Building an online community is a great way to get feedback on your products and services, and in this article, I’m sharing 7 Steps for Building an Online Community.
Brands that rely heavily on this type of marketing strategy will have more opportunities for success because they can constantly collaborate with their customers, rather than trying alone or using surveys done by third parties.
Building a community for your brand is easy with the support of social networks. All you have to do is figure out what kind of group would be interested in following and supporting you, then post regular updates on topics that they care about most!
But first, what is an online community?
An online community is a place where a group of people with common interests hang out on a platform. It can be a private Facebook group of 20 who love to create new vegan recipes or an Instagram community with thousands of followers.
Now, you need to decide the kind of community that’s best for your target customer. Understanding the different types of online communities and how they can impact your brand is an important first step in building one.
Types of Online Communities
The type of online community you create will be the answer to what kind or size group would best suit your customers’ needs. For example, vegan recipe creators might not be interested in sharing share their recipes with thousands of people; they may want an intimate group that understands them and shares their desire to enjoy a vegan diet.
On the other hand, bloggers who make their livelihood sharing their lifestyle would want to grow their brand’s community as large as possible within massive communities like Instagram.
The two types of online communities are public and private.
Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter are examples of public social networks. These communities are easy to join. All you need is an account on the chosen platform. Then follow, like, tweet, post, and repost content until your followers grow to the number you’re looking for.
Platforms like Yammer or WordPress are private communities that require an invitation to join. With these types of apps, only people who are either directly connected to you – or know someone that is – can join. They also tend to be more professional in nature, perfect for brand collaboration. With a private network, you get to control who joins and has access to the shared content.
What would you like to accomplish by building an online community? Do you want to drive sales, gather feedback, or collaborate with other influencers and bloggers? Define what you’re looking to achieve with your community before you make any moves.
Once you’ve determined what kind of online community would suit your business best, it’s time to choose an app that will help you build it.
First, define your needs. What do you want to accomplish? What is your brand identity? How big is your target audience?
Next, find out what the app offers. Most platforms offer free functions, but some require an upgrade fee. Take advantage of their free trial to see if it suits your needs.
Finally, assess the app’s ease of use. The app you choose should be easy to use for everyone involved.
Having a mission statement can help guide your community and keep you on track. It’s also helpful in vetting new members. You can easily do this by answering these five questions:
❓ Who is my target audience?
❓ Why are we building this community?
❓ What will they gain from it? Are there any problems that
❓ I’m trying to solve with this group?
❓ How would I like people to describe us after they join our community?
❓ What is our brand identity?
Before you post any content, take some time to set up your community. First, decide on a group name and tagline that will attract the right audience without alienating anyone. This is where that mission statement comes in handy.
Next, decide if you want to be the only person posting content, or if multiple members of your team can share their posts.
Finally, decorate your space with avatars and backgrounds before inviting people to join. If you want total control over what goes on in your community, consider setting it as closed so no one can view it until they’ve been approved by admin.
Once you’ve selected an app for building online communities, chosen the best features for your needs, and set up your community, it’s time to start inviting members. To invite people from your existing contact list, simply click on “add friends” and add the necessary information. If you want to attract new members, consider adding a promotion to social channels like Instagram and Twitter where users can follow you for an opportunity to win early access or free membership.
Now that everyone in your group has been approved through the application process (or invited by someone who already belongs), it’s time to start posting content. When choosing what types of posts will be most effective for each channel, keep these three tips in mind:
👉🏽 Keep posts consistent with your tone of voice. This is especially important if multiple people are posting to the community.
👉🏽 Be clear. Make sure that your messaging aligns with your goals for building any kind of online community.
👉🏽 Stay consistent. Post quality content on a regular basis using the same app you chose in step two.
Once you’ve started posting content, it’s time to grow your community. Choose what types of posts are best for each channel and stay consistent with how you interact through likes, comments, and shares, so members feel invested in the group.
To ensure that new members continue feeling excited about joining the group, schedule out some fun contests or events ahead of time, so everyone has an opportunity to win something.
If there’s a problem within the group, the best thing to do is deal with it as soon as possible so members can still feel safe sharing their content.
Remember that a community usually takes time to build, but with a well-defined mission and set of goals along with quality content that resonates with your audience, you will attract the right people to join in no time.
If you need help growing your online community, let us help you!
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Platforms like Yammer or WordPress are private communities that require an invitation to join. With these types of apps, only people who are either directly connected to you – or know someone that is – can join. They also tend to be more professional in nature, perfect for brand collaboration. With a private network, you get to control who joins and has access to the shared content.
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