The majority of your efforts in creating your community or community should revolve around engaging with your members and building relationships with them. Nothing will ever be able to totally substitute for the human touch. However, by making use of the tools and platforms listed below, you may make the process a little bit simpler for yourself. Take a peek at what’s underneath.
The first tool to use is social media.
Without a doubt, this is the most significant because social media is where you’ll be able to find and interact with a large number of people in your neighborhood. Listed below are some of the social media networks that you should take into account:
- A social network used to connect with family, friends, and others you may not know to share pictures, videos, and articles.
- A social site for connecting with others and sharing one’s thoughts on a variety of topics.
- A professional social networking site to use if your tribe consists of professionals.
- A video-sharing website that allows users to upload and share videos if they intend to connect with their audiences via videos.
- A social platform where users share photos and videos with their friends and family, especially if they plan to build engagement with images.
- A visual-based social media network that you should use if you want to target women in the visually-based industry.
- Another nice option is TikTok. Used for short-form video content, typically 15 seconds, as well as video content sharing.
If you plan to use one or more of the platforms indicated above, you will need the following tools:
The second type of tool is social media publishing tools.
Identification of your target audience and identification of the material that will help you connect with this audience is all things social media tools can help you with. You can also gauge reactions to determine whether your content and campaigns are accomplishing the goals you set out for them using social media tools. Here are two tools that you might want to consider implementing:
HootSuite.com is an all-in-one solution that allows you to do anything from scheduling content to tracking performance.
What is more, there are a variety of different tools available to assist you in managing your social media activity, such as SproutSocial.com, for instance.
You can also plan and post your content manually if you want, but keep in mind that this method may be time-consuming.
The third piece of equipment is an autoresponder.
Even though you may be able to discover and contact members of your community through social media, your ultimate aim is to have them subscribe to your mailing list to receive future communications from them. Therefore, you should set up an autoresponder where you can upload and schedule content that will aid you in creating relationships without having to do anything manually on your end. Listed below are some examples of excellent autoresponders and email service providers:
- AWeber
- GetResponse
- Mailchimp
It’s important to thoroughly study the terms of service for the autoresponder provider you plan to use before signing up to verify that your intended use of the autoresponder is within the parameters of their acceptable use policy.
A blogging platform is the fourth tool in the toolbox.
The creation of a blog is another efficient approach to engaging with your target audience. Fortunately, if you use a blogging platform such as WordPress.org, you can quickly and easily build a blog that is both simple and costless.
The fifth tool is called a Content Scheduler.
To effectively create a relationship with your audience, it is critical to supply them with frequent information that will aid them in resolving any problems they may be experiencing. You should post to social media on a regular basis, as well as write on your blog and send out newsletters as part of your overall strategy.
Fortunately, you will not need to be physically present in front of your computer in order for this material to be delivered to you. Instead, you can use online tools to submit it and schedule it for later. The following are examples of what I mean:
It is possible to upload and schedule information using the autoresponder provided by your email service provider.
It is a good idea to use tools such as HootSuite.com to schedule social media content and post across many channels at the same time to maximize efficiency.
Using the built-in scheduling features of WordPress, you can easily add fresh content to your site over time.
Online freelancer marketplaces are the sixth instrument.
Nothing can totally replace the “human touch” that is essential to establishing a community, yet doing it all on your own is not the only way to achieve success. Alternatives include hiring freelancers to assist you with content creation and interaction with members of your community. The places below are some of the best areas to look for these independent contractors, according to their location:
Closing Thoughts
The process of creating a community takes time, but you don’t have to do it all on your own. You may benefit from the usage of tools. Utilize these resources to make your community-building efforts a little bit simpler!