Fueling Growth Through Community and Advocacy: Strategies for Top-of-Funnel Success

In an engaging session, DeMario Bell, Senior Community Manager at CultureAmp, shared how the Culture First community became a driving force behind CultureAmp’s marketing success. From grassroots advocacy to scaling operations that impact retention and expansion, DeMario demonstrated how strategic community-building can power top-of-funnel success and beyond.

Here’s a deep dive into the session, including practical strategies and the role of communities in fueling business growth.

The Foundation of the Culture First Community

CultureAmp’s Culture First community is an ecosystem of over 100,000 HR professionals, change agents, and leaders focused on building better workplaces. It operates across multiple channels, including:

• Global Flagship Events: Virtual and in-person gatherings with over 30,000 attendees.
• Culture First Chapters: Local groups in 83 cities worldwide, hosting more than 960 events annually.
• Digital Channels: A Slack community with 43,000 members, social media platforms, and thought leadership content.
• Meetups and Advocacy Programs: Focused on niche topics and customer success stories.

This multi-faceted approach ensures that HR professionals—whether prospects or customers—can engage meaningfully with the Culture First community, no matter their location or level of commitment.

Community as a Strategic Growth Lever

CultureAmp’s community strategy focuses on reducing acquisition costs, driving advocacy, and fostering engagement. When DeMario joined the team, he noticed a lack of metrics to measure success. Over time, his team implemented KPIs that demonstrated the community’s business value, resulting in recognition as a Best Growth Marketing Community winner.

How Culture First Drives Business Impact

1. Lowering Acquisition Costs: Prospects hesitant to purchase are invited to join the community, offering a no-pressure way to engage. Over time, this familiarity builds trust and often converts them into customers.
2. Generating Pipeline: Through community-driven engagement, the team contributed over $2.7M in pipeline and $500K in won revenue in 2023 alone.
3. Driving Organic Growth: Culture First grew from 18,000 to 43,000 members in two years, with engagement rates skyrocketing from 2% to 28%. This growth was achieved by consistently delivering value and encouraging members to share the community organically.

Key Strategies for Scaling a Thriving Community

1. Aligning Community with Marketing Goals

CultureAmp’s community strategy supports their broader marketing pillars, including establishing themselves as a thought leader and maximizing customer love. To align community efforts with these goals, DeMario emphasized three focus areas:

• Operating as One Team: Breaking down silos between community, customer marketing, and advocacy teams to maximize collaboration.
• Thriving Engagement: Boosting participation through events, digital platforms, and meaningful interactions.
• Thought Leadership: Leveraging organizational psychologists and researchers to enhance the value of community content.

2. Transitioning from One-to-Many to Many-to-Many Models

CultureAmp shifted from traditional marketing methods to empowering advocates to evangelize for their brand. By identifying superusers—passionate community members—they scaled efforts like webinars, blog posts, and user-generated content.

3. Integrating Community Touchpoints Across the Customer Journey

The community team redefined its role in the customer lifecycle, extending from pre-sale interactions to onboarding, retention, and expansion. For example:

• Pre-Sale: Prospects are invited to join Slack groups and attend local chapters, nurturing them until they’re ready to buy.
• Onboarding: New customers are connected with peers for best practices, fostering immediate engagement.
• Retention & Advocacy: Long-term members are encouraged to share their experiences in the form of G2 reviews, referrals, and conference presentations.

Collaborating Across Teams for Deeper Impact

To create a seamless experience, CultureAmp launched a “Customer Love Crew,” integrating efforts across customer marketing, advocacy, and community teams. This initiative improved coordination, reduced redundancy, and unlocked deeper insights from members.

Key initiatives include:

• Customer Love Celebrations: Marking milestones like 5- or 10-year anniversaries with personalized gestures.
• Exclusive Experiences: Offering VIP customers access to senior leadership and exclusive events.
• Quarterly Calls to Action: Inviting members to take specific actions, such as writing reviews, joining the advisory board, or providing referrals.

Lessons for Building a Successful Community

DeMario shared several takeaways for organizations looking to replicate CultureAmp’s success:

1. Drive Value First

Value drives organic growth. Whether through events, research, or peer-to-peer learning opportunities, the Culture First team prioritized meaningful engagement over self-promotion.

2. Adopt Strategic Integration

Breaking down silos between marketing and community efforts ensures that all teams contribute to shared goals like pipeline generation, retention, and advocacy.

3. Measure Business Impact

DeMario’s team implemented a detailed attribution model using tools like HubSpot and Salesforce. This helped demonstrate the community’s direct contribution to business outcomes, including pipeline and revenue growth.

4. Engage Beyond Customers

CultureAmp’s open community model includes non-customers, positioning them as a go-to thought leader in HR. This strategy builds trust with prospects and creates opportunities for future growth.

5. Empower Your Team

CultureAmp strategically delegated relationships to regional teams, fostering global alignment while scaling engagement.

The Power of Community in B2B Marketing

DeMario ended with a powerful reminder:

“Community is the ultimate lever to engage customers. Don’t wait until they’re customers—start engaging them the moment they interact with your brand.”

By focusing on value, collaboration, and measurable outcomes, CultureAmp’s Culture First community demonstrates how B2B organizations can fuel growth through authentic, impactful engagement.