3 Ways to Get the Most Out of the Trailblazer Community

At Salesforce, we understand the unique value of community. Peer-to-peer learning is a powerful tool for problem-solving and skill-building. As artificial intelligence (AI) reshapes the future of work, it’s never been more important to foster peer connections to ask questions, share knowledge, and glean best practices. Not to mention, studies show that we retain 90% of what we learn by teaching others. That’s why we want to help you get the most out of the Trailblazer Community.

Get to know the Trailblazer Community

With the Trailblazer Community, you have a built-in network of support on your journey of learning and succeeding with Salesforce. Whether you need help solving a business challenge or guidance navigating your Salesforce career, the Community can help you connect with Trailblazers who love to share their knowledge and experience. Since its establishment in 2006, the Trailblazer Community has gained millions of members around the world. 

The benefits of community engagement are endless‌ — ‌Trailblazer Community engagement improves productivity, increases return on investment (ROI), and accelerates innovation. In fact, in a recent Valoir survey, 60% of Trailblazers reported leveraging the Community to deliver more return from their Salesforce investment, 52% have reduced company costs, and 49% have increased company revenue. Not to mention,  53% of Trailblazers have reported becoming more agile as a result of their Community engagement.

With so many topics and groups to explore, where should you begin? Check out three helpful ways to get the most out of your Trailblazer Community experience.

Join Community Groups

There are more than 1,300 Trailblazer Community Groups across 90 countries worldwide that you can engage with both in the online Community and in person at a meeting near you. Additionally, more than 50% of members have participated in community events and Trailblazer Community conferences.

Joining groups is the perfect avenue to connect with others and blaze trails with Salesforce, while having fun and making lifelong personal and professional connections.

Be sure to check out an in-person Community group meetings near you, as well as several online Community Groups, including:

• Admin Trailblazers: Find good stuff, no-fluff content, resources, and events for #AwesomeAdmins.
• Customer Success: Bookmark your home base for all Customer Success questions about Salesforce features and services, like Success Plans. Salesforce employees maintain and moderate this group. 
• MVP Office Hours: Post your Salesforce questions in the group and join MVP Office Hours on the first and third Fridays of the month at 2 p.m. ET. Join the group to register!
• Salesforce Developers: Collaborate, network, and learn Salesforce development alongside fellow developers.
• Trailblazer Community Cove: Hear the latest Trailblazer Community news, connect with peers, and have fun along the way. It’s the online version of our in person Community Cove, an awesome gathering spot to unite our community at events like Dreamforce and TrailblazerDX. 
• Salesblazer: Share knowledge and ideas, and network with your fellow sales professionals. Hone your craft by sharing sales best practices for every step of your sales cycle.
• Serviceblazer: Share expertise, learn from peers, and engage in meaningful connections with fellow service and field service professionals driving exceptional customer experience and engagement.

Once you join a group, you can start posting and collaborating with Trailblazers in that group. You’ll receive a daily or weekly email digest of group activity, depending on your email preferences. You’ll get the most out of the Trailblazer Community and stay up to date on activity within a group.

Ask a question and get product support

Whether you’re new to Salesforce or not, you’ll inevitably face roadblocks to solving business challenges. Maybe you’re struggling with a new release or want help navigating the next phase of your Salesforce career.

So, where do you turn when challenges arise? According to a study conducted by Degreed, 55% of workers first turn to their peers‌ — ‌second only to asking their bosses. 

The online Trailblazer Community is the first place to get your Salesforce, tech, and career questions answered and is an essential place for upskilling on emerging technologies, including AI. According to Valoir, more than half of members report leveraging the Community to increase their knowledge of and drive the use of new Salesforce capabilities, and 65% use it to improve their AI+data+CRM skills. Community engagement also supports the adoption of Salesforce best practices and better organizational health, as members can quickly access product support and expert advice to solve business challenges.. 

So how can you get started? From your Trailblazer Community feed, simply type your question into the “Ask a question” box and a fellow Community member will answer your question within 24 hours, on average. 

With Answer Helpfulness Ratings, you’ll also get insight into the usefulness of answers. This ensures you’re seeing the highest quality answers first. Less scrolling = more productivity! 

When you find a particular answer most helpful, give that answer an “upvote” to help other Trailblazers identify the highest quality answer provided.

Additionally, the author of the question can select the most helpful answer by using the “Accept this answer” action. This accepted answer is then pinned to the top of the thread and is visible in the feed.

Both Answer Helpfulness Ratings and Accepted Answers ensure you see the most helpful answers quickly and easily. That’s right‌ — ‌you’ll get to the good stuff faster!

Are you a Salesforce expert ready to answer community questions? Head to the Community Activity Feed to share your knowledge and help a fellow Trailblazer solve a challenge.

Connect with community and product experts

Networking is a critical part of engaging in the Trailblazer Community. Both online and in person you’ll meet passionate community experts you can connect with who are dedicated to helping you succeed with Salesforce. In fact, 51% of members said they got a job through their Community engagement and 50% said it helped increase their salary.

The Community is the destination for career and product advice from Salesforce experts like Salesforce MVPs and Forum Ambassadors.

Salesforce MVPs are annually-recognized product experts and community leaders who help their fellow Trailblazers learn Salesforce and connect to the Trailblazer Community. From leading Community Groups to organizing Community Conferences, Salesforce MVPs are committed to your success with Salesforce.

Trailblazer Community Forum Ambassadors are online community superusers recognized for helping others find success with Salesforce by answering product questions, creating helpful content, and sharing best practices in the online Trailblazer Community. 

Get to know the current class of Salesforce MVPs and Forum Ambassadors and connect with them in the Community!  

Additionally, you’ll find the Answers Leaderboard to the right of your Trailblazer Community feed. These Answer Leaders are experts recognized for giving back by helpfully answering questions in the Trailblazer Community.

Leaderboard rankings are based on a points system where Trailblazers earn one point for every upvote their answer receives, and 5 points for each “accepted answer” rating within the last 30 days. Familiarize yourself with the Answer Leaderboard and be sure to follow these experts in the Trailblazer Community.

Get the most out of the Trailblazer Community with these final tips

Ready to get more involved in the Trailblazer Community? Before joining groups, asking, and answering questions, and connecting with community experts, here are some tips for getting started. 

• Update your Trailblazer Profile and include a recent headshot. 
• Add a community tag to your Trailblazer Profile to show which communities you’re a part of–whether you’re an #AwesomeAdmin, #MomentMarketer, #Serviceblazer, #CommerceCrew, #AppExchangeAllStar, #Muley, #DataFam, and more–helping you find other Trailblazers who are on the same path as you.
• Join the conversation on social media by following the Trailhead X (formerly Twitter) handle and #TrailblazerCommunity hashtag.

Happy connecting, Trailblazers!