How to build a local community around LinkedIn: the LinkedIn Local Toruń case study
Today relationships are increasingly moving online, yet face-to-face meetings are becoming the most magnetic. Ania Romanowska knows this very well: she started LinkedIn Local Toruń and for eight years has been passionately creating a space for real conversations and valuable networking. What is behind the success of this project, and what can marketers, HR professionals and business leaders learn from it?
Watch the conversation (in Polish).
Full episode of the SUURowo o marketingu podcast.
Authenticity instead of strategy: a community born of need, not a brief
Ania started organising LinkedIn Local meetings in Toruń with no commercial assumptions, no PR support and no team. She did it out of need: "I'm from Toruń and I wanted good things to happen here. So instead of waiting for someone else to do something, I did it myself."
The lesson? A community is not something a brand "has". A community is a relationship: you can co-create it, but you cannot take it over.
Sold-out tickets and people waiting in line
Today LinkedIn Local Toruń events are intimate but in high demand. Places are gone within a few days of the announcement. Ania doesn't invest in paid promotion.
The lesson? Instead of pumping budget into promotional campaigns, build an experience people will want to recommend.
Moderated networking: not for everyone, but it works
One thing that sets LinkedIn Local Toruń apart is its deliberate approach to networking. Before each event, Ania sends participants prompt questions that help break the ice and prepare for interaction.
The lesson? Good networking doesn't happen by itself. It has to be designed and actively supported, including by the host.
Feedback that doesn't end up in a drawer
After each meeting participants receive a survey, and their feedback is genuinely taken into account when planning the next events.
The lesson? A community is built together with its participants, not alongside them.
Downsides? Of course, but it's worth it
Building a community is not just pleasant conversations and high reach: a lack of clear rules and autonomy for the admin can kill authenticity, a community is active 24/7, and brand mistakes can trigger a reaction from the community.
Key takeaways:
The success of LinkedIn Local Toruń proves that a community can be built locally, organically and effectively, even without big budgets or corporate support.
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