It’s easy to get caught up in all of the hundreds of tactics that could be used to cultivate your community. (Sign up here to get the forthcoming e-Book on this topic).

Still, the more that I study it and do it, the more I am coming to the conclusion that, from a strategic perspective, there are really only two things you want to do.

1. Offer value in a “hub and spoke” model.
2. Be The Connector

Hub and Spoke

The term “add value” is so overused it makes me sick, but we all know what it means.  Job #1 is give your audience a reason to care about you. Share something fun, interesting, insightful. It’s not about you, it’s about them. The information you share is what makes you stand out in the attention economy.

Be The Connector

When all is said and done, people like to hang out with other people like themselves. I’m told i’s called “homophily” (for you Greek speakers out there).

Like-minded individuals who share our passion…we will spend time with them over others any day of the week.

And guess what?

Sitting as you are in the hub of these spokes, you know a LOT of people who are like each other and share a common passion with each other.

Your job…figure out a way to effectively and relevantly introduce them to each other.

The value? Best expressed in Reed’s Law.

The more that you connect the nodes of your network with each other, the more valuable the entire network becomes.