Disclaimer: An AI writing tool was used to help build the outline only for this post. Everything else is manually written.
If you run a business that has a community, then you know how important a feature it can be.
Having a space for your followers to interact and connect with you will help build loyalty among your customers.
However, you can't simply build a community space for your customers and leave them to it.
You have to play an active role in getting people to start and join discussions. You also have to moderate conversations and respond when people ask questions.
If you're looking to build the ultimate loyal and
Here are some powerful strategies for crafting a community that loves coming back.
Why an engaged community matters.
Today, you don't just speak to people with advertising and
You're part of a conversation.
With social media enabling people to respond directly to brands' outreach, your audience has a voice that influences your brand and each other too.
You might as well leverage this power and be involved by creating a community and keeping it active and engaged.
Community engagement can be an incredibly powerful tool for businesses, allowing you to cultivate strong relationships. When you have a community that is active online, you:
- Generate free
user-generated content for your business - Reduce your customer service team's workload as people can get answers in the community
- Learn about what people want and what their pain points are
- And finally, create brand loyalty as people are more invested in a business where they have social support and interactions
It's well known that acquiring customers is far more expensive than retaining existing ones.
Developing brand loyalty through community building can save you money and boost your revenue in turn.
Now, let's look at the exact ways to get your audience to stay loyal to your brand.
1. Choose the right space
When it comes to building a community, you can choose between several platforms. But here are two key tips:
- Choose one specific platform or space to host your community and stick to it
- And let your audience's needs dictate where you build your community
You can choose between free social media platforms like Facebook Groups or subreddits on Reddit.
Or you can build your community on a paid platform that's more exclusive and has better features - like your own membership site or with a plug-and-play platform like Skool. You even have Slack, chat groups on mobile messaging platforms, and more.
The questions you have to ask yourself is:
- Is the information being shared and discussed high-value? If yes, then it's worth leveraging a fully functional paid space.
- Is this a community to have general and light-hearted discussion? Then a friendly Facebook group will do.
Other questions you might ask are how many people are likely to join, whether you need to make your community integrate with an online course, and so on.
Take your time to pick a single platform to nurture your community, because it'll be hard to change over and you'll lose a lot of information if you ever have to.
2. Always create a welcome post or video
Your community must have a 'Start here' or 'Welcome post' when someone new joins up.
This helps your audience navigate the community and understand the kind of conversations you want them to have.
Your welcome post should be short, sweet, and straight to the point - explaining the purpose of your community and how they can get the most out of it.
You can even create a short video or podcast that lays down the rules and expectations of your community so there's no confusion.
Make sure to keep it friendly and positive without being too strict. A strong community is built on trust, so be sure to welcome everyone with open arms.
3. Be a part of the discussion
It's not enough to 'set it and forget it' when you create a community - be an active part of the conversation.
This means that you should make sure to post regularly and reply to comments as soon as possible.
This will show your audience that you're engaged and involved. Your enthusiasm and participation will go a long way in inspiring others to join in, share their thoughts, and form meaningful relationships.
4. Host live Q&As or training programs
Live Q&A sessions give your audience an opportunity to ask questions directly and get their problems solved in real-time.
This is also a great way to introduce new topics and get the conversation rolling.
You can also host training programs, webinars, or other events to update your audience on the latest trends or new strategies in your industry.
These events, combined with regular conversations and discussions, will help you create an engaged group of customers that see the value in being loyal to your brand.
5. Invite experts and other creators to collaborate
Creating content for your community is great. But it always adds more excitement and often more value when you invite an outside expert to co-create content.
You can invite the right people to collaborate with you by looking at what your audience needs.
Here's a great example from plotting software Plottr's Facebook group.
Plottr is a tool for creating book outlines. And they understand that their audience really wants information about writing books. So they collaborate with several other businesses, organizations, and creators who are in the field.
This way, you have something interesting to build excitement around and can engage your audience before, during, and after the event.
6. Hold contests and giveaways
When you hold a contest, you give your community a chance to rise to a challenge. They can also showcase their skills and how they use your products to achieve their goals.
And when your audience wins something, they feel excited and valued.
Contests and giveaways are great ways to get people to come together and use your product or service actively.
Such activities get your audience to stay invested in your business and the community for a long time. In this way, you build loyalty around your brand.
Harness the Power of Community Engagement
When it comes to community engagement, there is no single way to build loyalty.
You need to find a unique approach that resonates with your target audience and helps you create an engaged group of people.
By leveraging the strategies shared here, you can build a loyal following around your brand and ensure that each person who joins your community finds value in staying connected with you.
The key is to be consistent and memorable in your approach so that your audience knows what to expect when they interact with you - and will come back again.