Why Community-Led Growth is the Future of B2B Marketing

Speak In Flow

Curious about the future of B2B marketing? One spoiler: Communities remain one of its pillars. In this episode, Melinda Lee sits down with Joshua Zerkel, a seasoned community-led growth leader who has helped grow companies like Asana and Evernote, to explore how companies can shift from traditional marketing to creating meaningful, human-centered communities that drive growth. Joshua shares his proven framework for building communities, the transformative impact they can have on businesses, and why listening is the cornerstone of effective leadership.

In This Episode, You Will Learn:

The Power of Community-Led Growth

Traditional marketing methods like ads and billboards are no longer enough to drive growth. Communities create authentic, long-term relationships between brands and their customers, offering a space for real people to share their experiences and advocate for products or services.

The GROWTH Model for Building Communities

Joshua introduces his GROWTH model, a step-by-step framework for building successful communities. This model emphasizes the importance of a thoughtful, iterative approach to community building.

Starting Small, Thinking Big

Joshua advises starting with a manageable community program rather than trying to build everything at once. While it’s important to have a vision for the future, the key is to focus on immediate, actionable steps.

Real-World Impact: The Asana Example

Joshua shares a powerful example from his time at Asana, where he transformed a basic forum into a thriving community ecosystem. By listening to customers and internal stakeholders, he created a program that included online forums, Slack channels, ambassador programs, and events.

Memorable Quotes:

"Community is a force multiplier for traditional marketing efforts. It adds an authentic voice to the mix."

“Start small, but plan for the future. Build your community piece by piece, and let it grow organically.”

“Leadership is about listening. If you don’t listen, you’re just having a conversation with yourself.”

Connect with Joshua Zerkel

LinkedIn Profile: http://linkedin.com/in/joshuazerkel

About the Guest:

Joshua Zerkel is a seasoned community-led growth and engagement leader with over 20 years of experience building thriving communities for startups and global brands like Asana, Evernote, and HeyGen. Known for creating award-winning community programs, Joshua specializes in fostering genuine connections that drive growth and engagement.

Joshua is the author of Evernote @ Work and Integrate: Evernote and has been featured in major publications like The New York Times, Fast Company, and many others.

Fun-facts:

• Joshua once starred in an infomercial.
• He’s a burger enthusiast and keeps lists of the best burgers in every city he visits.
• He only uses one emoji: 🍔

About Melinda:

Melinda Lee is a Presentation Skills Expert, Speaking Coach, and nationally renowned Motivational Speaker. She holds an M.A. in Organizational Psychology, is an Insights Practitioner, and is a Certified Professional in Talent Development as well as Certified in Conflict Resolution. For over a decade, Melinda has researched and studied the state of “flow” and used it as a proven technique to help corporate leaders and business owners amplify their voices, access flow, and present their mission in a more powerful way to achieve results.

She has been the TEDx Berkeley Speaker Coach and has worked with hundreds of executives and teams from Facebook, Google, Microsoft, Caltrans, Bay Area Rapid Transit System, and more. Currently, she lives in San Francisco, California, and is breaking the ancestral lineage of silence.

Website: https://speakinflow.com/

Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/speakinflow

Instagram: https://instagram.com/speakinflow

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mpowerall

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