It’s Always Been About Community: Adapting Your Marketing Strategy to Build a Loyal Audience

monica montesa
Jul 20, 2017 · 4 min read

The idea of brands building communities of loyal customers and advocates isn’t anything new.

For decades, the bigger the brand and its reputation, the better. Of course, they had millions of dollars to spend on ads to get their name out there and build a massive customer community (a luxury which many business owners don’t exactly share)… but still, a community nonetheless.

Now that it’s crazy easy to search online for the best product or service out there — despite familiarity with a brand name — the pendulum has swung: consumers have the upper hand in the buying decision. The world is their marketplace, and they’re going to get the best quality products at prices they want.

And brands have been following to keep up with them ever since.

They followed them to the internet.

They followed them to their inboxes.

They followed them to social networks like Facebook, Twitter and Snapchat.

All in order to remain top-of-mind in increasingly crowded spaces.

With all of these changes, it’s easy to think building communities is drastically different now than what it used to be. But lucky for us, it hasn’t changed too much.

We find the core foundational elements still remain the same. All we have to do is approach them a little differently.

Nurturing a thriving brand community

So what are the best ways to build a loyal community? Here are five things you can do:

  1. Establish a feedback loop.

Whether you sell a product or service, the only way you can be successful is if you continuously satisfy a need your target audience has.

Maybe you’re an online entrepreneur who creates music courses for a living. Or perhaps you own a few brick-and-mortar shops around town or across the country. Whatever you do, you exist because you saw an opportunity to help others and embraced it.

But your job isn’t over yet. People’s needs and interests change. And it’s up to you to keep up with them.

Set up a way for your customers or prospects to share feedback on your business, their experiences and challenges. Whether it’s through a survey, focus group or feedback cards next to your registers, make it easy to collect this valuable information.

2. Give your audience what they want.

Once you have your feedback, look for trends. What are the common asks/challenges they’ve shared?

Now it’s time to consider how your product or service can adapt.

Perhaps it’s a matter of adding a new course or changing the format in which you deliver the information.Or it’s finally time to introduce a new product line your customers have been asking for.

Whatever it is, make sure you address what your audience wants. This is key to developing loyal buyers.

3. Get active (and authentic) on social.

Many business owners have seen varying success with social media. But at the end of the day, it remains an effective way to stay top of mind among followers.

Regularly share fresh, relevant content with your audience. Interact with them in the comments. Encourage them to share about your brand on their social channels, too. Thank them with discounts and exclusive content. Make them feel as though they’re part of your brand — not just another random customer.

You might also want to create more exclusive communities using Facebook Groups. Now that Mark Zuckerberg has declared Community as the next chapter in the social media giant’s story, you can expect to see a lot of new features coming down the line that improve the experience.

4. Go out into your actual community.

Face-to-face interactions and partnerships with other businesses can help you grow and nurture community relationships. The more you can bring your brand ‘to life,’ the easier it will be to connect with the very individuals you’re helping.

As you show another dimension of your brand, it will be easier for consumers to understand that you’re more than a logo and product. You have their best interests at heart, and you’re committed to their success or happiness.

5. Build loyalty through email marketing.

Despite the headlines from years ago claiming that email marketing is dead, it isn’t.

In fact, it’s one of the best ways to stay connected with your community. According to a survey from Adobe Digital Insights, 49 percent of consumers prefer to receive communication from a brand via email than direct mail.

Sending emails on a regular basis allows you to share product/service updates, exclusive discounts, new offerings and more. You can also use it as a way to open up two-way communication with your audience. Encourage subscribers to respond back to your emails (and address them in future sends). Or use email as a way to promote the feedback surveys mentioned earlier.

If you’re not sure what to email subscribers, review the content that’s working in your other marketing channels. Then, my only advice is to get out there and start emailing! You can evolve your strategy over time to improve engagement and interaction.

Want an even easier way to get started? Check out this super cool email copy template generator, Email Libs. Simply fill in the blanks with your details, then copy and paste the content into your email message editor!

Building the right community

Bringing together a community and nurturing those essential customer relationships does require work and dedicated effort over time. But I promise, it’ll all be so rewarding when you dedicate your brand to it.

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