Build a Valuable Network
Authentic and responsive community is similar to a powerful reputation generator.
We can all agree that we are currently living at the age of influencers. With Facebook and Instagram constantly updating their algorithms and compressing the categories of mainstream influencers, the influencer market inevitably becomes more fragmented. As such, the only way for marketers to get out of this swamp is to extend their brand exposure by fortifying the existing communities and network they currently have.
Where do you start?
Admittedly, most audiences tend to hit it off with content providers they are already familiar with. You see people keep coming back to watch the same YouTubers or check out pictures posted by the same Instagram-mers.
While it’s true that the reasons for their influence can vary from the creativity of their content or strategic marketing approach, even their personalities, but I have to say that the main reason behind their popularity is the loyal community behind them.
Polish Your Content: The Initial Step
Building loyal community is undeniably hard. It requires constant cultivation through a certain period of time to generate high-quality content that matched the audience’s interest and the creator’s style.
Through regular engagement and interaction, ultimately the people within the community will favor your content over the other brands. And this is when you need to step up your game as a marketer. With enough audience on hand, you can craft tailor-made story based on your user’s data, i.e. browsing history, locations, demographics, etc. As your content becomes more concentrated and niche, more audience will naturally join in your community.
Micro-Influencers: The Next Step
In regards to the rise of influencer marketing and their power to influence people, I often told my team in Viral Access:
Ten micro-influencers are better than one mega-influencer.
Micro-influencers are the gate to your community. In other words, these micro-influencers would give you access to niche customers that have been nurtured and shared meaningful relationships with them. Micro-influencers would accelerate the whole marketing funnel process of converting visitors into followers because traffic generated from these micro-influencers may already be niche enough.
Furthermore, with this strategy, the bond between you and your followers will be stronger since micro-KOLs as “authentic experience generators” are the ones that bring them to you. This will also further solidifying your authority within the specific industry.
Keep it Sustainable: The Last Step
First, you target them, and second, you start to maintain and refine the community you have. That is, in my opinion, the best formula for marketing these days. After targeting the right audience, you should strengthen the connection with appropriate strategies.
Email marketing, for example, is extremely effective to bridge users and providers. Take Medium, for instance. In my personal experience, Medium often send a targeted email containing article recommendations based on my preferences and reading history. As a result, once I saw a title that caught my attention, I would subsequently click on the link and read the particular article on their website. This simple strategy is highly efficient to remind users of your existence.
Another way to solidify your position in your customer’s mind is via link-building. We all know that content is the king. But the fact is, there are way too many contents that are wasted due to the lack of exposure and maintenance.
What you can do to prevent this is to start by adding your value-packed content to your page or site in smaller volume, but keep the quality consistent. This way, you would encourage people to keep coming back and check your pages. Then as you build your content and enrich them with new updates, you can attach links to connect the content you created. So when customers want answers to certain questions they had after they consume your content, you’ve already provided them with the means. Also, make sure your content is up to date with the trends to keep your audience hooked!
Key Takeaways
Building a valuable network requires time and effort. Regardless how big your initial influence was, what matters in the end is the fact that you put your audience at the center. Yes, cultivating community is a tedious process, but one that will not betray you in the long run.
Influencers are one of the marketing tools that could help you to achieve that goal and speed up the process.
What strategy do you use to build your community?
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Viral Access is an AI and data-driven social communication company — we help you tell your story through social media. We pair your brand with relevant micro and nano influencers that help you increase awareness, engagement and conversion. We have the systems and team in place to support large scale communications throughout Asia.
For business inquiries, contact us at: info@viralaccess.asia.
