Building a Brand Online Community?
Has the engagement in your online community fizzled out?
Was it at first a raging success in the beginning, and now that the buzz has died down, it's left you wondering what to do?
In this ShoalHarbor post we will show you that you need to to build a real sense of online community in your social media.
Experience shows that brands that build community and relationship draw their customers in for the long haul and that these customers add huge value as brand ambassadors.
Relationships stand the test of time. Therefore what you need to do is build a sense of community in whichever social media channel that you prefer.
We will identify the stages of building an online community instead of just posting messages.
With the launch of any online community or social media channel the first response is normally good. In the first month you may get a few members and everything is looking good and successful especially if you have brand identity and existing sense of community in the offline space.
Then after a while you realize... no one is talking or engaging in your online community.
You soon see that if you don't change your strategy your site will soon be a page pushing a brand and this will not be a good reflection on your business.
The online community success is completely dependent on your determination to make it a warm, attractive and receiving place to be, as well as your commitment to making it an engaging community.
What you need to remember is that nobody wants to be alone.
Everyone wants to be a part of something to give them a sense of identity, direction and purpose.
A vibrant online community using social media media channels can provide that.
Online community is a place where like minded people from around the world can meet and discuss the points of interest that they care about.
It's about your online social community, and their points of interest, your brand is merely the facilitator.
We call this phenomena “Points of Sharing.”
The Three Online Community Points of Sharing
• Shared Interests
• Shared Values
• Shared Experiences
Your online community will attract people with similar interest to those points and begin to flourish. The shared interests,values and experiences will help bond the members together making them more of a community and more likely to share with each other their thoughts and feelings.
Once you have found your points of sharing, your site needs a name. The name must be able to grab peoples attention and also give them an idea of what it is about.
It is advisable not to name your online community or social channel after your company as it reflects that you are purely trying to sell your business stock.
Once you have your three points of sharing and your online community name, you need to set the atmosphere.
Ensure that you fill the site with lots of content related to what you are about. You can share articles, videos and even start discussions.
First impression is important, so consider delaying the launch of your online community if you do not have it well structured with interesting content. If visitors don't like your community or social media channel the first time seen, then most likely they will not return.
Your biggest challenge will be to get past the 1000 community members mark. But once you are there, it will be mostly smooth sailing. The reason for the need of at least 1000 members to make it successful is that more than 90% of your members are silent lurkers and will only read your articles. The remaining members will be the actual participants that make your site a successful online community by sharing and posting comments.
Remember, to get the online community numbers rolling it is vital to set the tone as far as active engagement is concerned.
You simply cannot sit and create content and expect people to engage. This is especially true with new companies expecting to build a new brand. You need to engage! See these two posts.
Having a team to build your online community engagement is very important. Your team is essentially the host or conversation starters. Until you have grown past 1000 members, the current members are relying on you and your team to provide the content and interest.
There is a simple rule of thumb to follow when starting your online community. Post a minimum of one post per day to ensure daily interest and to build content.
The content will pull visitors, especially if properly structured to the SEO strategy of your online community. You don't have an SEO strategy? See our Solution Page and give me a shout.
The continuity in content will show online community visitors that the site is up and running and that the team is interested in the members and want to share and converse with them.
Once you have passed the 1000 online community members mark it is essential not to just sit back and ride the wave of new members coming in. What you then need to look out for is spamming and members using the online community for self promotion in a spammy way.
It is easy to get caught up in the work side of running your online community and social media channels. However, the relationships with your members must be the top priority.
The people that you connect with will become great assets in your business. They will become customers and even partners in the future. They are what will take your business online community to the next level, therefore take the time to build solid relationships.
Remember The Three B's for Online Community
• Be Present: The online community want your input and that you are accessible.
• Be Opinionated: People want to know what you think. Let your personality shine through.
• Be Generous: Take an active stance in engagement, and reward for engagement.
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