Being on social media is so much more than having fans or followers. It’s about people connecting, establishing and maintaining relationships, adding value to each others’ lives and building engaged online communities.
Social media is social and it’s important to focus on your audience. What do they want to know about? Are they having any challenges? Think about how you can support them on their journey. What value can you provide?
Really get to know your audience and develop a strategy that’s specifically targeted to them. Don’t just post marketing message after marketing message and hope for the best, it won’t work. I see social media profiles all the time that have lots of fans and followers but there’s no interaction or personal communication. It’s simply all about their business and what they’re trying to sell. This tells me straight away that the person or brand isn’t really interested in me. They don’t care, and this isn’t what community is about. I’ve unfollowed and unliked people and brands when there’s been little two-way communication and the focus has been just on them.
If you don’t care about your community, they won’t care about you.
Community building and social media is an investment in your business. It takes time and commitment, hard work and you need a strategy in place to nurture these relationships and to grow your community.
Your focus should be on the people and the relationships not on the number of fans or followers you have. It’s much better to have a smaller community of people who love what you do, share their ideas, engage in conversation with you and with each other than to have a large group of people who aren’t really interested in you at all. When people are engaged your community will grow organically.
Focus on the quality of relationships within your online community rather than on the number of people in it.
5 reasons why community building is important for your business
- By making connections and establishing relationships online you’ll build trust and credibility.
- Through community building you can add value to your customer experience and improve customer loyalty.
- You can turn your customers into brand advocates and raving fans for your business.
- Social media is a great way to give your business a personality and to share your story. Remember, people do business with people.
- Through community building you can demonstrate your knowledge and expertise and position yourself as an expert in your field.
- An online community is a great support network and will provide a valuable contribution to your business.
Businesses are built on relationships and there are so many benefits to having an active and engaged online community surrounding your business.
How do you nurture your online community?
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As a Community Builder, Debra has mentored and consulted to a range of small business owners and entrepreneurs in the health and wellbeing industry as well as business education, hospitality, marketing and professional services.
Debra shares her knowledge and experience to support businesses with the development and implementation of their social media strategy for Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. Her background in the television industry, PR and in corporate communications, in both the public and private sector, showcases her depth of knowledge and experience within the field of communication.
Today, Debra’s focus is on sharing this experience with businesses so they can strategically connect and communicate with the people they care about the most. For more details, visit http://www.liquidmango.com.au/.