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Bestselling author and community strategist

Maartje Blijleven (1979) is a #1 bestselling author, keynote speaker, and has been a digital community strategist for over 20 years, working with companies such as Endemol, KLM, Peugeot, Deloitte, and Facebook. Known as the “queen of communities,” she has helped hundreds of entrepreneurs and professionals succeed through their own online communities and businesses.

Exponential growth

With a unique approach to online community building, relevant content, smart digital marketing tools, and business strategies, Maartje supports companies and entrepreneurs in achieving exponential growth, strategic visibility, increased reach, and authentic, appealing customer engagement. She accomplishes this alongside her team and partners.

In the media & on stages

Maartje Blijleven is a prominent media and stage presence, recognized as an expert in online community building, social media trends, and digital transformation. Her insights and experience contribute to strengthening businesses in an ever-evolving digital landscape.

A selection of recent publications

Request an interview and/or media kit

Maartje is easily accessible and available for interviews, newspapers, magazines, podcasts, radio, television and other media. Contact us via mail@welovecommunities.nl

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Extensive bio

van Maartje Blijleven

Maartje Blijleven (1979) is the author of the Managementboek bestseller We Love Communities, a sought-after keynote speaker, and a digital community expert. Through her company, We Love Communities, she helps entrepreneurs build successful communities. With over 20 years of experience in online community building, Maartje is passionate about the power of communities, having engaged with them throughout her life—at school, in neighborhoods, and in the workplace. As a digital consultant, she has seen firsthand how online communities can help brands, media, and businesses establish lasting relationships with their most valuable audiences. She has worked with renowned companies such as Endemol, KLM, Nationale Postcode Loterij, Heineken, Peugeot, Schiphol, Dyson, and Deloitte.

As the founder of the Community Leaders Club and the Online Business & Community Academy, Maartje knows how to start, grow, and monetize a community. Through her company, she assists entrepreneurial professionals and business owners in achieving success with their online communities, tailored to different companies, people, and purposes. She believes that there is a suitable online community for everyone, connecting people who share the same pain, passion, goals, or ambition. In today’s individualized society, people have a strong need to belong.

Maartje is a highly requested keynote speaker, a guest lecturer at Hogeschool Leiden, and frequently appears in the media as a digital community expert. She was a regular digital community and social media expert on a daily TV show. Through online training, one-on-one strategy sessions, masterclasses, keynote speeches, and her book, she guides people step-by-step on how to start and grow a community. Additionally, she conducted research and interviewed over 100 of the best community experts and entrepreneurs from the Netherlands and beyond.

To give everyone in the Netherlands the opportunity to start their own online community, she wrote a practical guide that readers can start using immediately. Her book, We Love Communities, is available in print, e-book, and audiobook formats, including the We Love Communities 10-step plan and numerous case studies. By activating her own online community, Maartje propelled her book to #1 bestseller status in the Managementboek category through online pre-sales. This achievement demonstrates that her practical approach is effective. Her book, We Love Communities, soared to the top of the Managementboek bestseller list a month before its release and stayed at #1 for 27 consecutive days.

In March 2020, Maartje launched the popular and thriving Online Community Academy, aimed at ambitious entrepreneurs who want to attract more clients through their online communities. In just one year, she helped over 150 entrepreneurs build successful online communities. The Online Community Academy has since evolved into the Online Business & Community Academy, reflecting Maartje’s belief that both a business-building and a community-building approach are essential for attracting a large customer base and achieving success. Without a community, a business strategy remains weak, and without a solid foundation, the right mindset, strategies, and revenue models, a community won’t thrive. The combination of both is crucial and leads to a significant increase in customers.

On September 1, 2020, Maartje launched her own group, the Community Leaders Club. Within just three weeks, she had 322 members in her community and generated €2,985 in revenue from new clients! A month later, she had 636 members and €9,950 in additional income. Another month later, she had 1,130 members and €29,850 in revenue. Within three months, her Facebook group had 1,130 members, 43 new clients, and €42,785 in additional revenue, proving once again that her approach works.

In addition to being the founder of We Love Communities, Maartje is also the driving force behind the Female Leaders Club: the business club for successful female leaders who make an impact.

Photo’s of Maartje Blijleven

Do you want to download photos for your podcast, blog, interview or article? Below are a number of recent photos that you can download immediately. When posting, please mention the photographer Marinke Davelaar.

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We love communities is also very suitable to give as a gift to relationships for whom you wish this pleasure and success. And to strengthen the bond with your own community.

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What others say

about the bestseller We love communities

‘How nice that there is now a book about communities in which you learn to set up and expand a community through a number of steps. At the same time, it offers a lot of inspiration because of the many interviews with community experts from the field!’

Irma Machielse

Leiden University of Applied Sciences

‘Everything you need to know if you want to make a success of your online community or advise customers about this. A handbook that you can read in one sitting. Recommended!’

Stephanie Stalenhoef

IVRM Communicatie

‘Handy step-by-step manual as guidance for setting up your own community. Smoothly written and packed with examples and tips from Maartje and the many experts she interviewed for this book.’

Miriam Bovendeerd

Urban Future

‘All contemporary marketing and communication facets that are important to create a community are extensively discussed. The book is pleasant to read and logically structured. This means you absorb the knowledge as a matter of course. The book offers a pleasant structure on how you can get started with a community yourself. It is clear that Maartje herself has years of experience in this field. That makes the book very credible. A must read for every marketing communications professional of our time!’

Ursula de Mol

Lady Ursus

‘With this book, Maartje Blijleven lays a foundation for setting up and managing communities. The book is accessible because it uses appealing practical examples from both herself and other professionals. It is an interesting book, if you have yet to set up your community, but also if you have been working for years.’

Paul Verhulst

Les Ravens

“Real, recognizable and useful stories and examples of people who have successfully built communities.”

Dan Fennessy

PartyWith

‘An extremely relevant book, written by a woman who knows what she is talking about.’

Stan Boshouwers

Tinker imagineers

‘The step-by-step plan is well thought out and I will definitely use it! I think that the plan will also be even better prepared for experienced community managers.’

Danielle Stecher

Digital en Social Media Manager

‘Everything, absolutely everything you need to know about communities. Whether you have one or are about to start, this book full of information, tips and templates is a must have and, above all, read!’

Mira Saia

Virtual Business Manager

‘Do you want to start a community, but you don’t know how? Then read this book. With a concrete step-by-step plan and tips from many experienced experts who have gone before you. The perfect combination!’

Astrid van DijK

Linking Talent

‘As a community expert, I can say that this book is an absolute must if you want to build a successful community. It contains valuable and, above all, practical tips that you can start using immediately. The tips from people who have built large communities themselves make this book invaluable.’

Myra de Wildt

Happy Single Moms

‘A clear step-by-step plan without too much fuss and too many difficult models that you can no longer make sense of yourself. Clearly written and with background information and tips from experts in the field. A book that is interesting for a broad professional audience, because Maartje has spoken to a wide range of experts from her own community.’

Frank Meeuwsen

Communitystrategist

‘Communities have become an important part of our digital world. It is good that Maartje specifically draws attention to it with this book.’

Carla Snepvangers

Winc Academy

‘Maartje takes you into the world of online communities in a clear way. While reading you will become inspired and you can already imagine the possibilities for a possible community of your own. I think this book can also be a nice addition for students to know more about building communities.’

Amber Mangnoesing

Founder & trainer ZoKien

‘Pragmatic book with useful tips. Very easy to read! For the beginner who wants to get started with communities, but also for the expert who wants to learn from the tips and tricks of other experts.’

Nicole van Thoor

Spargle

‘If you are even remotely interested in community management, then this book is mandatory reading!’

Joshua van Wijgerden

CrowdHunch

‘We love communities is a must read for anyone who is considering starting a community or breathing new life into an existing community. A hands-on method that makes your hands itch and which immediately put me to work on my own plans. Maartje alternates her pleasant writing style with interviews with various experts from the community business and does not shy away from different views. Highly recommended!’

Anne Kien

AnneKien.nl

‘Interesting, educational and inspiring book about the added value of online communities with a step-by-step plan for building your own community. Maartje combines her knowledge and passion about the subject with the success stories of others who believe in the power of communities. The practical approach in combination with all the stories full of passion make you super excited to start your own online community.’

Marit de Wit

De Kleine Wereld

‘A nice collection of authentic insights about organizing impact for and by people :)’

Kevin de Randamie

Braenworks

‘A pleasant, handy book with all the ins & outs about starting and expanding your own community. With a clear and complete step-by-step plan and many great anecdotes and tips from experts. Indispensable if you want to make your community a success!’

Gaby Rupert

ING

Looking for a digital community expert?

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