Pareto's Principle Applies to Community Building

Vilfredo Pareto, an Italian economist, observed that 80% of Italy’s land was owned by 20% of the population.

This led to Pareto’s Principle: 80% of results come from 20% of efforts. Over time, it got popularity as Pareto’s 80/20 Principle; applying to businesses, productivity and even community building.

80% of Your Community Growth Comes from 20% of Efforts

The catch? You still need to put in 100% effort to figure out which 20% works. Let me break it down for you -

Understanding Community Growth

Community growth can be tracked through:

• New member signups

• Posts shared

• Visitor traffic

• Active members

• Referrals from existing members

The first key metric is visitors from organic search and it’s best achieved through SEO.

Time and again, 80% of community traffic comes from 20% of content, whether it’s user-generated questions, articles, or webinars.

The pattern gets crazier:

• 20% of members create 80% of content

• 20% of members bring 80% of referrals

• 20% of threads get 80% of responses

• 20% of members become active participants

Finding Your “20%”

Most people misunderstand Pareto’s Principle. You can’t identify the 20% without first putting in 100% effort. Funny, right?

I wish I knew upfront which content would bring 80% of traffic.

But the only way is to create hundreds of threads and see what sticks.

Double Down on the 20%

Once you identify the key content, members, and activities driving results, focus on them:

• Nurture the top 20% of members who keep the community alive

• Track high-performing content and create more like it

Community building requires patience.

It’s like setting a flywheel in motion. Finding your 20% takes time, but once you do - you’re unstoppable.

Welcome to the world of community building! 🚀