Before you build your brand community, do this!

Building your brand community is an essential step if you’re looking to strengthen your brand and encounter more meaningful conversations with your customers. Befriending and empowering your customers is so important when it comes to growing a brand that people really care about.

We know that emotionally connected customers are 3X more likely to spread the word about your brand. So, before taking the necessary steps to build your community, here are our top tips for building that all important vision that will set you up for success.

First, what really is a brand community?

First things first let’s define “what really is a brand community?”. Your brand community consists of customers who value your brand beyond just your product. These customers want to become a part of the brand itself. People in your brand community are deeply invested; they will buy your products and services, engage in your content, and powerfully spread the word about your brand to their family and friends - especially if they’re empowered to do so! Whilst most marketing activities allow you to communicate to your audience, communities allow your audience to interact and connect with each other too.

Great brand communities are built around like-minded people who share similar interests, values and enthusiasm for a particular ethos promoted by your brand.

Before setting about on the exciting but challenging journey of building your brand community, we strongly advise getting super clear on what you want your community to look like, stand for and what message you want to send out, by following the below steps:

1. Identify what your community stands for

The mission statement of your brand should be reflected in your community. If your brand does not have a clear mission statement, now is a good time to create and define one for where you envision your community to go. If you want your community to produce meaningful content and achieve significant results, you must bring together a group of like-minded individuals who share common values and missions.

One brand who runs an exceptionally successful brand community is Glossier; they are motivated by a fierce and loyal commitment to their community, devoting themselves to their needs and desires, and being extremely direct and involved in their relationships. Glossier has built a true community of customers who are involved in decision-making, because Glossier believes that the power of their brand is for customers to choose their own style, transforming their community into stakeholders and creating a platform where they can connect with other people and ask questions to help Glossier better understand what the customers want.

2. Clarify the purpose of your community

Defining the purpose of your community will inform and drive how you design and nurture it. Having a clear purpose that creates value for your audience gives you an advantage when it comes to running a successful, engaged community. Purpose helps to articulate your brand stories, which attracts and draws members in while also maintaining interaction and authenticity. It’s all about being genuine, real and honest about your mission and values as this will help you to create an emotional connection with your customers and bridge the authenticity gap between your audience’s expectations and the actual expectations with your brand. Remember emotionally connected consumers are 52% more valuable, and 3x more likely to talk about you to friends and family!

3. Define your audience

Your audience already exists on social media, on your mailing list and on your website! You know your audience best. Think about who you’d like to involve in your community. These will be people who regularly use your product or service. You can ask this audience to test new products, give them exclusive access to feature releases, share content and collect feedback from them. Social listening can be a great way to uncover conversations about your brand sentiment, your industry, and your products. You can learn a lot about your audience this way, their challenges and how you can really add value. You can listen by monitoring relevant keywords and hashtags. Reaching out in response to these social posts is a fun way to find your audience on social media, even if they’re not yet following you.

4. Establish the tone and voice of your community

Your tone should be consistent with your brand voice, which should be easily identifiable, distinct, and consistent across your website, advertisements, and brand resources. Remember who you're talking to and who your community is made up of, and make sure the language you use reflects this, with your brand's personality and storytelling. If you, like us, are a brand that are extremely passionate about social causes, make sure your voice is reflected in the topics you're discussing. What matters most is that you share what inspires you while always maintaining a positive tone.

Once you've constructed your vision, you'll be able to take the necessary steps to create a successful brand community that benefits both your brand and your customers.

Your brand is a powerful business tool, but it's nothing without the loyalty and support of your customers! Building a community can assist your brand in making customer-driven decisions and empower customers to spread the word about your products. As a result, make sure you're creating a strong community that thrives and rewards its members. You will be sure to reap the benefits in no time at all!

We would love to hear if we have helped you in creating a vision for your brand community, so reach out in the comments and don’t forget to join our #FlyOnlineClub by following us on LinkedIn and Instagram.