Strengthen your brand with a community
Create a vibrant, loyal (online) community that attracts and retains both customers and employees. Foster customer relationships, improve strategies, develop better products, and conduct market research in a meaningful, engaging, and customer-oriented way.
Harness the full potential with community building
You are a visionary leader with an impressive track record. Your company performs well, and your team delivers excellent results. Yet, you feel there’s more potential to unlock.
Especially online, there’s still much to gain. How do you reach the right people in a digital world full of noise? How do you build a sustainable and scalable (online) community that strengthens your brand and builds loyal relationships with both customers and employees?
More and more companies are setting up successful (online) communities.
As an entrepreneur, CEO, or senior manager, you face unique challenges in this rapidly changing world. You struggle with the complexity of digital transformation, the rapid rise of AI, and reaching your target audience amidst an abundance of information. Additionally, you have difficulties attracting and retaining talent, promoting diversity and inclusion, and creating a strong internal culture that keeps employees happy and engaged.
A successful community can help! Internally, for instance, as an HR director, to attract talent through ambassadors, improve internal communication, and build an inclusive corporate culture. Externally, as a CEO, entrepreneur, or Marketing director, to increase customer loyalty, strengthen brand awareness, and turn followers into fans and returning customers.
You have the vision and the drive, but sometimes you get stuck in the complexity of digital transformation and the rapid emergence of new technologies like AI. You want to achieve the next level of success without getting lost in technical details. You long for a clear plan and support from someone who has already helped hundreds of other companies achieve their goals.
In the modern business world, community building is essential for growth and engagement. As an experienced community strategist and business mentor with over 20 years of experience, I help you not only with general business challenges but also with building and maintaining a thriving (online & offline) community. This community strengthens your brand, increases customer loyalty, and improves the internal culture of your organization.
You know that (online) community building is a growth accelerator, but you need a proven strategy and plan to use it smartly.
It’s time to realize your vision. Our trajectory focuses on exponential growth through proven strategies for community building, smart tools, and strategic collaboration. Together, we turn your idea into a great success.
With our guidance, you gain strategic insights and a concrete proven plan that works to increase your influence and revenue. You transform yourself and your company or department into a leading authority in your field without sacrificing your current success, personal balance, or core values.
Are you in?
Let me HELP you CREATE a group of fans who can’t wait to become and REMAIN customers.
How can I help?
Build a successful (online) COMMUNITY and sustainable business
1:1
Consultancy & Mentoring
For CEOs and managers such as Marketing Directors and HR Directors: 1-1 consultancy to ensure that both the community strategy and its implementation are successful. Solve challenges such as low customer loyalty, poor internal communication and slow innovation. With our unique approach you can increase your customer engagement, attract talent, grow your reach among the right target group, increase your brand awareness and increase your turnover. In an authentic and sympathetic way.
At your event:
Inspirational speaker
Suitable for events for external relations and conferences, but also to inspire colleagues in the field of community building. Why are online communities the big secret behind the growth and success of many companies and social movements? Because of which trends do we need them to be and remain relevant? Book Maartje Blijleven as a speaker or chairman. (Dutch or English).
Businessclub
Female Leaders Club
The exclusive network for enterprising top women who not only dream of growth and impact, but who also make it happen. Join like-minded entrepreneurs, be inspired by leading CEOs, and create an inclusive future together. Our masterminds are sharp and goal-oriented, always with a good dose of enthusiasm and a wink. We believe in 'lift as you grow'. Together we make a difference.
Hello I am
Maartje Blijleven
I believe that online community building is the easiest and fastest way to build lasting relationships, so that you create a group of fans around you who can’t wait to become a loyal customer. At the same time, it helps to attract and retain new talent. Communities are life-changing!
About our CEO: Maartje Blijleven
In a world where rapid change is the only constant, I believe the real power lies in community building, leadership, and innovation.
My name is Maartje Blijleven, founder of We Love Communities, and I’m passionate about building (online) communities. For over 23 years, I’ve been helping companies create strong, connected communities. As a #1 Management Book bestselling author, keynote speaker, and sought-after expert in online community building, social media trends, and digital transformation, I share my knowledge and experience to help businesses reach their full potential. Nowadays, I do this with an enthusiastic and driven team of community professionals.
As a freelance content and community expert, I worked for brands such as Endemol, RTL, Postcode Lottery, Facebook, and KLM.
I mainly did longer interim assignments, and because I am good at my job, I often got new consultancy assignments through word-of-mouth. I only needed to be visible and sell myself once or twice a year. Moreover, this often happened via an agency, so the recruiter had essentially already sold me before the interview…
But being good at something does not automatically mean you’re also a good entrepreneur. When I launched my own product in 2019, I realized how important visibility, sales, and marketing skills are. Being good at your job doesn’t mean you’re a good entrepreneur. Long story short, I had a long way to go and a lot to learn ;-).
This insight has further shaped my mission: providing entrepreneurs and leaders with the tools and support to build a profitable business through a strong community. My focus is on a win-win-win situation: valuable for members, business success for companies, and expert status for the professional themselves.
Vision, leadership, and innovation
In a world where rapid change is the only constant, I believe the real power lies in community building, leadership, and innovation. My vision is a future where leadership is not just about individual success, but also about forming meaningful communities that have a large-scale impact. For example, the Female Leaders Club.
Sustainable business success arises from the power of communities, combined with thoughtful business strategies and strategic collaborations. I believe in a future where making good money and contributing to a better world go hand in hand, and where diversity, inclusivity, and equality are the drivers of innovation and growth. A world where everyone finds a place and loneliness decreases.
That’s why I am committed to supporting visionary leaders who transform their industries and have a lasting positive impact on our society. The ideal? A fulfilled life for all of us, or as I call it, a ‘Blijleven’.
The guide on your journey to success
As a CEO or (senior) manager, you are the hero in this story. You are at the helm of a successful company, but you know there is more potential to unlock. I am here to guide you. Together, we develop a powerful community strategy and ensure successful implementation. This way, you can increase customer loyalty and engagement, improve internal communication, innovate faster, attract talent, strengthen brand awareness, and increase revenue. With my proven approach, you achieve sustainable results without compromising your current success, business values, or organizational balance.
What is a community in a business environment?
They say assumption is the mother of all f#ck-ups, so it might be good to answer this question before I continue. A community is a group of people with a common pain, passion, or ambition who like to connect with like-minded individuals. This can be local, (inter)national, or within your organization. Online and offline. Via social media or on your own platform. An open community that anyone can join, or a closed community behind a login. Because community building is universal. Communities provide a platform where people collectively share information and experiences about a topic they are passionate about. This collective power helps companies not only grow but also create relevant and authentic connections that are essential in the modern business world.
How my own journey began: from trauma to drive
My fascination with business communities began early, in the year 2000, when I was first allowed to build an online community for the TV show Big Diet. But unconsciously, I’ve been involved in community building my entire life, driven by a personal experience from my childhood. At the age of 7, I lost my best friend, which often left me feeling lonely and misunderstood. How I would have loved to have a community of like-minded people around me then! This personal story has been the driving force behind founding We Love Communities and writing my #1 bestseller of the same name. I wish everyone a community where they feel at home, which gives them fulfillment, and I help companies, organizations, and entrepreneurs set that up.
The big secret
Communities are the secret behind the growth and success of many companies and entrepreneurs. They help you not only nurture customer relationships and increase brand loyalty but also gain strategic insights and develop better products. In my book and during my work as a speaker and consultant, I enthusiastically share practical examples and tips to build and monetize a successful community.
Personal facts
Besides my professional life, I am a mother, girlfriend, and known to many as the Queen of Communities (a nickname I got from one of my clients: Boudewijn Poelmann, founder of the Postcode Lottery). I am a passionate and creative Sagittarius from Amsterdam, who loves apple pie with whipped cream, the sea, kickboxing, dancing to R&B and HipHop beats, and playing board games. I love good food but am not a kitchen princess. The saying, “I’ve never done it, so I think I can,” has inspired me to take on various roles in my life: from dog sitter to mail carrier, from international photo model to TV editor, and from flight attendant to keynote speaker on more than 100 stages. I love new challenges and stepping out of my comfort zone ;-).
Are you ready to take your business to the next level?
Back to you. I am happy to help you develop a powerful community strategy and implement it. Inspiring and training your team. And securing the right knowledge within your organization. Contact me and discover how you can increase customer loyalty, improve internal communication, innovate faster, attract talent, strengthen brand awareness, and increase revenue. Together we will make your company a leading authority in the market.
As the “Queen of communities”, I believe that you need a community to be successful. As a company, but also as a professional. But more is needed. If you want sustainable success, it is important that you link it to a smart business model. I would be happy to help you with that.
Experiences
of others
‘Communities are needed for the creative industry to stay relevant’. Of which deed, and that’s exactly why I would strongly recommend to ask Maartje as keynote speaker at your next event.
Maartje and I have been going back a long time. Around 2005 we got to know each other and I was very impressed by her qualities as Digital Producer. And as Digital Consultant nowadays, she was one of the keynote speakers at ‘Cannes aan de Schinkel’, the annual in-house event for all TBWA staff in Amsterdam. With Cannes on the Schinkel we mimic all aspects that people gain during a Cannes Festival of Creativity Week. Talks, rose, networking and DJs.
Maartje enriched the day with an interesting talk about the significance of communities in the world we live in today and the industry we are all working in.
She took us from Endemol’s Big Diet to KLM Club China, and from Women Talk Tech to Include Now – a community of 440 professionals from the creative industry to promote diversity and inclusion.
Maartje showed us why the time has never been better to leverage communities in order to achieve, maintain and grow our business. ‘Communities are needed for the creative industry to stay relevant’. Of which deed, and that’s exactly why I would strongly recommend to ask Maartje as keynote speaker at your next event.
She is very motivated and flexible to work with.
Maartje Blijleven worked together with me at KLM. The projects we where operating where online business clubs KLM Club China and KLM Club Africa. She conducted different aspects of these two communities such as, managing content, member support coordinating ofline events, etc, etc. She is very motivated and flexible to work with.
Free starters
Inspiration about online communities
Online presentation
5 steps
For self-employed people and small entrepreneurs who want to grow online. Because I also wish you more new customers, more satisfaction and continuity in your business, I am giving this free online presentation of 1.5 hours. Discover the 5 crucial steps you take for a successful online business with well-paying customers, including by using your community smartly.
Online presentation
Community trends
For marketing and communications professionals who want to utilize the full potential of community building. Discover the crucial role of community building in times of digital transformation and AI. How can online and offline communities drive business results? Discover new strategies and a concrete step-by-step plan for creating and maintaining a successful community, with the aim of increasing visibility, better customer engagement, co-creating new products and building brand loyalty.
Free e-book
Step-by-step communityplan
In this FREE Community step-by-step plan, you will learn the secrets of a successful community. For everyone who wants to start, activate and grow a community.
You will learn:
- What the exact steps are to make your community successful too
- How to create a meaningful community that is a win-win for both community leaders and members alike.
- That a community is the best way to turn strangers into fans, so that you grow naturally through word of mouth
Maartje is a true asset to executives requiring a deeper understanding of the impact digital transformation and social media has on business today.
Most CEOs have overcrowded agendas with little additional time or energy to keep ahead of developments in the digital field – social media, digital marketing, website technology and other business opportunities. If you are also overburdened with digital developments and how they impact your business, then I recommend Maartje as a coach.
Maartje’s way of coaching is a pleasure. It provides both a quick inroad to core solutions, and lot of positive energy. Maartje is a true asset to executives requiring a deeper understanding of the impact digital transformation and social media has on business today. I can wholeheartedly recommend her.
Maartje not only is extremely knowledgeable in all things digital, she is able to simplify subjects depending on the audience, increasing knowledge fast and effectively for everyone.
Maartje has been an exceptional help on our digital journey, delivering quality, on time and above expectations. The digital team day we ran with Maartje and the Dyson Benelux team has opened up the door to develop valuable projects that will definitely take us into a bright digital future. Preparation for the day and execution was flawless and easy to integrate into our internal objectives. Tomás