Remington BeggWe care a lot about security and appreciate that data privacy is a challenging world to navigate right now... but you shouldn't be at the whim of outside platforms restricting and moderating YOUR community with moving goalposts.
Recently, Slack, a popular tool for professional communities, recently announced:
- A new policy on free plans to permanently delete all of your message data and files after one year
- Changes to its data accessibility, limiting how third-party applications can store and search message histories
- Price hikes of up to 20% for some plans, forcing businesses to pay more for potentially less access
Similarly, Facebook is increasingly relying on unpredictable algorithms, which just this month led to the erroneous suspension or deletion of thousands of groups without warning due to a "technical error."
These platforms offer limited data and analytics, and their ever-changing terms of use make them unreliable foundations for your community. By hosting your own community with a tool like HubSpot, you own your data in your own CRM. This empowers you to build a secure and stable environment for your members, free from the unpredictable moderation and data policies of seemingly "free" platforms.
It's a critical moment to consider where you're building your community and to ask the hard questions about the platform you rely on.
These events are a wake-up call. It's time to move beyond simply choosing a tool and start strategically selecting a partner for your business's growth. If you're considering a new home for your community, here are the core principles you need to evaluate.
1. True Ownership of Your Data
This is the most critical factor. Many platforms will claim that "you own your data," but the fine print reveals a different story. True ownership isn't just a list of your members' email addresses. It's the ability to access and export everything in a meaningful way.
You should be able to retrieve:
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Complete conversation histories, including replies.
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Member profiles and engagement statistics (likes, upvotes, etc.).
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The full historical record of your community's interactions.
If you can't export this rich data, you don't truly own it. You're simply a custodian with limited rights, vulnerable to the platform's whims.
2. Robust API Access
In the age of AI, API access is non-negotiable. The ability to connect your community's data to other tools, especially large language models, will be crucial for innovation. A powerful API allows you to:
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Enhance the member experience with AI-powered features (now or in the future).
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Extract key insights from conversations.
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Engage with your audience in novel ways.
When evaluating a platform, scrutinize its API documentation. Is access included in your plan? Does it provide the deep access to conversations and member data that we discussed under data ownership? A weak or non-existent API will hamstring your ability to future-proof your community.
3. Deep Customization and Integration
Your community platform shouldn't be a silo; it should be an integrated part of your brand. Ask yourself:
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Can the platform be hosted on your own domain to create a seamless brand experience?
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How much can you customize the look and feel to align with your business?
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Can it be expanded to serve other functions, like customer support or as part of a learning management system (LMS)?
Choosing a rigid, one-size-fits-all system can lead to significant disruption down the road when you outgrow its capabilities. The goal is to find a flexible foundation that can evolve with your business and your members' needs.
4. Smart Automation Capabilities
An engaged community is an active one, which can mean a lot of work for a community manager. A modern platform should offer automation to help manage the workload and improve the member experience. Consider:
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Can you leverage automation or AI for content moderation?
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Are there tools to automate welcoming new members or other repetitive tasks?
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Is this functionality built-in, or does it require costly add-ons or complex integrations?
The more efficient you can be in managing the community, the more time you can spend on creating value and fostering connections.
5. A Transparent and Predictable Cost Structure
Cost is always a factor, but it's the structure of the cost that can be most revealing. Per-user pricing, as seen with platforms like Slack, can become a significant financial burden, especially as your community grows or if engagement fluctuates. You don't want to be penalized for having a large but variably active member base.
Look for platforms with predictable pricing. If possible, steer clear of per-user models. The recent, unexpected price hikes from major players are a stark reminder that what seems affordable today could become untenable tomorrow, forcing another disruptive migration for your members.
The Challenge of Starting Anew
If you are migrating from a platform like Slack or Facebook, the path forward requires careful planning. The most pressing question is whether you can import your old conversations into a new tool. The inability to do so can create a frustrating experience for long-time members who value the community's history. While some platforms offer robust import tools, others may leave you starting from scratch.
As you weigh your options, think not just about where your community is today, but where you want it to be in a year. The turmoil at Facebook and the strategic shifts at Slack are clear signals: the era of casually building on someone else's platform is over. The future belongs to creators who prioritize ownership, control, and a true partnership with their community platform.
A New Approach: Your Platform, Your Data, Your Rules
Navigating these challenges can feel overwhelming, which is why we developed a solution that directly addresses every point of failure seen in today's leading platforms. Our approach combines the power of HubSpot's CRM and CMS with Cohortium, our specialized community tool.
Cohortium is an add-on to HubSpot’s Content Hub that transforms it into a powerful, fully-owned community platform. By building on the foundation of HubSpot, you immediately solve the core problems of data ownership and control. All of your community data—conversations, member profiles, engagement history—lives directly within your HubSpot instance. It's your data, fully accessible and ready to be integrated with your marketing, sales, and service efforts.
With HubSpot and Cohortium, you can:
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Achieve True Data Ownership: Your community data is your data. No restrictions, no limitations.
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Leverage a Powerful Ecosystem: Utilize HubSpot's extensive automation and API capabilities to build the exact experience your members deserve.
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Customize Everything: Host your community on your domain and tailor the experience to perfectly match your brand.
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Integrate Seamlessly: Connect your community directly to your customer data, creating a unified view of your audience and unlocking unparalleled insights.
If you're tired of building on rented land and are ready to invest in a community solution that offers complete control and limitless potential, it’s time to see what’s possible when you own your platform.
