We all want to go viral! I’d have a hard time trusting a fan of social media that says otherwise (these are the people who would wait till you’re asleep, sneak into the fridge, eat your last slice of Pizza and deny it). The thirst for followers who listen and act based on our recommendations is palpable in today’s digital world. Unfortunately, the pursuit for likes, favorites and shares have led many to do unethical things in the pursuit of internet stardom.
I firmly believe that how we go about building our online communities is more important than how large they become.
Notwithstanding the latter, the power of ‘influencer’ status is coveted because of the immense benefits that a powerful brand can bring. DJ Khaled, the undisputed King of Snapchat has leveraged his 6 million strong community to sign numerous endorsement deals, solicit and pique media attention, rub shoulders with previously inaccessible power brokers, and has even created branded merchandise centred on his popular one-liners, given life on the platform.
As marketers, building loyal, immersive, value-laden, interactive communities is our job. A great community is one of collaboration, communication and conversions. It allows for instant feedback for improving products and services, data mining, quick market research, brand loyalty and becomes a hub for consistent learning and updates in regards to a particular topic or niche.
In short, an online community is a natural progression of building a powerful brand both on and offline. They help us to thrive and build out our throngs of influence. Here are 3 things to keep in mind when building online communities that will help businesses and individuals alike.
1. Money Can’t Buy Fan Love
As the saying goes, money can’t buy love, no matter how many ‘likes’you receive . Avoid sites like www.buy-cheap-social.com, which promises instant fame for a fee. Resist the urge to purchase followers, fans, likes, shares and other metrics that are generally used to assess social success, because social proof is only ‘proven’ through conversion.
Can you pack a room at a talk or conference? or, have a successful e-book launch? These are the true ‘metrics’ that matter at the end of the day.
Only quality content will attract a loyal following of contributors and prospective leads. Focus on delivering content that your audience finds interesting, because it solves a problem for them. While the community may be centred around you, the content you share should not solely be about your business and personal goals. Focus on serving the needs of your following and your community will grow.
As a rule of thumb, only 20% of your content should be self-promoting
2. Not All Followers Are Created Equal
Blindly advertising and running social ads without an ideal customer persona or community member persona is a waste of time, energy, and resources. Can paid ads be useful? Yes, but only when used to place your content in front of the persons most likely to engage with it. Your goals must be clear. Play the long game, put in the effort, deliver value and reap rewards in the form of genuine appreciation.
It doesn’t matter if you have 1,000,000 followers if only 10 are willing to purchase your goods and services. Similarly, a community of 50 consistent contributors who add value, share content and valuable insight is much better than a dormant group of 10,000. Do not allow numbers to belie the impact you are having. Communities are based on shared, interests, values and interaction. You want individuals that drive value, bring other like-minded individuals, moderate, create and curate content and become unofficial brand ambassadors. When in doubt, keep this maxim in mind.
Quality over Quantity
3. You Must Give Before You Receive
Gary Vaynerchuk’s Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook is my definitive social media marketing bible. The reality is, we cannot ask someone we just met to support our initiatives, we have to support them first. Solve a problem for them, and above all, care. Gone are the days of the cold, scripted customer service message, or the generic e-mail blast.
We have to learn about our followers and deliver experiences that endear them to us. Instead of asking them to purchase your e-book on the best Italian recipes of 2016, why not create a video series detailing how to prepare 5 of the same. This additional layer of value will make an ask later down the line much more digestible. The ideal situation is giving enough where the ask becomes irrelevant, and they buy freely.
Always remember, an online community will grow in direct proportion to the value, time and effort that you put in. Invest your time in understanding the goals of your community members and help them to achieve them.
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