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B2B community teardown

4 mins read
Adam Schoenfeld
Adam Schoenfeld

*Thank you for being one of the first 13,553 members and supporting PeerSignal research!

Welcome back to my almost-weekly newsletter where* *Camille* *and I share data and examples to help you study B2B sales and marketing.*

But first, can I ask a quick favor?

Last week, I asked which mar-tech software would win the next generation and mentioned a few we're watching.

I’d like to add more next-gen mar-tech companies to our PeerSignal SaaS indexes.

Could you tag your favorites on this post?

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Fast-growth B2B SaaS companies invest more in community than their peers, according to PeerSignal data.

By the numbers:

* 40% of B2B SaaS have a community vs 55% of PLG SaaS companies (⅔ of the Cloud 100 is PLG)

* 58 of the Cloud 100 have a brand community (vs 37% of avg B2B SaaS)

* 26% of Cloud 100s were actively hiring for community in Q4 of 2022 (height of tech layoffs)

Cloud 100 GTM Analysis Source: PeerSignal, Cloud 100 GTM Analysis

Last month, we teamed up with guest analyst Carl Thomen to understand the stories behind successful brand communities.

Check out my summary of what top B2B SaaS communities do differently on LinkedIn and Carl's full B2B community teardown on our site.

After digging into dozens of online communities and talking to their community leads, we noticed some patterns.

Mature B2B SaaS brand communities tend to:

1.

Invest in a dedicated community professional

2.

Co-create a code of conduct alongside members

3.

Define community goals for maximum business and member impact

4.

Optimize for engagement with rewards and incentives for contributing members (along with consistently enforced guidelines)

5.

Understand the importance of exclusive events and content

6.

Reward power users and contributors with partner, influencer, leadership, and monetization opportunities.

Here are five prime examples of well-executed B2B community strategies:

1. Figma

figma friends page

Figma has one of the most active communities of any software product.

Their approach is multi-pronged, involving two large and active online forums, global user groups, 24-hour Config conference, and a powerful advocacy program.

2. Metadata

Metadata demand community page

Metadata’s Demand community stands out for its high level of engagement.

Common Room’s *Community-Led Growth Report*putsaverage online community engagement between 2% and 12%.

Metadata’s is above 50%.

The Demand community started out invite-only, includes in-person and virtual events, has highly active community management, and focuses on the bleeding edge of B2B SaaS marketing.

3. Salesforce

salesforce trailblazer community page

Known for it’s Trailblazer Community, Salesforce isone of the most-referenced communities in B2B SaaS.

Salesforce users can learn earn industry credentials that translate into lucrative careers (a great sign your community has “made it”).

Along with its online forum (table stakes), the community boasts its own mobile app.

Salesforce hosts online and in-person events globally, among a host of other community initiatives.

The Trailblazer Community is a great example of what can be achieved with a early, dedicated focus on community (and let’s be honest, a fairly big budget as well).

4. HubSpot

hubspot community page

HubSpot Academy offers training across marketing, sales, and customer service; hosts global events and user groups; and recognizes members with a Community Leaderboard and Community Champion spotlights each month.

Notably, their community lead, Christina Garnett, is the heart of #MarketingTwitter and actively engages with the Hubspot community across platforms.

5. Miro

miro community page

Enter the Miroverse.

Miro hosts a website forum for community discussion and a separate space dedicated to developers.

They educate their community through the Miroverse template hub and regular webinars.

Their approach to PLG through guides and templates has helped set the benchmark for the industry.

(Side note: Months back, we broke down the template library tactics B2B SaaS companies like Miro use to get more from community and framework content.)

We interviewed the community professionals at B2B brands like Metadata and Databox to understand how the next generation of brand communities think about building in 2023.

Check out our latest B2B teardown article to learn how to build a thriving SaaS community from scratch.

Have more questions or feedback?

Reply or join the conversation on LinkedIn.

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Best,

Adam & Camille

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