“Our reputation as a community-driven organization was our greatest sales tool.”

In this episode, we discussed how communities drive business growth by turning meaningful connections into conversions through strategic alignment of community and business goals, in particular:

👉 Why community should act as a horizontal layer across all company departments.

👉 How storytelling and anecdotal wins can help prove the ROI of the community.

👉 The key challenges of building community across digital and hybrid spaces.

👉 How to encourage other teams to adopt a community mindset.

👉 A strategy to map your community goals to your business goals.

Join Yurii Lazaruk, the Community Consultant, and Barry McDonald, a community growth expert skilled in building relationships and networks who empowers founders to scale with purpose, in connecting community goals with business goals to drive business growth!

Connect with Barry and Yurii on Linkedin:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/barry-mcdonald-05964929/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/yurii-lazaruk-community-consultant/

Timestamps:

(00:00) Meet Barry McDonald

(00:52) Defining Community Goals

(02:25) The Power of Connections

(04:25) Driving Business Goals Through Community

(06:03) Becoming a Super Connector

(09:50) Collaborating Across Teams

(15:14) Measuring Community Success

(20:45) Challenges in Community Building

#communityROI #communitybuilding #businessgrowth

"The key to proving community ROI is treating it like any other business function—track metrics, show impact, and align with company priorities."

In this episode, we discussed actionable strategies for aligning community efforts with business growth and creating meaningful relationships across different departments, in particular:

👉 How to align community initiatives with company-wide KPIs.

👉 The key differences between marketing and community.

👉 How a community team collaborates with other teams.

👉 The role of storytelling in demonstrating the business impact of community.

👉 How to engage internal stakeholders.

Join Yurii Lazaruk, the Community Consultant, and Christopher Detzel, a community leader with over 15 years of experience building and nurturing thriving technical communities, driving data-driven strategies, and fostering executive engagement to enhance user engagement and drive business growth, and co-founder of Peers Over Beers - a podcast about online communities, in connecting community goals with business goals to drive business growth!

Connect with Christopher and Yurii on Linkedin:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrisdetzel/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/yurii-lazaruk-community-consultant/

Timestamps:

(00:00) Meet Christopher Detzel

(02:03) Achieving Community Goals: A Case Study

(05:14) Marketing vs. Community: Understanding the Differences

(06:50) Collaborating with Different Teams

(13:31) Bringing Visibility to Community Impact

(18:51) Addressing Community Challenges

#communityROI #communitybuilding #businessgrowth

“A thriving internal community isn’t about forcing engagement; it’s about making engagement valuable.”

In this episode, we discussed practical frameworks for measuring success, setting the right expectations, and designing community initiatives that serve both the members and the organization, in particular:

👉 How community engagement can drive business KPIs.

👉 Difference between grassroots and strategic internal communities.

👉 Setting the right expectations to maintain long-term participation.

👉 Role of leadership buy-in and how to secure executive support.

👉 Why co-creation is the key to sustaining an internal community.

Join Yurii Lazaruk, the Community Consultant, and Anamaria Dorgo, learning and community consultant, founder, and community catalyst at L&D Shakers, a global community of practice for over 7,000+ learning and development professionals, who helps strategize, design, and facilitate participatory experiences for individuals, teams, and companies with her Handle with Brain business, in connecting community goals with business goals to drive business growth!

Connect with Anamaria and Yurii on Linkedin:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/anamariadorgo/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/yurii-lazaruk-community-consultant/

Timestamps:

(00:00) Meet Anamaria Dorgo

(01:08) Defining Community Goals and Purpose

(01:55) Case Study: L&D Shakers Community

(04:02) Retail Learning and Development: A Success Story

(07:09) Challenges and Solutions in Community Building

(16:33) Measuring Community Impact and ROI

(25:06) Collaboration with Other Teams

(28:26) Addressing Community Building Challenges

#communityROI #communitybuilding #businessgrowth

"A great community doesn’t just support its members—it amplifies business goals without feeling transactional."

In this episode, we discussed how to strategically align community goals with business objectives to drive growth, engagement, and long-term success, in particular:

👉 How community goals differ from other teams' goals.

👉 Key metrics of community impact.

👉 Community team as a bridge between departments.

👉 Tying community initiatives to company goals.

👉 How events drive engagement and create organic case studies.

JoinYurii Lazaruk, the Community Consultant, andEce Kurtaraner, a community operations and events consultant, strategist, and community operations queen in Generalist World, in connecting community goals with business goals to drive business growth!

Connect with Ece and Yurii on Linkedin:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/ecekurtaraner/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/yurii-lazaruk-community-consultant/

Timestamps:

(00:00) Meet Ece Kurtaraner

(00:44) Defining Community Goals

(01:49) Case Study: Product-Based Community

(03:27) Metrics and Measurements

(05:36) Community Events and Engagement

(11:19) Internal Collaboration and Advocacy

(23:44) Challenges and Crisis Management

#communityROI #communitybuilding #businessgrowth

“Retention isn’t just about keeping people in the community—it’s about making sure they find value, so they keep coming back.”

In this episode, we discussed how to leverage community engagement to drive retention, product adoption, and overall business success, in particular:

👉 The correlation between active community members and product usage.

👉 Which community metrics truly matter when measuring ROI.

👉 Why community members can be powerful contributors to product feedback.

👉 How to structure one-on-one community calls for deeper engagement.

👉 How different teams can leverage the community effectively.

Join Yurii Lazaruk, the Community Consultant, and Tiffany Oda, a skilled community professional with experience in companies such as Salesforce, Venafi, and Asana, co-founder of the "Community OPServations", who loves community and believes that no one is too senior to do a coffee run and that everyone has something they could learn, in connecting community goals with business goals to drive business growth!

Connect with Tiffany and Yurii on Linkedin:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/tiffeoda/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/yurii-lazaruk-community-consultant/

Timestamps:

(00:00) Meet Tiffany Oda

(01:04) Defining Community Goals

(03:03) Measuring Community Impact on Retention

(04:37) Creating Targeted Customer Journeys

(05:49) Gathering and Utilizing Community Feedback

(07:55) Structuring and Managing Community Calls

(12:44) Planning for the Future of Community Engagement

(17:54) Collaborating with Cross-Functional Teams

(29:35) Communicating Community Wins and Challenges

#communityROI #communitybuilding #businessgrowth

"Community engagement is powerful when it moves both the people and the business in the right direction."

In this episode, we discussed how community teams can showcase their value and impact business success from measuring engagement metrics to collaborating across departments, in particular:

👉 How engagement metrics can directly influence business growth.

👉 Insights on collaborating with cross-functional teams to strengthen community impact

👉 Why data integration between community platforms and business systems is crucial.

👉 How to communicate community value to stakeholders and leadership teams.

👉 How continuous evaluation helps pivot community strategies for better results.

Join Yurii Lazaruk, the Community Consultant, and Katie Ryser, a community business & operations expert, who thrives on bringing people together and is the go-to person for connecting the dots between what a business wants to achieve and how to make it happen., in connecting community goals with business goals to drive business growth!

Connect with Katie and Yurii on Linkedin:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/katie-z-ryser/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/yurii-lazaruk-community-consultant/

Timestamps:

(00:00) Meet Katie Ryser

(01:02) Defining Community Goals

(02:01) Connecting Community Goals with Business Objectives

(03:09) Engagement Metrics and Their Impact

(04:11) Challenges in Connecting Community and Business Data

(12:52) Collaborating with Different Teams

(19:05) Reporting and Communicating Community Impact

(22:33) Handling Challenges and Pivots in Community Management

#communityROI #communitybuilding #businessgrowth

"Every conversation in your community is a step toward customer satisfaction and business growth."

In this episode, we discussed engaging internal teams in community activities to foster stronger relationships between staff and community members to drive engagement, retention, and revenue growth, in particular:

👉 The importance of internal engagement in community success.

👉 How to align team contributions with community objectives without overwhelming them.

👉 How to tailor engagement approaches for individual team members.

👉 The role of community engagement in reducing churn and increasing customer retention.

👉 Why storytelling is crucial for community growth.

Join Yurii Lazaruk, the Community Consultant, and Pat Cooney, a community engineer with over 20 years of experience in leadership and team management, web analytics and development, and training in e-commerce and digital communications for the corporate, non-profit, NGO, and political sectors, in connecting community goals with business goals to drive business growth!

Connect with Pat and Yurii on Linkedin:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/thatpatguy/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/yurii-lazaruk-community-consultant/

Timestamps:

(00:00) Meet Pat Cooney

(01:26) Defining Community Goals

(02:32) Increasing Engagement: Strategies and Challenges

(04:21) The Art of Encouraging Staff Participation

(13:45) Handling Community Issues and Bugs

(16:48) Tracking Metrics and Reporting

(20:45) Content Creation and Customer Workflows

(28:44) Internal Collaboration and Impact

#communityROI #communitybuilding #businessgrowth

"Belonging isn’t just a feeling; it’s the secret sauce that keeps members engaged and businesses thriving."

In this episode, we discussed the nuances of creating measurable outcomes for community initiatives, aligning them with organizational objectives, and fostering belonging as a core driver of community success and business impact, in particular:

👉 Actionable steps to connect community goals with business objectives.

👉 How to foster belonging in communities to boost engagement and revenue.

👉 Strategies for aligning community metrics with diverse organizational priorities.

👉 Insights on measuring community impact across different teams.

👉 Role of internal advocacy in spreading community thinking across teams and leadership.

Join Yurii Lazaruk, the Community Consultant, and Carrie Melissa Jones, a social science researcher and strategist who advocates for community building across organizations of all sizes and helps leaders strengthen their community foundations and the founder of the CMJ community of community professionals and coauthor of Building Brand Communities book, in connecting community goals with business goals to drive business growth!

Connect with Carrie and Yurii on Linkedin:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/carriemelissajones/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/yurii-lazaruk-community-consultant/

Timestamps:

(00:00) Meet Carrie Melissa Jones

(01:20) Defining Community Goals

(01:58) Community Goals vs. Business Goals

(03:44) Measuring Sense of Belonging

(06:29) Connecting Community to Business Growth

(08:00) Practical Steps for Community Managers

(16:18) Engaging Internal Teams

(32:01) Overcoming Challenges in Community Building

#communityROI #communitybuilding #businessgrowth

"Your Head of Community is the glue that connects your business goals with the needs of your audience."

In this episode, we discussed how communities serve as the lifeblood of modern brands, the strategic role of a Head of Community, and why community-driven approaches create loyalty, engagement, and exponential growth, in particular:

👉 The business difference between audiences and communities.

👉 Why the Head of Community is the most crucial hire for startups.

👉 How a community-first approach creates loyalty and drives business growth.

👉 How to measure community engagement and its impact on ROI.

👉 Why community building is a game-changer for startups.

Join Yurii Lazaruk, the Community Consultant, and Jake Hurwitz, founder of Thursday Labs, a new type of content company/production studio that helps founders and investors become thought leaders by producing a ton of valuable content and generating tens of millions for companies like POSH, Day One, Rove, Nifty Bridge, and many others, in connecting community goals with business goals to drive business growth!

Connect with Jake and Yurii on Linkedin:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/jakehurwitz/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/yurii-lazaruk-community-consultant/

Timestamps:

(00:00) Meet Jake Hurwitz: Founder of Thursday Labs

(01:15) Defining Community vs. Audience

(02:58) The Role of Community in Business Structure

(04:42) Community as a Competitive Advantage

(07:04) The Decline of Traditional Communities and Rise of New Ones

(08:15) The Importance of a Head of Community

(13:27) Building Community for Business Success

(16:12) Marketing vs. Community Building

(19:13) The Role of Community in a Content Studio

(22:52) Metrics for Community Growth

(28:53) The Importance of Hosting Events

(31:25) Companies Benefiting from Communities

(34:21) Innovative Community Building Examples

#communityROI #communitybuilding #businessgrowth

"The return on investment in community work isn’t just profit—it’s being seen as indispensable, the go-to for insight and connection."

In this episode, we discussed how to build internal communities that engage employees, collaborate with multiple teams, and demonstrate ROI through tangible and intangible value, in particular:

👉 Strategies for creating safe and engaging internal communities.

👉 Importance of cross-functional partnerships for community success.

👉 Practical ways to report community ROI to executive teams.

👉 How to leverage community feedback for continuous improvement.

👉 Tips on building trust and inclusivity within employee communities.

Join Yurii Lazaruk, the Community Consultant, and Stephanie Nakano, a community expert who's left her heart at the intersection of technology and online communities for over 12 years, started her journey by leading communities for tech startups and who has been honing her skills in building engaged user-focused ecosystems ever since in such companies as FANDOM, Zapier, Coda, and Salesforce, in connecting community goals with business goals to drive business growth!

Connect with Stephanie and Yurii on Linkedin:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephanieunakano/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/yurii-lazaruk-community-consultant/

Timestamps:

(00:00) Meet Stephanie Nakano

(00:59) Community Goals and Business

(01:32) Importance of Internal Employee Connection

(02:43) Understanding Internal Sentiment

(03:21) Building Scalable Engagement

(04:31) Ensuring Safe and Inclusive Spaces

(08:50) Collaborating with Various Teams

(19:03) Reporting Community Wins and ROI

(21:23) Final Thoughts and Recommendations

#communityROI #communitybuilding #businessgrowth