If you’re here, then you probably know how impactful building an online community can be. Now more than ever, creators are using software platforms to build websites to house their growing member base.

But when you’re ready to take your brand to the next level, it can be hard to know what moves to make. If you’re looking for ideas on how you can, we believe a great way to further grow your brand is to build your own community app.

Ahead, we’ll explore why online communities are so powerful, and how a community app builder can bring your brand to the next level.

Why are online communities so powerful?

Online communities are powerful because they bring together a group of like-minded people around a common goal or idea no matter where they are in the world.

When you build a community around your brand, you’re cultivating a group of people who will vouch for the quality of your product. You can’t underestimate how powerful it is to hear how great your brand is from people who’ve actually used it. It’s one thing to hear that a brand is great from the brand itself. It’s another to hear good things from someone that is actively involved in your brand ecosystem.

If you build a community app for your brand, it will provide your members with a place to commune together, share their perspectives, and support each other. That’s incredibly powerful.

All of that sounds good, right? If it’s still unclear why you should create a community app, let’s unpack how an app can bring your brand to new heights.

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What exactly is a community app and why is it so important?

We won’t overcomplicate things here. A community app is exactly what it sounds like: A mobile app that your community can access on their phones and tablets.

When you build a community app, it will exist in the App Store and Google Play store among the big dogs like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. And on top of that, it will have your own personal branding.

That means, when members download your app, it will appear on their phones with your logo and aesthetic just like any other app!

Now, you might be saying, “Yeah that’s cool and all. But how does it help my brand?” We get it, it might not be immediately apparent why you should build a community app. But think of it this way: When you create a community app for your members, you’re building a place for them to convene and interact without any distractions.

Many creators know the struggles of trying to keep the attention of their members when they build their community on a platform like Facebook. But when you create a community app, you’re essentially building your own Facebook for your brand and followers. Members will have fewer distractions, and you’ll have more control over how you build your community.

Now that we’ve unpacked what a community app is and why they are important, we’ll move on to looking at what exactly you can do with a community app builder.

Why should you use a community app builder?

When you choose to build a community app on a software platform, you’re able to skip a lot of the usual headaches in the process.

One of the main reasons that creators hesitate to build a community app is that app development is really expensive and time-consuming. Most companies that invest in designing their own app are looking at over $200,000 in costs and a 6-12 month lead time. That’s…a lot of time to be twiddling your fingers in anticipation if you ask us!

Online community platforms have done the hard app development work for you already. That means you can focus on what matters: Your content and your members.

If you’re thinking, “Okay that sounds good, but what kinds of benefits will I get from using one of these platforms to build a community app?”

Well, then you might be a mind reader…Okay, maybe we’re getting ahead of ourselves. But, ahead, we’re going to explore what kinds of benefits there are to using a community app builder.

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Benefits of using a community app builder

There are plenty of benefits to using a community app builder to grow your brand. We’ve narrowed down a few different avenues that we believe will be greatly impactful for you and your community.

More customization, more control

We are big believers that you should have a robust and powerful set of tools to build your online community. When you choose an online community platform to build your community app, you and your members will have access to these features no matter where they are.

Having access to more customization tools also provides you with more control over your brand and community space. If you choose to build a community on a platform like Facebook, for example, then your growth is impacted by the choices Facebook makes.

But by creating a community app for yourself, you can control the types of features that are released, your member’s privacy settings, and much more. You also get a lot of room to experiment: One of the best ways to keep your members engaged is trying out new content types from time to time.

This means that you can tap into all the different interests of your community by trying different forms of content. If you’re interested in what kinds of content you might try, here are a few ideas:

Discussion board posts.

Polls and Q&As.

Live & Recorded videos.

Paid content.

Online courses.

There’s a range of possibilities for diversifying your content out there, and best of all, it can be really fun to try new things. Most importantly, these are all features that are accessible through web and mobile.

Your own social network

When you’re choosing a community app builder to house your members, you’re creating your own social network.

Remember what we said earlier? An online community is a group of like-minded people brought together around a big purpose. That means each time a new member joins your community, they’re adding additional value to the network of people you’re cultivating.

A branded community app will also give your members the most seamless experience for interacting with your content. The more clicks that it takes to get to your community, the more likely it is that people will end up going somewhere else.

The network that you’re building when you choose a community app builder also has a less obvious advantage too. For example, as your community grows your members will start fueling interactions between each other. They will ask questions on discussion boards, respond to each other in comments, and share their experiences with the community.

This will mean less pressure on you to start every interaction.

As long as you’ve chosen a community platform that gives you the features above, your members will have plenty of ways to continue the conversation when you’re not around. That is incredibly valuable.

You gain legitimacy when your brand is on every platform

Do you know what is a sure-fire way to grow your brand? Getting your brand in front of as many eyes as possible. It shouldn’t matter if your potential members are browsing the web at home, swiping away on the subway, or lounging outside with their tablet.

When they can access your community anywhere, they are more likely to opt-in and stick around. This also is important because the more places your app is it’s not only more legitimate, it’s also more accessible.

Not everyone has a computer, many people use phones and tablets as their main way to interact with online communities. When you build a community app you’re making it easier for these people to join your brand ecosystem. Plus,you’re able to provide a unified vision and experience for what your brand is all about.

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Mighty Pro is the best place to build a community app

We believe that the best way to grow your community is to choose a platform with powerful community building tools.

Mighty Networks is a leader in the world of online community building and has numerous tools for you to experiment with to create a thriving community, offer paid memberships, and design online courses. You also get a powerful website builder that gives you the tools you need to deliver your awesome content.

When you choose our premium service, Mighty Pro, you’re building a brand that’s always with your people. With Mighty Pro, you get all of the features offered with Mighty Networks in addition to a white-label branded app. That means, your app has your brand icon, you can deliver branded push notifications, events, and more. Best of all, you can launch your community app in as little as 3 weeks!

When you choose Mighty Network Pro, you’ll be able to offer all of these pieces together under your own brand, instantly available on web, iOS, and Android. Don’t underestimate the power of your members being able to access your brand wherever they are.

We’ve made it to the end of the article, so that means it’s time to get started building the community app for the brand you’ve been dreaming about.