Turn Your Customers Into Evangelists

By David Ronald

Traditional marketing tactics are losing their edge.

Ads get skipped, emails get ignored, and cold outreach rarely warms up.

So, how can you break through the noise?

Increasingly, the answer lies in community-driven growth, a strategy that transforms customers from passive users into passionate evangelists.

In this blog post I explore how you can increase revenue performance by turning customers into evangelists.

What Is Community-Driven Growth?

Community-driven growth is about much more than setting up a user forum or launching a Slack group.

It’s a deliberate strategy to cultivate spaces where customers can connect, share knowledge, and contribute to the success of a product or brand. It’s built on the idea that people trust people more than they brands.

And when customers feel a sense of ownership, they help you grow.

Look no further than companies like Figma, Notion, or Webflow. These brands built thriving communities of designers, creators, and developers who hosted meetups, shared templates, and organically spread the word.

What was the result? 

Hypergrowth. 

Hypergrowth fueled by advocacy, not by ads. 

Why Community Matters More Than Ever

Community creates authenticity and social proof at scale.

A community creates thousands of these interactions. It’s also a powerful lever for product feedback, customer success, and retention.

According to a study by Nielsen, 92% of consumers trust recommendations from people they know even if they’ve never met them in person.

In B2B environments especially, community-driven growth can shorten sales cycles and increase deal velocity.

When prospects join a user group or attend a customer-led event, they get to “try before they buy”, experiencing not just the product, but the ecosystem around it. 

How to Turn Customers Into Evangelists

The bad news is that turning users into evangelists doesn’t happen by accident. 

The good news is that you can follow the examples set by others.

Here are a few key principles:

1. Start with Listening

Find your most engaged customers and ask them what they want from a community. Their needs should guide the structure (not your roadmap). 

2. Create Connection, Not Just Content

Content is important, but true communities thrive on conversation. Encourage peer-to-peer sharing, celebrate contributions, and make members feel seen. 

3. Empower Your Champions

Identify your power users and give them the tools to lead, whether it’s early access to features, speaking opportunities, or just public recognition. 

4. Align with Product and Support.

Your community should be an extension of your product experience. Involve customer success and support teams to ensure continuity and value. 

5. Invest in Platforms That Scale.

Pick a platform that supports both structured engagement and organic interaction – you can choose Discord, Slack, Circle, or a branded community hub. 

Conclusion

Community-driven growth turns your customer base into a flywheel, when done right.

New customers become contributors, contributors become champions, and champions attract the next wave of buyers.

It’s about creating a brand that customers feel proud to be part of.

Thanks for reading.

Would you like to discuss this blog post? If so my email address is david@alphabetworks.com – I look forward to hearing from you.