This week, I’m proud to share with you a community that is best-in-class in almost everything they do. I’ve been monitoring the growth of the Fitbit Community (US) over the last few years. Believe me when I tell you they are setting the standard when it comes to an outstanding brand community today.
What I love:
This is so much more than a Customer Service/Support community. Sure, at first glance, you might think this is purely a community where I come to ask a question about my Fitbit device. As you scroll down though, you’ll see there are opportunities make feature suggestions, participate in challenges, and connect with other members around lifestyle questions, such as managing weight and sleeping well.
The Community Council. This group of volunteers has agreed to contribute to and moderate the community in exchange for some incredible benefits from the company. One of those benefits is a free Premium membership, valued at $79.99! I also appreciate that when a member is no longer able to stay on the Council, they are still recognized on this page as Council Alumni.
Optimized for referral traffic. I’ve said it before in this All-Things-Community series: The single biggest driver of traffic to your community is a usually a link in the header of your corporate website. The next-biggest-driver? A link in the drop-down from the header. Kudos to Fitbit for doing this, and I hope it’s bringing a lot of traffic!
My wish list:
Make the Release Notes more visible from the home page. Today, this section sits inside the Community Basics category. Typically, the Release Notes gain a high number of views and engagement as people want to ask clarifying questions about updates. Fitbit users might want to see that section more prominent. (But it really depends on what their analytics say.)
Add board descriptions on the board page. Board descriptions are usually 1-3 lines that describe what types of conversations can be found on that board. It’s also a message to members to help them filter out where they should be posting. For example, if I have a question about how my device is working with the iPhone app, do I post the question in the device’s board or the iOS app board? Board descriptions would help to clarify this.
What do YOU think of the Fitbit Community?
Fitbit is an admirable community. I particularly like the ideas section and their add-on coaching services that no doubt help them to monetize the platform, not to mention their ability to deflect tickets by peer support.