You Can’t Sell Community. But You Can Build It.

It just, well, happened.

Week after week.

Groups of fascinating people from all over the world put that world to rights over long lazy post-surf breakfasts, day after day.

Our original breakfast table in our tropical Keralan garden witnessed conversations, plans, opinions and concepts that the TED talks and Do Lectures would be jealous of.

And therefore bonds were formed between those breakfast table groups, relationships forged and inspiration shared. Communities were created. Short-term and evolving, but communities all the same.

The magic people took home with them was not so much related to the stuff they had paid for: the surf, the yoga, the food, the rooms, the location. It was instead to do with the community they were a part of for their stay. Where that took them, how it affected them, how it changed them.

And this was before companies were all told to create a community. These were IRL. Real people, sitting round a table, sharing experiences, talking about art/ life/love/business/humanity/growth/community.

We knew it was special, it was special for us, for our team and for our guests that became our friends. But we didn’t want to talk about it, to promise it, in case it didn’t happen. It’s not something you can guarantee is it? Some weeks the chemistry just doesn’t flow. So we just continued to talk about and focus on the ‘ingredients’ that bring these communities together. The things we actually charge for. Yoga, surf, massage, rooms, food, etc.

We knew that you can’t actually sell ‘community’ just like you can’t sell inspiration or transformation. Or rather you shouldn’t try to sell or commodify those things. It just ain’t right.

But after years and years, over multiple locations with different teams, different rooms, different waves, different sunsets, different teachers and different ingredients, the fact that more often than not these magic little temporary communities keep on popping up, and keep on being the magic that people take home with them has made us a little more bold in talking about it. Not quite promising it, definitely not selling it. But at the very least, mentioning how special our little Soul & Surf communities are.

Because these temporary communities, of guests and staff, are the lifeblood of Soul & Surf and they don’t just happen by themselves. We can’t make it happen, but we have worked out the ingredients to nurture it.

How to Build a Community

It’s 2021. If you sell stuff you have to have a community, don’t you? If you have a product you have to sell it to your community. Even if your product is a laxative you’re supposed to build a community around it. That’s what marketing is all about. Bowels not loose enough? Meet like-minded people online and chat about it.

OK, so not every brand or product should build communities, but it is important for those of us who provide products or services that bring like-minded people together.

So, how do you build a community? Well you could follow these 10 simple steps…

1. Identify key stakeholders for the community.
2. Define the purpose and goal.
3. Select a community platform.
4. Build a member profile.
5. Develop rules and norms.
6. Set up your community.
7. Identify key stakeholders for the community.
8. Promote your community.
9. Yada yada
10. Yada…

Yawn.