Why Your Brand Needs a Proactive Online Community

Let’s jump straight to the ugly truth : people don’t scroll on social media primarily to shop or get sold to. I know, I know… this might sound counterintuitive when you’re this focused on growing your business, but what if I told you that the true power of social media lies in creating a proactive online community? Imagine the following scenario: after a long day of juggling life's demands, are you eagerly awaiting yet another sales pitch? Probably not. Instead, you open Instagram to seek connection, genuine inspiration, like-minded people and above all, authenticity. This is precisely why investing your heart and resources into building an active digital community isn't just a smart business move; it's become the very cornerstone of an effective social media strategy in today's digital marketing landscape. Still a little apprehensive? Let's explore why your brand needs that active online community.

You Already Have An Online Community; You Just Haven’t Realised It Yet

Every brand inherently has a community, even if we don't always label our followers as such. Your cherished clients and even those who simply follow your journey represent a group of individuals who have consciously chosen to engage with your brand in some way or the other. This engagement can manifest in different ways, perhaps they've invested in your offerings, engaged with your posts, or joined your mailing list.

Let’s take a look at more established brands such as Caudalie or Huda Beauty. These two brands have successfully nurtured their customer base through both in-person activations and online content. Both brands have succeeded to remain relevant year in, year out despite the sky high competition in the beauty industry. Why? Because these brands understand something very fundamental, they understand what their community want and needs, and subsequently they know how to market this to their followers.

This is why building an engaging community matters to your brand. Communities are fundamental to sustainable brand growth. Your community members provide invaluable insights into their preferences and desires, which directly inform product development and enhance customer satisfaction. The times where you’d first start working on a product and then only secondly start to work on your marketing of said product are over. People want engagement, your followers want to feel as though they are part of the bigger picture. Clients want to feel as though their relationship with your brand is being fostered, and this is exactly why you need to build an online community. At the end of the day, the ultimate goal isn’t to make single sales, rather the goal is to form a life-long relationship with your clients who feel genuinely connect to you brand and who cherish this brand connection. When you bring these people together and create a save and warm space for interaction, then you’ve built something far more powerful for your brand than a mere client list.

Building a Thriving, Soulful Community

While responding to comments and DMs is undeniably crucial, truly proactive community management requires a more intentional touch. Having a social media manager who strategically leverages client and follower engagement is key to building a brand that stands the test of time, radiating authenticity. Nurturing your online community is all about initiating genuine conversations with your ideal audience, cherishing every connection, and consistently exceeding their expectations, making them feel like a valued, integral part of your brand's journey.

The Role of a Community Manager

Now that we’ve established why you need a proactive community, you might be wondering how to fit this into your already busy schedule. Well simply put… you need a community manager.

A community manager serves as the authentic link between your brand and your audience, embodying both your brand's ambassador and heartfelt advocate. Beyond daily monitoring and managing messages, a community manager is essentially the consistent, personal voice of your brand across all platforms. Their role involves intuitively analyzing follower behavior, identifying opportunities for genuine engagement, and ensuring every message your brand shares is both personal and consistently aligned with your core values.

Ideally, your community manager will:

• Elevate Brand Loyalty: Strategic engagement cultivates a more profound emotional connection between your brand and its cherished followers.

• Ensure Sustainable, Authentic Growth: A thoughtfully managed community not only attracts new kindred spirits but also lovingly retains existing ones.

• Cultivate Organic Brand Advocates: Community members who feel truly seen and valued by your brand gracefully become your most loyal ambassadors, naturally recommending your brand to their inner circle.

Key Strategies for Proactive Community Engagement

Proactive community management requires more than random interactions with your followers and potential leads. Rather community management is all about strategically triggering engagement in order to build lasting connections. Here are three actions you can start doing right now in order to start working on your online community.

1. Direct outreach. Start by identifying accounts that fit your brand’s ethos. Build relationships with these accounts in order to expand your brand’s reach. Long-term strategy is all about forming and nourishing connections.

2. Social listening. Keep your eyes and ears open to what’s going on in your industry. Carefully monitor trends and carefully decide which ones to jump on and which ones to let go off. Aimlessly following trends makes as much sense as cold DM’ing every random stranger on the internet. So decide which trends fit with your brand’s mission and ethos and don’t waste your time with trends that don’t fit your brand’s image.

3. Content Strategy. Developing and sharing content that sparks meaningful conversations and encourages authentic interaction beyond standard brand posts.

Ready to transform your social media presence into a thriving community? Contact us to discuss how we can help your brand build meaningful connections that drive sustainable growth.