How to Start an Online Community for Your User Group

Online communities for user groups are a great way to keep users engaged all year round. But what features do you actually need, and what strategies should you adopt to ensure your user group community fosters engagement?

If your software company has a user group or plans to start one, a key consideration is how members will connect. User groups are no longer tied to geography, and you can expand their impact by giving users a digital space to engage with each other and your company whenever it suits them.

Think of a user group community as your digital home base. While you may still host in-person or virtual meetings, the community serves as a hub where users can keep the conversation going. With features like networking, Q&A, discussion threads, and a resource library, your community platform does the heavy lifting to keep users connected.

This digital space lets your users continue brainstorming, discussing ideas from meetings, sharing best practices, and building personal connections. It extends your user group’s influence beyond just one event, helping users continue valuable conversations and giving your company better insight into their needs and feedback.

Now, let’s explore the key features your online community platform needs to help your user group thrive.

8 Features Necessary for a Successful User Group Community

Whether you’re launching a new user group or transitioning an existing one to an online community, certain features are essential to building an engaging and valuable experience. These eight components will help set your user group community up for success.

1. Discussion Areas

A strong discussion area is non-negotiable for any user group community. One of the key advantages of having a user group is that your customers can learn from each other. Make it easy for them to connect, ask questions, and share knowledge by providing simple, accessible discussion threads.

2. Sub-groups

If your user group includes committees, boards, or product-specific segments, private sub-groups are a must. As your community grows, segmenting users by role, product usage, or interest can help drive engagement. A sophisticated community platform will let you create personalized experiences, so users see relevant discussions, events, and resources tailored to them when they log in.

3. Event Management

Use in-community events to support users and increase engagement. For example, create a community webinar program covering product roadmaps, expert interviews, Ask Me Anything-style sessions, and new product launches. With an online community, you can automate the registration and follow-up process. Once the webinar ended, create even more opportunities for engagement by turning webinars into digestible videos, discussion threads, product Q&As, and product blogs. Having an event management tool within the community makes it easier to host these.

Webinar topic ideas:

• User panel sharing best practices
• Company roadmap updates
• Partner presentation on services or products
• In-depth “how-to” product session

4.  Event Communities

Whether you’re hosting virtual or in-person events, an event community ensures discussions don’t end when the session does. After a Zoom meeting or conference, users can keep talking, share notes from missed sessions, and stay connected with the people they met. It extends the value of your event long after it’s over.

5. Polls

User feedback is essential, and polls are an easy way to gather it. Regularly ask for input on product updates, feature ideas, and upcoming releases. Users will appreciate having a voice, and your company will benefit from direct market insight.

6. Libraries

A well-organized file library is a valuable resource for any user group. It’s not just a place for your company to share documents; it’s also a hub for members to exchange templates, best practices, and other resources.

7. Blogs

Give your users a platform to share their experiences and insights through blogs. While blog posts might not drive tons of direct engagement, they’re a valuable way for members to document best practices, lessons learned, and personal success stories that others can benefit from.

8. Ideation

Your community is a direct line to user feedback. Provide a space for members to suggest new features, products, or services. This makes it easy for your company to gather and prioritize ideas, while users feel empowered knowing their input matters.

Once you’ve chosen the right online community platform for your user group, the next step is developing a strategy to keep users engaged and active.

5 Tips for Building a Stronger User Group Community

When building a new user group community, starting with a clear strategy is key. Here are five practical tips to help your user group thrive.

1. Find Customers to Help You Lead

A user group helps you create a partnership culture with your customers. Find a few key customers to help you start this process. Identify your most enthusiastic users and ask these customers to contribute to key community tasks. Officially, these kinds of programs are called super user programs. For example, your community super users could lead an online product advisory group, contribute a blog article a few times a year, head up a conference track, or commit to a 30-minute phone call with other leaders once a week.

2. Invite Engagement on Both Strategic and Tactical Levels

Different users will engage in different ways. Some will want tactical help—like troubleshooting or how-to advice—while others may seek more strategic conversations, such as discussing industry trends or their use cases. Make sure your community offers opportunities for both types of engagement, creating a well-rounded space that meets a variety of needs.

3. Involve Your Executives

Involving company executives with your user group leadership shows that the partnership is a priority. While executive involvement doesn’t need to be constant, having a dedicated space for them to casually engage with top users can be invaluable. It fosters a healthy, collaborative relationship between the company and its customers and demonstrates that you’re invested in the community.

4. Listen and Take Action

Make it clear that you’re listening to your users. Acknowledge their contributions—whether they’re providing feedback, helping other users, or validating product ideas. Act on their input when possible, whether that means implementing quick wins or involving key users in your product management process as beta testers. This shows users that their voices matter.

5. Focus on Your Users

Your user group shouldn’t feel like just another marketing channel. Make sure it’s clear that the group is for them, not for pushing your company’s agenda. The most successful communities put users in the driver’s seat, where their needs guide the conversation. While your company will benefit from the group, the focus should always be on providing value to your users.