We often talk about the importance of having a community strategy. Success is contingent on a clear and aligned community strategy that ties in with the overall business strategy.

So what are the key questions you should consider when you want to start a community?

When we do a strategy session with our customers we always address these 3 topics:

• What is the compelling event that drives you to consider a community: What are the main drivers now or in the future that triggers this adoption?
• What is the biggest customer challenge that you solve: Why should a customer spend time with you? What value are you delivering to your customer?
• What do you want to get out of the community: What is ‘the one metric’ that ties into your business strategy? What value do you expect to receive in return of your effort?

These are not necessarily easy questions to answer. Especially when you need to agree and align with different stakeholders and departments. Also, what does your target audience think - have you considered it from their perspective?

Taking the time to define and align always pays off. When it is good enough, get going. The strategy is a living thing. It does not have to be perfect, you can adapt and adjust as you learn.