Digital community: what it is, benefits and how to create one

Have you noticed how some people don’t just want to follow content, but also want to talk about it, share experiences and meet others going through similar situations? That’s where many digital communities come from.

More than a place to publish content, an online community brings people together around shared interests, goals or experiences. And when that exchange is well built, it can generate learning, relationships, a sense of belonging and even new business opportunities.

In this article, you’ll learn what a digital community is, how it works, its main types and benefits, plus a step-by-step guide to creating a digital community and making it a relevant part of your strategy.

What is a digital community and how does it work?

A digital community is a group of people who connect and interact in an online environment based on shared interests, goals, experiences or values. It can exist around a topic, profession, brand, product, creator, course or hobby.

But a digital community isn’t just about gathering people in a group. Interaction between members is one of the main characteristics that set a community apart from an audience.

While an audience tends to consume content produced by a person or brand, in a community the participants themselves ask questions, share experiences, help each other and build connections.

This dynamic can happen through:

• Discussions and forums
• Exclusive content
• Live streams and online meetups
• Challenges and activities
• Classes and Q&A sessions
• Spontaneous exchanges between members

That’s why an online community can take on different formats, from a professional forum to an exclusive area for students, a customer community or a space for a creator’s subscribers.

What are the types of digital community?

The types of digital community vary widely and are mainly defined by why people come together. There’s no single or official classification, but some models come up often:

Examples of types of digital community:

• Learning communities: bring together people interested in studying, practicing and sharing knowledge about a specific topic.
• Professional communities: connect professionals for networking, opportunities, discussions and career development.
• Brand communities: bring together people who identify with a brand, its products or the world it operates in.
• Creator/expert communities: connect followers with a digital creator or expert, and with each other.
• Customer/user communities: help users ask questions, share experiences and get more out of products or services.
• Interest/hobby communities: bring together people passionate about specific subjects, such as gaming, books, photography or cooking.
• Support communities: offer a space for questions, guidance and sharing experiences related to a specific problem.

The same community can even fit into more than one category. A community created by an expert, for example, can be both a learning community and a networking community.

What is the difference between a digital community and a social network?

A social network is a platform that can be used to publish content, reach people and interact with an audience. A digital community, on the other hand, is made up of the relationships and interactions built between people who share an interest or goal.

That’s why having followers on a social network doesn’t necessarily mean having a community. A brand or creator can have thousands of followers who only consume their content, while a smaller community can show frequent participation, exchange between members and a strong sense of belonging.

Social networks and messaging apps can be used to host communities, but there are also community platforms with specific features to organize content, manage members, create discussions, charge for access and offer exclusive experiences.

Can a digital community be free, or is it always paid?

A digital community can be free or paid, depending on its goal and value proposition. There are open communities, which anyone can join, and others where access depends on a payment, a subscription or the purchase of another product.

In paid communities, the value may lie in access to exclusive content, closeness to experts, networking, support, meetups or experiences available only to members.

There are also hybrid models, in which part of the community is free and additional features or experiences are offered to paying members.

On Hotmart, for example, you can work with open communities, communities tied to other products or paid communities, including one-time or recurring payment models.

What are the benefits of a digital community?

The benefits of a digital community depend on the goal and model you choose, but they can range from relationships and learning to loyalty and revenue generation.

It’s precisely this combination that makes communities so interesting. The value isn’t only in what the admin delivers, but also in what happens between people.

And the clearer the reason for someone to stay, the greater the chance the community stops being just another open tab on their phone and becomes part of participants’ routine.

Examples of digital communities

There are digital communities for different goals and audiences. Some examples include:

• Student community: keeps the exchange of knowledge and experiences going beyond the lessons;
• Professional community: brings together people from a field for networking, opportunities and growth;
• Customer community: connects users of a brand or product to share experiences and answer questions;
• Creator community: gathers followers interested in content, experiences and closer contact with the creator;
• Subscription community: offers ongoing benefits in exchange for recurring payments, much like other subscription products;
• Interest community: connects people around topics like books, photography, gaming, cooking or sports.

These communities can run on social networks, messaging apps, forums or platforms built specifically for community management. What matters most is having a clear reason for people to join, participate and stay.

Digital vs. in-person community: what is the difference?

The main difference between digital and in-person communities lies in the environment where interactions take place, and each model has its own characteristics.

But you don’t have to choose one or the other.

A community can be mostly digital and hold in-person meetups from time to time. Likewise, a group that meets in person can use online tools to keep the conversation going between meetings.

In the end, the best format is the one that makes sense for the goal and for the people taking part.

How to create a digital community

Creating a digital community goes far beyond opening a group and inviting a few people. For it to really work, you need to think about why someone would join, why they would keep participating and what would make them want to interact.

A good starting point is to organize the process into eight steps:

1. Define the community’s goal.
2. Define your audience.
3. Create a value proposition.
4. Choose the platform.
5. Set rules and organize the space.
6. Create a content and activity calendar.
7. Encourage participation and exchange.
8. Track results and evolve.

Now, let’s look at what each of them involves.

1. Define the community’s goal

Before thinking about the platform, name or visual identity, answer this: why does this community need to exist?

Its goal could be to promote learning, networking, support, sharing experiences, relationships with a brand, access to an expert or exclusive content, for example.

The clearer that goal is, the easier the next decisions will be.

2. Define your audience

A community doesn’t need to be for everyone. In fact, trying to please everyone can make it harder to build its own identity — many successful communities are built around a well-defined micro niche.

Think about who you want to bring together and, above all, what those people have in common. What are their interests? What challenges do they face? What could they learn or build together?

These answers help define the tone, content, rules and even the most suitable platform.

3. Create a value proposition for the community

Now comes an essential question: why would someone join, and stay in, this community?

It could be for access to exclusive content, the chance to talk to an expert, networking, support, experiences or simply the chance to meet people going through something similar.

If the community is paid, this question becomes even more important. People need to see enough value to justify the investment and, in the case of a subscription, to keep paying over time.

4. Choose the platform to create your community

The best platform for creating a digital community depends on your audience, goal and access model. A small, free community may have different needs than a paid community with thousands of members.

When choosing, evaluate features such as:

• Member management;
• Content organization;
• Channels and discussion spaces;
• Moderation;
• Live streams and other content formats;
• Notifications and communication;
• Payments and subscriptions;
• Integration with other products;
• Ability to keep up with the community’s growth.

It’s also worth thinking ahead. A solution that works for 30 people may not work the same way when the community reaches 3,000 members.

5. Set rules and organize the community

Nobody likes joining a space and not knowing how it works.

That’s why you should set community guidelines, allowed topics, moderation criteria and behavior expectations. If there are different channels or areas, organize them intuitively.

The idea isn’t to make the community bureaucratic, but to create an environment where people know what to expect and feel comfortable participating.

6. Create a content and activity calendar

A schedule helps keep the community from going quiet.

You can create exclusive content, discussions, questions of the week, challenges, live streams, meetups, classes or Q&A sessions.

But keep in mind: a calendar doesn’t mean turning the community into a bulletin board where only the admin speaks. The schedule should make room for members to participate and lead part of the conversations.

7. Encourage participation and value exchange

A community needs people participating. It sounds obvious, but it’s easy to fall into the trap of posting content and waiting for the conversation to happen on its own.

Ask questions. Ask for opinions. Encourage members to share their experiences. Connect people who can help each other. Recognize valuable contributions.

And listen. A community is also a valuable source of learning for whoever runs it. Questions, suggestions and conversations show what’s working and what can be improved.

8. Track results and evolve the community

Once the community is up and running, the work continues.

Watch metrics such as participation, engagement, retention and feedback. What do people consume the most? Which discussions generate the most exchange? When does participation drop? Why do some people stop participating?

These answers help you adjust content, activities, benefits and the very dynamics of the space.

A healthy community doesn’t have to stay the same forever. It can and should evolve as its members and goals change.

How to keep a digital community engaged

Creating a community is just the beginning. For people to keep participating, they need to see value in staying.

As the community grows, it may also make sense to have someone in charge of management and moderation. This role is often called a community manager and involves activities such as sparking conversations, organizing initiatives, tracking feedback and helping maintain a healthy environment.

Some practices help with this:

• Keep a consistent interaction frequency;
• Create truly relevant content and activities;
• Ask questions that invite answers;
• Encourage conversations between members;
• Answer questions and pay attention to feedback;
• Recognize participants who contribute to the community;
• Create recurring rituals or meetups;
• Avoid turning every interaction into a sales opportunity;
• Adapt the community as it grows.

A small community where members truly talk, learn and find value can be much healthier than a huge group full of messages nobody reads.

How to create digital communities for brands

Digital communities for brands are spaces created to bring together people who have some connection to or interest in the brand, its products or the world it operates in.

More than opening another channel to promote offers, a brand can use a community to listen to its customers, understand their needs, get feedback, encourage exchange between users and strengthen relationships — which fits naturally into a broader marketing strategy to attract customers.

Imagine a running gear brand creating a space where customers share workouts, ask questions, swap experiences and receive running content. The company is present, but it doesn’t need to turn every conversation into an ad.

This point is key: a brand community needs to offer participants value beyond the brand itself.

When there’s a good reason for people to be there, the community can become a source of relationships, insights and loyalty, and not just another communication channel.

How to make money with a digital community

Not every community needs to be paid. Some are created for free to strengthen relationships and grow an audience, while others can be a direct part of the business model — especially for those who create and sell digital products online.

Monetization options include:

• Recurring subscription: members pay periodically for access to the community and its benefits.
• Premium community: paid access to content, experiences, networking or closeness to experts.
• Access tied to courses or mentoring: the community can be part of the experience for people who buy another product.
• Complementary products: the community can showcase courses, ebooks, tools and other related products.
• Events and experiences: meetups, workshops and exclusive experiences can create new revenue streams.
• Services: consulting, mentoring and other services can be offered based on the relationship you’ve built.
• Other products: depending on the audience, the community can work as part of a product ladder.

In a paid community, however, there’s one simple rule: the value has to keep existing after the purchase.

This is especially important for subscriptions. If members pay every month, they need to find reasons to stay every month too.

How to create a digital community on Hotmart

Yes, you can create and monetize a digital community on Hotmart. The platform lets you work with open communities, communities tied to other products or paid communities, with one-time or recurring payment models.

Besides publishing content, creators can organize interaction spaces and integrate the community with other products in the Hotmart ecosystem, such as online courses. This makes it possible to centralize content, members and monetization in a single structure.

To create a community on Hotmart:

1. Create a Hotmart account;
2. Create or set up the product in the Community format;
3. Organize the content and interaction spaces;
4. Define the access model;
5. Set up billing, if the community is paid;
6. Publish and promote the community to your audience.

For those who plan to monetize their community, this integration makes management easier by reducing the need to use one tool for content, another for billing and yet another to manage related products.

Learn more about Hotmart Communities

Ready to create your digital community?

As we’ve seen, a digital community is much more than a group of people gathered on a platform. It’s born from a shared interest, goal or experience and grows stronger when there’s exchange between participants.

We’ve also seen that there are different types of community (learning, professional, brand, creator, customer and many others) and different ways to build value from them. Some are free; others run on subscriptions or are part of the experience of another product.

In the end, the most important question isn’t just “where will I create my community?”, but “why will people want to be part of it?”.

If you already have an audience, knowledge or business and see an opportunity to bring people together around something they value, maybe it’s time to turn that idea into a community.

Create your digital community on Hotmart

FAQ: digital community

Still have questions? Below, we answer some of the most frequently asked questions about digital communities. Take a look!