Most brands think they have a community.

At least, their leaders or marketing directors do.

I hate to be a bearer of bad news but often it’s not true.

They’re mistaking a community for an audience.

Both are a group of people who interact with a brand, but that’s where the similarities end.

Let’s breakdown the difference between the two:

📢 An audience are people who want to hear what you have to say.

🤝 A community are people who are highly engaged advocates.

An audience is passive, a community is active.

An audience is one way communication, a community is two way.

An audience are transactional, a community is relational.

When we hear those descriptions we instantly say:

“I want a community, not an audience.”

Yes, sure.

But the first rule of community building is that audiences are valuable too.

You won’t convert 100% of your audience to a community, and actually you don’t want to. There is value in building an audience just like there’s value in building a community.

The goal is understanding how to build both.

I talk a lot about building audiences, so let’s focus on communities for a minute.

Here are 3 things to set you on the right path…

#1 – Don’t just focus on social media

Most people assume community building all happens on social media.

It’s a part of the puzzle, particularly in the early stages.

But here are two key reasons why you shouldn’t put all your eggs in one basket:

Firstly, community grows SEPARATELY to your audience. They require two different approaches, and it’s hard to achieve both in the same space.

Secondly, social media is rented space. It could disappear tomorrow and you could lose everything you’ve built.

Solution: Make sure a newsletter, podcast, Youtube channel, Slack/Discord/WhatsApp group is at the forefront of your thinking.

#2 – They take time and skill

Communities don’t just happen as an extension of your marketing.

They require intentionality and expertise.

They don’t happen overnight or by accident.

They start by listening, and creating opportunities to listen. That includes social listening (comments and replies on social media) but also other online and offline connection between you and your closest members.

You need to know what to look out for and you need to be able to have the skill and expertise to create a community-building strategy.

The good news is that if you do, you’ll reap the rewards.

You community become affiliates, promoting on your behalf. They become a marketing channel in and of themselves, for many years to come.

#3 – Flood them with value, expect nothing back

I talk a lot about value, don’t I.

It should be present in all your digital marketing.

And if you want to foster a group of die-hard fans then guess what; you’ll need a bucket load of it.

Let’s break it down – here are a few ways to provide value:

• Financial; discounts, free gifts, affiliate rewards

• Aspirational; help them solve problems

• Entertaining; surprise them, inspire them, make them laugh

• Inclusion; ask for and implement their feedback

Here’s the key thing; don’t expect anything back.

Let’s be blunt, the primary reason for building community is to get something back.

But if your value is tied to the expectation of return then you’ll very quickly lose heart and give up.

Focus on the long-term and you will be rewarded.

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There we go.

See you next week

✌️