1. ./brands/{brand-slug}/brand-context.md

   -- brand identity, audience, USP

2. ./brands/{brand-slug}/product-marketing-context.md

   -- deep positioning, customer language, objections (read if it exists), voice

3. ./brands/{brand-slug}/sostac/03-strategy.md

   -- target segments, positioning, phasing

4. ./brands/{brand-slug}/sostac/04-tactics.md

   -- channel plan, community role, budget, priorities

• Server structure: Welcome channel (read-only, rules + intro), general chat, 3-5 topic channels, voice channels, announcement channel. Start lean -- add channels as demand proves itself.
• Roles: Access tiers (free, premium, contributor, moderator, team). Color-code for hierarchy. Self-assignable interest roles via reaction roles.
• Bots: MEE6 or Carl-bot for moderation and welcome. Dyno for logging. Keep bots minimal -- too many create noise.
• Onboarding: Rules screening before access. Intro channel for new members. Onboarding bot DM with quick-start guide.
• Engagement: Scheduled events, thread-based discussions, Stage channels for presentations, Forum channels for async.

• Structure: #welcome, #introductions, #general, 3-5 topic channels, #resources, #wins. Keep count low -- every unused channel dilutes activity.
• Integrations: Donut (random coffee chats), Polly (polls), Slack Connect for cross-org partnerships.
• Limitations: Free tier limits history. Pro plan costs per user. No built-in gamification. Best for high-intent professional communities.

• Spaces: By topic or tier. Rich text posts, discussions, events, and member directories per space.
• Events: Native hosting with RSVP, reminders, live rooms, and recordings.
• Monetization: Paywalled spaces for premium tiers. Native payment integration.
• Branding: Custom domain, logo, colors. White-label feel.

• Feed: Single feed with categories. Simple, low-friction posting.
• Classroom: Course modules alongside community. Tight learning-to-conversation integration.
• Gamification: Built-in points and leaderboard. Points unlock levels that gate content or spaces.
• Pricing: Flat monthly fee per group. Economical at scale. Limited customization vs Circle.

• Setup: Private group for most brand communities. Membership screening questions. Post approval for new members.
• Features: Units, Guides, Events, Polls, Q&A, Live Video. Use Guides for evergreen content.
• Limitations: No platform ownership, algorithm controls visibility, limited data export, risk of suspension.

• Setup: Clear subreddit name, description, rules, wiki. Post and user flair for organization.
• Moderation: AutoModerator for rule enforcement. 3+ moderators for active subreddits. Transparent moderation.
• Brand rules: Disclose affiliation. Never astroturf. 90/10 rule -- 90% value, 10% brand-relevant. Reddit punishes self-promotion harshly.

For the complete community launch playbook, see

./references/launch-playbook.md

.

1. Define the community's one-line promise: "The place where [audience] gets [specific value]." If you cannot articulate this in one sentence, the community is not ready.
2. Build a waitlist and recruit founding members: Landing page with the community promise and email capture. Personally invite 20-50 engaged people (top customers, social followers, beta users). Founding members set the culture.
3. Seed content and set up infrastructure: Pre-write 10-15 discussion posts, 3-5 resource threads, and a welcome guide. Configure platform, channels, moderation rules, welcome flow, and bots.

• Test all workflows (onboarding, posting, moderation).
• Gather feedback on structure, channels, and content.
• Let founding members build relationships before the crowd arrives.
• Identify and appoint community champions from active founding members.
• Refine the onboarding flow based on real behavior.

• Announce across all channels (email, social, website, product) on the same day.
• Include the community promise, what members get, and a clear join link.
• Launch with an event (AMA, challenge, live session) to create immediate activity.
• Set a 48-hour welcome challenge for new members (introduce yourself, answer a prompt, complete an action) to drive activation.

1. Welcome message (DM or email) within 5 minutes of joining. Include: what to do first, 2-3 channels to visit, how to introduce themselves.
2. Prompt to complete their profile and post an introduction.
3. Day 2: Follow-up with a highlight of recent discussions and an invitation to participate.
4. Day 7: Check-in -- have they posted? If not, send a personal nudge or a low-friction prompt.

• Time-boxed challenges: 5-day, 7-day, or 30-day challenges with daily prompts. Members share progress. Creates accountability and peer connection. Examples: "7-Day Launch Plan Challenge," "30 Days of Content."
• Contests: Photo contests, creation contests, knowledge contests. Clear rules, transparent judging, meaningful prizes (access, recognition, or product -- not generic gift cards).
• Frequency: One challenge per month. One contest per quarter. Too many create fatigue.

• Internal AMAs: Founder, product team, or customer success hosts Q&A. Builds trust and transparency. Monthly cadence.
• External AMAs: Invite industry experts, authors, or complementary brand leaders. Brings fresh perspectives and attracts new members. Quarterly cadence.
• Format: Collect questions in advance (dedicated thread). Live session (30-60 min). Post summary and key takeaways after.

• Member spotlights: Weekly or monthly feature of a standout member. Interview format: who they are, what they do, what they have learned from the community. Share across community and social channels.
• Contributor recognition: Thank top helpers publicly. Leaderboard of most helpful members. Special roles or badges for consistent contributors.
• Milestone celebrations: Celebrate member anniversaries, 100th post, community growth milestones. Automated or manual -- but always public and genuine.

• Opinion prompts: "What's the most overrated [topic] advice you've seen?"
• Experience prompts: "Share your biggest [topic] win this week."
• Advice prompts: "If you could go back and change one thing about [topic], what would it be?"
• Resource prompts: "Drop your favorite tool for [specific task]."
• Debate prompts: "Unpopular opinion time: [take]. Agree or disagree?"

• Behind-the-scenes product updates and roadmap previews
• Early access to features, content, or offers
• Templates, swipe files, and frameworks
• Recordings of community events and workshops
• Expert interviews and deep-dive content

• Show-and-tell threads: Members share their work for feedback.
• Case study requests: "Who wants to be our next community case study?"
• Resource contributions: Members share tools, templates, and processes. Curate into a community resource library.
• Peer teaching: Experienced members lead mini-workshops or write guides.

./references/best-practices.md

• Expected behavior: Be respectful, constructive, on-topic. Give before you ask.
• Prohibited behavior: Spam, self-promotion without permission, harassment, discrimination, doxxing, illegal activity.
• Self-promotion policy: Dedicated channel or thread for sharing your own work. Never in general discussion unless explicitly relevant to the conversation.
• Consequences: Warning > Temporary mute > Temporary ban > Permanent ban. Make the escalation path clear.

• Proactive moderation: Monitor daily. Welcome new members. Redirect off-topic posts. Seed discussion during quiet periods. Shape the culture actively, not just reactively.
• Reactive moderation: Respond to reports within 4 hours. Document every action in a moderation log. Notify the member of the decision and the reason.
• Moderator team: Recruit active members who embody community values. 1 moderator per 200-500 active members. Train moderators on guidelines, tone, and escalation. Weekly moderator sync to discuss issues.

1. Acknowledge both sides privately before acting publicly.
2. De-escalate: Move heated discussions to private channels. Never moderate in the heat of the moment.
3. Apply rules consistently: Do not make exceptions for popular members.
4. Document: Log every conflict and resolution. Patterns reveal systemic issues.
5. Follow up: Check in with both parties after resolution. Ensure the community feels safe.

• Invite incentives: Members who invite others earn perks (exclusive access, points, badges, recognition). Two-sided rewards: the inviter and invitee both benefit.
• Shareable moments: Create content and experiences within the community that members naturally want to share externally. Challenge results, achievements, event highlights.
• Referral tracking: Unique invite links per member. Dashboard showing who invited whom. Monthly recognition of top inviters.

• Public wins: Showcase member success stories on your website, social media, and sales pages. "Our community helped 500 marketers land their first client."
• Testimonial mining: Community conversations are a goldmine of authentic quotes. Ask permission, then use in marketing materials.
• Community size as proof: "Join 10,000 marketers" is social proof. Display member count on landing pages and in ads.

1. Every member gets a unique referral link upon joining.
2. Track referrals and display a personal dashboard.
3. Tiered rewards: 1 referral = badge, 5 = exclusive channel access, 10 = free month, 25 = lifetime membership or special title.
4. Monthly leaderboard and recognition for top referrers.
5. Seasonal referral campaigns with boosted rewards.

• Discussion highlights: "Best of the community this week" newsletter or social post.
• Member case studies: In-depth stories of member success, published as blog posts.
• Curated wisdom: Compile community answers into guides, resource lists, or FAQ pages.
• Event recordings: Edit community events into podcast episodes, YouTube videos, or social clips.

• Ambassador program: Application-based. 10-30 ambassadors. Benefits include early access, direct team contact, swag, co-creation opportunities, and public recognition.
• Ambassador responsibilities: Share brand content, represent the brand at events, provide feedback, recruit new members, create content.
• Certification programs: Members who complete training or demonstrate expertise earn a public credential. Certified members become evangelists who carry the brand into other communities.

• Member growth rate (0-20 points)
• Engagement rate (0-25 points)
• Retention rate (0-25 points)
• Activation rate (0-15 points)
• Sentiment (0-15 points, from qualitative review or NPS)

./references/benchmarks.md

• Support deflection: Questions answered in community that would have been support tickets. Track volume and calculate cost savings.
• Revenue attribution: Members vs non-members on LTV, churn rate, upsell rate, and NPS. Community members typically show 2-4x higher LTV.
• Product feedback velocity: Feature requests, bug reports, and beta test participation originating from community.
• Acquisition contribution: New customers who joined the community before purchasing. Track community-to-customer conversion.
• NPS lift: Compare NPS of community members vs non-members. Healthy communities add 10-30 points to NPS.

• Weekly: Active members, new joins, top posts, engagement rate, flagged issues.
• Monthly: Full metrics dashboard, health score, top contributors, content performance, growth trends.
• Quarterly: Business impact report (support deflection, revenue attribution, NPS), strategic review, community roadmap update.

• Automated content filtering: AI-powered spam detection, toxicity scoring, and auto-flagging for human review. Tools: Perspective API, platform-native AI moderation, custom models.
• AI-assisted responses: Bot that answers common questions from a knowledge base before routing to humans. Reduces moderator load by 30-50%.
• Sentiment monitoring: AI-powered real-time sentiment analysis across community channels. Alerts when sentiment shifts negative.
• AI summarization: Daily or weekly AI-generated summaries of community activity for moderators and leadership. Key topics, trending discussions, member concerns.

• In-product community access: Embed community directly in the product (sidebar, widget, or tab). Members never leave the product to get help or connect.
• Usage-triggered community prompts: When a user hits a milestone, struggles with a feature, or achieves a result, prompt them to share in the community.
• Community-informed product development: Voting boards, feature request forums, and beta programs that give community members direct influence on the product roadmap.

• Token-gated access: NFTs or tokens as membership credentials. Members who hold specific tokens unlock community tiers. Works for Web3-native audiences and premium memberships.
• Community ownership: Token holders govern community decisions (events, rules, content). Decentralized community management.
• Caution: Only use token-gating if the audience is Web3-savvy. For mainstream audiences, this adds friction without value.

• Beta communities: Dedicated space for beta testers. Structured feedback loops. Members feel ownership over the product direction.
• Co-creation programs: Members vote on features, name products, design merchandise, or contribute content that becomes part of the product.
• Community advisory boards: Formal group of 5-10 top members who meet monthly with the product team. Bridge between community voice and product decisions.

• Relationship lock-in: Members stay because of the people, not just the product. Relationships are not portable.
• Knowledge base: Years of accumulated community knowledge, discussions, and resources create a switching cost.
• Identity: When members identify as part of the community (titles, badges, reputation), leaving feels like losing part of their identity.
• Network effects: The community becomes more valuable as it grows. Each new member adds value for existing members.

1. Read brand context and SOSTAC (Section 0). Always.
2. Clarify scope: Strategy, platform setup, engagement programs, moderation, launch plan, community-led growth, metrics, or full community build?
3. Assess current state: Check

   ./brands/{brand-slug}/campaigns/community/

   for prior work.
4. Deliver actionable output: Specific strategies, setup guides, engagement calendars, launch plans -- never vague advice. Every deliverable ties to the brand's audience and goals.
5. Save deliverables: Write all outputs to

   ./brands/{brand-slug}/campaigns/community/

   .
6. Recommend the first move: What to build first, who to invite, and what to measure.

• Social media content and community management on social platforms -- route to marketing-social.
• Influencer partnerships for community seeding -- route to marketing-influencer.
• Email sequences for community onboarding and retention -- route to marketing-email.
• Content creation for community resources and guides -- route to marketing-content.
• Paid advertising for community growth -- route to marketing-paid-ads.
• Referral program engineering (product integration) -- route to marketing-guerrilla for growth hacking.
• PR for community launch announcements -- route to marketing-pr.
• No brand presence yet (no product, no audience) -- recommend foundational setup before community building. Communities amplify existing value; they cannot create it from nothing.