Building a community or tribe is critical to growing a successful business. Community connections have high loyalty levels, assist with word-of-mouth marketing, and are quite rewarding.
What is the most effective approach for getting started with creating your network of tribe members? With the help of the following five pointers and hints you’ll be well on your way:
Create a group of people who are interested in the same thing.
Sometimes, community builders make the mistake of focusing their efforts on developing a community around their business. For a well-known brand like Apple or Chevrolet, this strategy works. To become established in a niche, however, you must first form a community that is united by a similar goal, passion, or other common interest.
Thus, the key is to consider what a community can accomplish for its members. As such, organize your community around that shared advantage. Consider the following example from your tribe:
- Those who suffer from chronic pain can help each other.
- They share the most recent technological developments.
- Contributes to the achievement of a certain goal, such as starting a business, writing a book, starting a YouTube channel, or creating an online course.
In essence, identify a goal and then work to create a community that’s centered on it.
Create a sense of belonging amongst members of the community.
You want your community to feel like part of something greater than themselves, something truly unique. If you want to do this, consider the following suggestions:
Assign a name to each member of your group. Super Soulers, as Oprah Winfrey refers to members of her spiritual group, are among the most well-known examples.
Direct members’ attention to a certain cause or movement. By directing members to charitable organizations that are tied to your company, you make them feel valued. For example, suppose your business caters to dog lovers. In that case, you may direct them to a relief fund established to assist dogs displaced from a natural catastrophe.
Exclusive and valuable things can be provided to members of the community. There are discounts as well as content in this category.
Consider sending something to members of the community via regular mail. Anything that arrives in the mail will make them feel special – but a “membership card” will give them the impression that they are a valued member of your community.
Request that members of the community invite others.
If your group is “by invitation only” from the outset, this generates a sense of exclusivity among members. But, even more importantly, it assures that the “charter” members of your community are like-minded folks who get along well with one another too.
Establish a meeting place.
You want this to be a location where you and your team members can engage with one another and share information. Creating a Facebook Group is a simple method to accomplish this. The advantage is that the vast majority of your group is almost certainly already on Facebook, so there are no new logins to keep track of. However, if you set up a forum on your site, they would need to create new passwords.
Show up and be present.
There is a leader in every, and you are that person. It is impossible to establish a relationship with your community if you are not present. Remember to interact with your tribe regularly, whether through your Facebook Group or some other social media channel.
Final Words of Wisdom
While it is not necessary to be sophisticated to build a community, you must be constant in your efforts. To begin establishing your own devoted and engaged community, put these techniques to work for you right away!