Online communities

Rented audiences on social platforms can disappear overnight. An owned community gives you a direct relationship with the people who matter most to your business. We build platforms around the people who use them, uncovering what your community actually needs before we write a line of code.

Why community platforms often stumble

Building a successful online community means creating a space that feels both vibrant and organised—a place where people actually want to be. But we frequently see platforms be held back by common obstacles.

  • Disengaged members

    Is your community scattered across different platforms, leading to fragmented conversations and a lack of cohesion?

  • Disorganised content

    Are discussions, articles and resources getting lost in an unorganised or restrictive interface?

  • Difficulty managing the platform

    Is your team spending more time fighting with your platform than you are engaging with your members?

  • Failure to prove value

    Is it difficult to explain the ROI and impact of your community to key stakeholders?

  • One-size-fits-all doesn’t fit

    Are you trying to use a generic tool to fit the unique needs and culture of your community?

  • Scalability concerns

    Does your current platform lack the ability to grow with your community, or integrate with your other business systems?

A tilted view of a website homepage featuring news articles, illustrations, and interactive community sections with buttons for sharing content and joining discussions. The design uses light colors, outlined cards, and minimalist graphics.

Companies we work with

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White and teal text on a black background reads "patient safety learning," with "safety" and a large right curly bracket in teal.
Light green text on a transparent background reads "TaylorWessing."
Gold stylized wing logo next to bold gold text reading "JETMS" on a light gray background.
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The University of Western Sydney logo with the words "University of Western Sydney" in a modern, sans-serif font.
A logo with a stylized "S" icon in aqua and blue, followed by the word "Salable" in bold white text on a dark background.
White logo with large stylized letters "UEA" and the words "University of East Anglia" written beneath. A dark cross shape overlays the middle of the "E".
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Logo for The Marketing Society featuring a black square inside a green rounded square on the left, with the words "The Marketing Society" in white text on the right.

A people-centric approach to building community platforms

The best platforms are built around the people who use them. Our process is designed to uncover the unique needs of your community and translate them into a platform that feels intuitive, accessible, and purpose-built.

  • Discovery and decision sprints
    We start by understanding your vision and, most importantly, the needs of your members. Through collaborative workshops, we map out the core user journeys and features that will deliver the most value.

  • Accessible by design
    An inclusive community is a successful community. We build platforms that meet and exceed modern accessibility guidelines, ensuring everyone can participate fully and equally

  • Empowering people at every level
    We build iteratively, using real member feedback to guide the development. For your team, we provide comprehensive training, documentation and support to ensure they have the tools and confidence to work effectively.

Fast, fabulous and transformative. We had a new prototype in a couple of iterations and once implemented, it gave us a three-fold increase in new members!

Sophie Devonshire

CEO, The Marketing Society

Ready to talk?

Tell us where you are and what you're trying to solve. We'll take it from there.

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Ongoing support for a thriving community

Launching your platform is just the beginning. As a full-service agency, we provide the ongoing strategic and technical support to ensure your community thrives.

Frequently asked questions

  • What community platforms are available for me to use?

    We specialise in building bespoke platforms tailored to your unique needs. However, we also have deep expertise in established platforms like Invision Community. Our process is tech-agnostic, meaning we recommend the solution—whether custom-built or a customised off-the-shelf product—that best serves your community's goals.

  • How much does it cost to create a community platform?

    The cost depends entirely on the complexity and scope of the project. After an initial discovery phase where we define your requirements, we provide a detailed, transparent quote. Our goal is to provide a solution that fits your budget and delivers maximum value to your community.

  • Are there any ongoing costs?

    Yes, ongoing costs typically cover your hosting, support, and maintenance to ensure your platform remains fast, secure, and reliable. We offer retainer packages that bundle these services, giving you peace of mind that your community's digital home is proactively managed and supported.

  • Will you write the content for my website too?

    Yes, we can. While your community will generate its own content, our Digital Marketing team can help craft foundational copy, onboarding materials, and promotional content. We can also provide strategic support for your ongoing content and engagement strategy to help your community thrive.

  • What community platforms do you use?

    We are tech-agnostic, which means we choose the best tool for the job. While we have extensive experience building completely bespoke platforms from the ground up, we are also official partners with leading platforms like Invision Community, customising them to meet our clients' needs.

  • Do you provide training on how to manage my community?

    Yes, absolutely. We believe in empowering your team. As part of our handover process, we provide comprehensive training sessions and clear documentation tailored to your platform, ensuring your community managers can manage the space with confidence from day one.

  • How long does the website process take?

    Depending on the scope of the requirements, each engagement takes a different amount of time, but we will communicate this with you as part of the discovery process.

  • How easy is it to add new features to my community later?

    Very easy. Our iterative development process is designed for future growth. We build scalable platforms with a solid foundation, making it straightforward to add new features, integrate other tools, or expand functionality as your community's needs evolve over time

  • What happens if I don’t like the design concepts?

    Our design process is highly collaborative to prevent this from happening. Starting with discovery workshops, we work closely with you to understand your vision. There are dedicated feedback stages built into the project, where you review and approve all designs before any development work begins.

  • How long will my community last?

    We build platforms for long-term success. The technology we use receives regular security and feature updates, and we recommend an ongoing retainer to keep the platform future-proof. A thriving community also requires fresh content and active engagement, and we provide tools like Clubs and Q&As to help you facilitate this.

  • Do your websites meet Accessibility guidelines?

    Yes. We believe an inclusive community is a successful one. Accessibility is a fundamental part of our development process, and we build all our platforms to meet the latest Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) as a minimum standard, ensuring a great experience for all users.

  • What ensures your sites are fast and mobile-ready?

    We engineer for performance from day one, using optimised cloud infrastructure and a mobile-first design philosophy. All our platforms are fully responsive and tested across devices to ensure a fast, seamless, and reliable experience for your members, whether they're on a desktop or a phone.

  • What support do you offer for site updates?

    Our support retainers provide you with a dedicated partner for the long term. We offer expert assistance for troubleshooting, platform updates, and user management. This feels like an extension of your own team, ensuring you have responsive, expert help whenever you need it.

  • Are your websites compliant with SEO best practices?

    Yes. We ensure your community platform has a strong technical foundation for search engine visibility. Our development team works with our digital marketing experts to implement SEO best practices, helping potential new members discover your community through organic search.

  • What security protocols do you use for websites?

    As an ISO 27001 certified company, we adhere to the highest international security standards. We use secure cloud hosting, actively monitor for threats, and follow best practices for data handling and secure development to ensure your community platform and its members' data are robustly protected.

    If you have concerns about your current site's data security, we can run a website health check to identify any vulnerabilities.

  • Do you work internationally?

    Yes, we have offices located around the globe providing alignment across time zones and languages. We have many successful engagements with international clients and will be happy to discuss your project in more detail.