TOP TEN WAYS TO
Build Communities, Online and Off! By Steve Goodman
You probably have heard that marketing today relies heavily on ‘building communities’. But what exactly does that mean? At its essence the concept is built upon advanced niche marketing. Basically, it is creating a ‘community’ of people that will allow you to market to them. Now, that all starts with building online communities of ‘followers’ via social media, but that is only the tip of the iceberg. Everybody and anybody you interact with, both online, and ‘in the real world’, is a potential member of your community. Here are 10 essential ways to build communities, both on, and offline.
Always keep in mind that the literal definition of a ‘community’ is people that come together to share a ‘common cause’. 6 ISSUE 75
1
Define your ideal community member
Think of the ideal person you want to market to. Then, pretend you are that person, and you are setting up a Facebook, or LinkedIn profile as that person. Create that profile in detail, and what will emerge is your target community member. Be sure to include hobbies, likes, dislikes, etc.
2
Set up your Social Media pages
Now that you know who you want in your community, you need to invite them in. If you have not already set up your social media pages, do so. Facebook is currently used by 1 billion users every month, so start there. Once your page is built (Facebook has simple tutorials on how to do so) invite people you know with a friendly email: Hi, we just launched a Facebook page, please help us grow by liking us. We will be sharing some stuff we know you will find interesting! Then, find pages that complement your business and messaging and start liking their pages, engage with those pages, leave comments, answer questions as an expert. This will expose your brand to the exact type of people that fit the ‘community profile’ you set up in ‘step 1’.
