Anyone else tired of playing the social media game? Lately, I've felt overwhelmed with platforms, content, and the rat race to produce more and be seen more — which in the end seems to be leading to more and more virtue signaling. like New York Times recently stated, “Social media is, in many ways, becoming less social.”

As an entrepreneur, agency owner, and market expert in SaaS and Fintech, I have a lot to say and a lot of experience to share, but lately, no matter where I go, I feel like the loudest voice wins. More controversial. More exciting. Regardless of its compatibility with the platform.

This is hard to ignore or compete with when you're trying to build a brand and generate leads. Being seen is important. But I would argue that the upward trend for community it's a clarion call that people want to do business differently. Many of us are tired of the noise and the lack of connection and authenticity. There should be an option where we can find the link and share resources we want. Join the community.

Before we started down the community path, we talked to dozens of individuals in our target audience (founders, revenue leaders) about how they felt about communities—what they loved about them and what they hated about them.

Connected: 6 Benefits of having a community when building a business

Emerging leaders are eager for more support

While social media gives us a sense of being more connected and aware, the reality we saw emerge from our research was that emerging leaders feel more isolated than ever. And with budgets being cut left, right and centre, there is little internal business support for skills development, mentoring or peer feedback and guidance.

Many have hit a wall in their careers and the normal playbooks they used are no longer working in a post-pandemic world; they are desperate for new ideas and ways of working to solve their challenges.

Because of this, we are seeing an increase in personal branding posts, with many people believing that repeating the same thought leadership tropes and formats that will be seen and govern their current career state. That, coupled with the increasing use of AI to create their content, and you're in for a buzzing feed.

This is probably why it was important to them that communities feel personal. They wanted to make connections that were valuable to him Theirs future, not only of their company. As one interviewee told us, “You need communities to bounce ideas off of so you don't feel alone. Also open and honest conversations about what works, what doesn't. It's like therapy! I've created so many connections, including friends and that's how I got my new job.”

Why CEOs need community too

If it's lonely in the middle, it's positively desolate on top. Most of those we spoke to wanted more community in their professional lives, but were dissatisfied with what was offered. Executives were burned out from being sold everywhere they went and hearing the same surface-level messages from the same people in every forum. Many focused solely on technology solutions and wanted intelligent, action-driven conversations that helped them move forward and drive growth.

This led to defined differences between what leaders want and need in a community versus emerging leaders. These included clear time commitments, focus, more intimacy and trust. As one CMO said, “I'm busy. I'm tired. I need immediate value, and I need to know what that looks like.”

Another, a former board member at several FTSE 100 companies and now a founder, said: “It's great to be in a community of like-minded people facing similar challenges. A lot of my peers have really high-profile jobs and usually can't talk to anyone. Finding empathy is so important, as is a safe, non-judgmental space that leads with generosity. I'm not interested in BS being shown.”

As Christina Garnett, award-winning community builder, previously told us at HubSpot, “For leaders, a community should provide a sense of exclusivity and trust, prioritizing quality interactions over quantity. This experience should be designed for efficiency , enabling fast and meaningful exchanges among a carefully selected network of peers and leaders focused on sharing valuable knowledge in this environment, respecting leaders' limited time, facilitating genuine connections and strategic discussions that encourage mutual growth and effective collaboration.

Connected: 6 Benefits of membership in a professional community

How to find (or build) a community

As my team has experienced firsthand, this is no simple task – and it's a long-term strategy to drive engagement. And no one needs another disengaged community out there. If you are on the hunt for one the community that givesor feel the call to create one, here are six key factors to consider:

1. Ensure exclusivity and relevance: Communities, especially those for executives, should be exclusive and carefully curated to maintain a membership of peers who share similar levels of experience and challenges. This helps keep discussions relevant and deeply valuable.

2. Premium content and networking opportunities: It is essential that the content and events offered are concise, premium and directly applicable to member needs. Whether through expert-led sessions or workshops that address pressing topics like digital transformation, the goal is to provide strategies that can be implemented immediately. Networkingit should also be facilitated at a high level, with structured events that promote genuine connections (don't forget to add some fun too!).

3. Convenience and accessibility: Given their tight schedules, executives will benefit from a community platform that allows for asynchronous engagement and is optimized for mobile. This enhances the user experience and increases active participation.

4. Strict privacy and security controls: The platform should use the latest encryption (potentially even NDA) to foster a safe space for open and honest discussion.

5. Tailored insights and real-world applications: Each piece of content (eg case studies, success stories) should be designed to deliver tactics or strategies that can be directly applied to business growth and operational efficiency.

6. Feedback and adjustment: Regular feedback should be sought from all members. This will help refine offerings and ensure the community evolves in line with changing member needs and industry trends.

Maintaining rich content, relevant discussions and meaningful connection is the main goal.

Connected: You need a community of shared values ​​to find long-term success – Here's how to cultivate it.

Turn down the volume

This is certainly not a clarion call for every business to start a community tomorrow.

But I think it underscores the need for all of us to edit and curate ourselves better, to create safer experiences, discussions, and spaces for our network to grow and learn. It also highlights the need for us to create more authentic voices instead of competing to shout the loudest. I think we can all benefit from going back to basics and finding a community that works for us. It's time to stop following the algorithm and instead get back to making the real connection.