,000 people who just visit the homepage

• Still technically traffic, but MUCH higher quality

Traffic vs Engagement

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“We want customers who need our clothing, not just desire it.”-Yvon Chouinard, Founder of Patagonia

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• Bottom line: Engaged users spend more

• Amazing Use Cases and User Stories for PR

• Super Users = Brand Ambassadors and Trainers

• Brand Affinity and Thought Leadership

But let’s start from the very beginning of the funnel...

What Is Engagement Good For?

@ashleygallman

Product

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Thanks CMX

@ashleygallman

• Cold calling users = 25% response and attendance

• Users Who Attended a Meetup = 50%

• Users in the Wix Lounge Program = 90%

• Engaged Users = More (and Better) Product Feedback

What I Learned from Usability

@ashleygallman

• User Interviews and Usability in Person and via Video

• Beta Tester Recruitment

• Product Teams visiting almost weekly

• User Meetups focused on specific products and features

So We Went A Little Nuts

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“It really helps us to understand our users and how THEY see Wix and the Web. It's awesome to have first-hand, real-voice, video user interviews.

“Just wanted to thank you again. Your help was very valuable and as a result we were already able to craft some important changes to the product.”

“Such an invaluable resource! Can you add this to the library - so our product/product marketing will be able to find it and reference in the future?”

Rave Reviews from Product

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What We Found

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• Not just Product - every department in the company

• Advise the company on how to understand and approach the users

• Knowledge base that is invaluable and irreplaceable

Ultimate Authority on Wix Users

@ashleygallman

@AshleyGallman

@Wix | @WixLounge