When it comes to building a successful brand, the community is key. But where should you focus your efforts on creating a tribe of loyal customers and followers? The answer may depend on what type of business you have. Here are five different ways to build a brand community.
Social networks
Social networks are a convenient and accessible tool with many registered users. Therefore, the threshold for entering the community will be shallow – you only need to click one button. But there are a lot of users on social networks. Therefore, it will be more difficult for you to reach out to those who are your potential customers. Targeting will help to some extent, but it is not omnipotent either.
Platforms
In addition to social networks, which seem to be the most obvious solution, there are platforms specially created to integrate all channels seamlessly. There are many. And there is a chance to find the platform that best suits your goals. Community building platforms offer turnkey solutions.
Forums
Forums are an excellent place to find help for your problems. People can answer your questions on forums better than on social networks. However, for a forum to be successful, you must put in a lot of effort. You need to monitor users’ activity and answer their questions and queries.
Blogs
A blog can be a place for collecting a community around a certain topic. If you have something to share with the world that will be interesting and useful to others, then a blog is perfect for you. A blog is also a good way to show your expertise in a particular field.
Loyalty programs
It is not a tool by itself but a good addition to the main one. In this case, loyalty programs are unlike customer cards that give people discounts and points over time. Loyalty programs, in this case, are a reward system that is integrated with user activity. Moreover, activity should not be associated with purchases at all.