Ever since Craig Sommerfeld invented the Kreg Jig in 1986, his company has attracted a loyal following of DIYers, woodworking hobbyists and professional carpenters. In 2009, his marketing team created the Kreg Jig Owners Community to give their passionate customers a place to showcase finished woodworking projects, discuss project ideas, share tips and write product reviews. Customers clearly liked the idea. Over 32,000 have become active members and brand champions. In the first two years, they’ve posted 1,000 projects (albums), 10,000 photos, 1,000 discussions and 150 product reviews (blogs). How did the Kreg Tool Company build a community so fast? The old-fashioned way: by promoting the community in the owner’s manual located in every Kreg Jig box they ship to customers. The promotion is well-designed and clear, with beautiful screenshots of their community and a clear hook: “It’s the only place you’ll find thousands of project photos, videos, tips/tricks, discussion and project plans, all based on the Kreg Jig!”

Bikers Post is the online community for motorcycle enthusiasts – to find other bikers nearby, organize local rides, post awesome photos and discuss relevant issues. One novel way they recruit new members is through real-world events. When Network Creator Kris Olivera hears about a local meet-up or event, he hires a photographer to go and take pictures of the people who attend. The photographer hands out cards with the Bikers Post URL and lets attendees know their photos will be posted. After major events, Kris makes most of his Ning Network private; only the Main Page is public. If people want to peruse the photo galleries and view events they’ve attended, they need to join. This prompt has been a great way for Kris to recruit new members who are passionate about motorcycles and being part of the biker lifestyle.

My Modern Met is one of the top destinations on the Internet for unique photography, art, and design. Alice Yoo and Eugene Kim attract over 2.2 million unique visitors monthly by sharing the best content, encouraging others to be creative, and inspiring art enthusiasts and trend spotters. They search the Internet every day for inspiring content. They also attend a variety of events and shows offline to build relationships with emerging artists and photographers — and to discover the unique brand of content that keeps people coming back. They carefully curate all of this content and display it using large, beautiful images to draw members in. And they make it easy for members to share the content on Stumbleupon, Twitter, and Facebook. The result? Over 4 million page views per month!

Launchpad INW has rapidly grown to become the largest professional networking site for Spokane and neighboring communities in Washington State, outdistancing LinkedIn for this region. Very early on, Bill Kalivas and Allen Battle began hosting quarterly offline networking events to help members connect face to face – and introduce their friends and colleagues to the network. These events were so successful that Bill and Allen now host monthly offline networking events for specific communities such as real estate and technology. They also engage with traditional networking groups in the area, including nonprofits, alumni groups and other member associations. These groups frequently have large membership lists but have a difficult time connecting with local members. Launchpad INW creates communities (Groups) and promotes events for these organizations for free. Bill and Allen also host local events for these communities. In return, the traditional networking groups encourage their membership to join and participate on Launchpad INW.