Business is about building and maintaining meaningful relationships.
In my opinion, there is no better way to do that than online communities.
It’s one of the best ways to reach your target market and grow your business naturally.
However, it can be a very difficult and time-consuming process.
Before you jump into community marketing, it’s important to understand what it is and if it fits your business.
What is community marketing?
Community marketing, at its core, is about building relationships with a group of like-minded people.
They can learn, share, and exchange ideas as well as opinions with each other consistently over time.
It’s a powerful marketing strategy any business can implement, especially small businesses.
One of the successful brands that uses its community as a marketing effort is Starbucks.
If you look at Starbucks, they have a reward system in place to serve their community members like a VIP.
Thanks to their system, words about their program spread fast without much effort on their end.
The good and bad about community marketing
Everything has its pros and cons.
The same goes for community marketing.
Let’s look at some of its pros and cons so you can decide if this strategy is the right strategy for your business.
Pros #1: Your customers stay loyal for a long time
When your customers engage with your community consistently, they’ll develop a sense of belonging.
Psychologically speaking, humans are tribal in nature.
We’ll always look for “our tribe”.
And that’s the highlight of community marketing – like-minded people who look out for each other’s back.
This strategy is powerful because it taps into this instinctive nature that exists in all of us.
Pros #2: Your brand grows naturally
Words will spread.
Your community will share with their dear and loved ones who haven’t heard about your brand.
This is why brands that are successful love building communities.
Because with proper care and commitment, communities have the ability to grow on their own.
72% of customers stated in a survey that they are willing to share good experiences with others.
That means 7 out of 10 people will share their experiences with your brand if it’s a good one.
So be sure to focus on customers’ experience in your business.
Pros #3: Improved customer experience
The great thing about communities is you can always ask for improvements upfront.
People who trust and like you would give honest feedback since they know you’ll keep your promises.
You could then use this feedback to improve on many aspects of the business instead of just sales and marketing.
You could improve your content or customer support or customer relationships.
It’s highly recommended to let your customers give feedback that could serve them better.
Your community is your brand’s biggest fan.
Cons #1: It’s not an overnight success
To nurture a successful community, you’ll need to put in a tremendous amount of effort.
Community building is a rewardful strategy but it’ll take time and effort.
It’s not a typical marketing strategy that you can turn on and off at any given moment.
For community marketing, it’s constant work.
Know that Starbucks didn’t grow viral in one or two years’ time.
They were consistent in building meaningful relationships with their community.
And that’s what makes them the brand they are today.
Cons #2: Unique skillsets are required
As mentioned, community building isn’t a one-way thing.
People have needs and wants.
It requires skills to nurture and provide to the community.
Whether it’s a service or query, a response from the brand makes all the difference.
It’s important to understand who’s the audience – their culture, interests, and problems.
These things engage with the community members.
And they make them stay for the long term.
Cons #3: Not all communities are created equal
It doesn’t matter the nature or niche of the business.
Communities aren’t one-size-fits-all.
They required a certain degree of attention to detail.
One would need to have a clear goal and strategy in mind before jumping into action.
Bulldog owners will have different problems as compared to Golden Retriever owners.
They are dogs but things like diet and behaviors might differ to some point.
This is where the interests of these two communities differ.
Naturally, the message they resonate with is different too.
Tips to execute exceptional community marketing
If community marketing fits your brand, then these tips might help you build a community that sustains and grows on its own.
All you need to do is follow these tips closely and a great community is only one step away.
Get to know your community intimately
A successful community is like a family.
And families care for each other when they face problems.
Therefore, to build a community that goes above and beyond, you should get to know your members intimately.
Have a reward system
Just like Starbucks, your members love rewards.
It makes them loyal to the brand as well as the community.
A simple reward like membership discounts goes a long way.
Be consistent with your effort
Whether you do weekly live sharings or webinars, your members want to hear from you.
If possible, more often. A consistent effort from brands is always appreciated.
Hire a community manager
It pays to hire someone who manages your community.
It’s even better when he or she specializes in that area.
That way, you can rest assured your community is in great hands.
More and more value
People join your community for two reasons:
1) They like and resonate with your brand
2) They want more from you. So it’s self-explanatory to provide value to your community consistently.
It can be in the form of content, offers, or courses.
Conclusion
By creating a personalized brand and community experience for your customers, you can convert them into your best brand ambassadors.
It takes time but it’s worth every effort.
So take every opportunity to give the best brand and community experience for your customers.
