How LEGO Built a Creative Community

Plus, Loyalty Begins with a Clean Inbox

Author

Melanie Balke
November 12, 2024

Welcome to The Retention Newsie by The Email Marketers, the retention building experts for 8-& 9-figure e-commerce brands.

Every week we bring you the best case studies, strategies, and tips around keeping more customers, turning them into raving fans, and increasing revenue.

Up this week:

  • 🧱 LEGO Fans Build the Future

  • 📧 Clean Emails, Stronger Retention

  • 📊 Optimizing Loyalty Programs, Mobile Marketing, & More!

Reading time: 4 minutes 20 seconds

Building a LEGO Community, Brick by Brick

In 2008, LEGO had an epiphany: 99% of the smartest people in the world don't work for them. This realization led to the launch of LEGO Ideas, a groundbreaking community platform that would transform how the iconic brickmaker develops new products.

Starting with just 20,000 members, this pilot evolved into a thriving community of 2.8 million creators, generating over 135,000 ideas for LEGO sets.

"Ideas can come from anywhere. It's about leveraging those ideas, but it's also about building relationships with people," explains Tim Courtney, who helped grow LEGO Ideas from 2011 to 2018. Under his tenure, three community members were hired as full-time LEGO designers.

The platform thrives on its community-driven approach, where members submit original LEGO set designs. Ideas that secure 10,000 votes enter LEGO's review process, and approved sets are produced, with creators earning 1% of net sales as royalties.

This goes beyond crowdsourcing ideas; it's about building deep connections with their most passionate fans. They designed a system that values and rewards creativity. When ideas reach the review stage, creators are celebrated through profile features, interviews, and blog content – whether their set ultimately gets produced or not.

LEGO Ideas has produced beloved sets ranging from NASA's Saturn V rocket to the "Friends" Central Perk cafe. An impressive 90% of LEGO Ideas sets sell out in their first release, proving the power of community-validated products.

The platform serves as a marketing powerhouse. Submissions like "The Golden Girls" or "Hocus Pocus" spark widespread media coverage and social buzz—even if they aren’t produced. This organic attention helps LEGO reach new audiences while deepening connections with loyal fans.

Most importantly, LEGO Ideas has transformed the company's relationship with its community. As Courtney notes, "We succeed together. If a LEGO fan designer is going to contribute something that drives incremental revenue, it's only fair that they share in that reward."

  • Create Clear Pathways to Success: Show contributors exactly how their ideas can become reality through transparent processes.

  • Celebrate Every Milestone: Recognition shouldn't just come at the finish line, find ways to honor community members every step.

  • Share the Rewards: Let creators share in the success when their ideas add value to build trust and participation.

  • Embrace the Ripple Effects: Recognize that attention and engagement are often more valuable than a final product.

  • Keep Learning Together: Be transparent about learning and evolving with your community to maintain trust through change.

We help 8-& 9-figure e-commerce brands increase revenue and build strong customer relationships through retention marketing: Email, SMS, direct mail, subscriptions, memberships, loyalty programs, and more.

Retention Starts with a Clean Inbox

Your email list is the heart of your retention strategy. But if it’s cluttered with inactive, invalid, or disengaged subscribers, your campaigns will fall flat.

Improving your email deliverability is essential for reaching your audience and building lasting customer relationships. Here’s how to keep your list in great shape:

Regularly Clean Your List

Inactive subscribers hurt your engagement rates and damage your sender reputation. Regularly clean your list by removing those who haven’t interacted with your emails in 6-12 months.

Before cutting them loose, run a re-engagement campaign to rekindle their interest. If there’s still no response, it’s time to let them go and focus on your active audience.

Embrace Double Opt-In

Double opt-in asks subscribers to confirm their email address before joining your list, ensuring you’re only reaching people who truly want your emails.

This simple step blocks spam bots and invalid addresses, safeguarding your deliverability and keeping your list healthy.

Authenticate Your Emails

Email authentication protocols like SPF, DKIM, and DMARC verify your identity to email providers, helping your messages land in inboxes rather than spam folders.

Collaborate with your email service provider or IT team to set up these protocols correctly. It’s a technical step, but it pays off with better deliverability and a stronger sender reputation.

Find Your Sending Sweet Spot

Sending too often risks complaints and unsubscribes while sending too rarely makes subscribers forget you.

Find the right balance by segmenting your list and adjusting frequency based on each group’s preferences. Use engagement data to identify your most active subscribers and keep them engaged with more frequent emails.

Keep a Pulse on Your Sender Reputation

Your sender reputation is like a credit score for email. It's how email providers judge your trustworthiness.

Keep a close eye on your sender reputation. If your score starts to drop, act fast to pinpoint and fix issues with your list or sending practices.

An engaged, well-maintained email list is key to retention marketing success. Following these best practices ensures your emails land in inboxes and drive the engagement and loyalty your business relies on.