Things We Talk About In This Episode:
Recognising the power of what’s possible when people come together with a common goal
The value of creating your own, distraction-free destination for group learning and support
Empowering creators to place higher value on the important business, community and content they are making - rather than being driven solely by the pursuit of money and influence
The importance of community, particularly when we are forging new paths (or making things up as we go along). Gina says, “the single best place to make things up as you go along is in a small, trusted community of people who are there on the same journey”
The important difference between “community” as opposed to audience, following or marketplace
The great value of having diversity within a likeminded group is in the different and interesting ways that community members apply the common concepts
The “fluff paradox” (the theory that content that is easy to judge - such as kittens or outrage - rises to the surface)
How content and course creators can now market themselves less on formal qualifications or years of experience, and more on how they make ideas and skills accessible to people who can’t yet do the thing we’re teaching
That networking is increasingly moving towards safe, trusted, creator-led online communities, which in turn is transforming in-person conferences and events less into “networking meet-ups” and more into reunions, with the capacity for deeper connections
How I use Mighty Networks to create community and support the members of my own 15 Minute Magic program
Pricing your services and wares, and in particular understanding that people value and pay attention to the things they pay for (a difficult concept to remember when our own self-doubt tells us to keep our prices low or give things away for free)
Gina’s top tips for building and facilitating a new community: 1. Fear of failure is the biggest challenge most people face, something we all need to recognise and overcome2. Go for quality rather than quantity in numbers of members3. Don’t get bogged down creating content: focus on creating results for your community4. Remember that community is about all members adding value to one another, not you preaching to an audience (“I’m not a sage on the stage, I’m on the side as a guide”)
Links mentioned in this episode:
Find Gina in the Mighty Network hosts community
Follow her on Twitter at @ginab
The Mighty Networks platform
Information on my 15 Minute Magic program
Where to find Sara:
Sara’s website: meandorla.co.uk
Sara on Instagram: @me_and_orla
Sara on Twitter: @meandorla
The magic found in true community, with Gina Bianchini