If you’re encountering difficulties in attracting and retaining an engaging community on social media for your brand, there’s no need to worry because you’re not alone. Many brands face challenges when it comes to building and nurturing their social media community. However, there are several steps you can take to make the process easier. Here are seven key ingredients to cultivate a thriving social media community that supports your brand:
“You cannot buy engagement. You have to build engagement.”
Tara-Nicholle Nelson, CEO of Transformational Customer Insights
1. Embrace a Topic With Passion
To attract a group of passionate individuals, it’s essential for you to genuinely and wholeheartedly share their passion. Stay true to your brand and choose a topic that aligns with its interests and values—there’s no room for faking this part. People are more likely to be drawn to something when they see an authentic enthusiasm for it. Once you discover what aligns with your brand, express it in a way that resonates with your audience. By doing so, you’ll find a community that shares your zeal, regardless of the topic.
2. Share Your Brand’s Story
In this era of emphasizing higher purpose, a brand’s “why” holds significant importance. If you’re not already aware, a brand’s “why” refers to the reason behind its existence, which usually extends beyond mere profitability. It often involves tackling social or environmental issues, supporting specific communities, or making a positive impact in some way. Nowadays, consumers gravitate toward brands that have a higher purpose because people love being part of something bigger than themselves. By effectively communicating your mission and telling your unique story, you’ll foster a stronger connection between your customers and your brand, encouraging greater investment in its success.
4. Understand Your Audience
Knowing your audience is always crucial, but it becomes even more critical when building a community. To foster a healthy community, you must be able to effectively communicate and connect with your audience. Understanding their interests and capturing their attention provides your brand with a significant advantage in creating engaging content and fostering brand loyalty. Conducting a target audience analysis and developing customer personas are highly effective methods to achieve this.
5. Focus on Value Creation
Prioritizing the delivery of value to your audience, without expecting anything in return, might sometimes make you feel like your time and efforts are being wasted. However, that is far from the truth. By consistently providing value, you will gradually attract followers who are more committed and loyal to your brand. Consumers often find brands that solely focus on promoting products and sales to be annoying and pushy. Instead, aim to provide value through your content and engage with your audience by sharing tips, insights, entertainment, or simply responding to their comments.
6. Elevate the Customer Experience
As people increasingly turn to social media for brand and product research, a negative customer experience can be a major deterrent. Social media platforms allow consumers to witness genuine interactions between brands and customers that they wouldn’t normally see. Many consumers seek out brands that perceive them as more than just a sale but rather as valued members of their community. By ensuring a positive experience for your existing customers, you’ll be more likely to attract new ones who want to join the enjoyable journey.
7. Actively Engage With Your Audience
Successful social media brands make a conscious effort to engage with their audience. It is a common misconception that posting engaging content alone is sufficient. Engaging with your audience involves encouraging them to interact with your content and taking the time to respond to their comments and messages. When you view it as a conversation, you’ll understand that one-sided engagement is unappealing. Social media users are often eager to engage with content they enjoy, but sometimes they need a little encouragement or prompting. Knowing that their favorite brand might respond to their comment significantly increases their likelihood of engaging.
8. Stand Out from the Competition
Consumers encounter numerous brands on social media each day and are exposed to even more content, including advertisements, content from existing pages they follow, and content on the Explore page. Therefore, it is crucial to find a way to differentiate your brand from the rest. This can be achieved through unique content, a strong brand identity, or a clear mission and purpose. Revisiting your social media strategy is an excellent way to gather this information. Identify your story, understand your audience, and pinpoint what sets you apart from the competition. Once you establish these foundations, the rest will fall into place.
Take it to the next level…
Looking to unlock the potential of social media and build your brand’s community? Head to our Social Media Strategy Workbook where you can discover our framework for an effective social media strategy tailored to your unique brand, all for FREE. Claim your free guide now and gain access to a wealth of expert knowledge and insightful exercises. You can download your guide here.