Historically, community has referred to a group sharing a locale, or common characteristics or interests. Social media is allowing the concept of a community to expand and encompass a larger mass. Thanks to the internet you can be part of a community that is far removed from your own geographic location and you can find other likeminded individuals regardless of where they reside. This is great news for your small business. Regardless of the size of the market in which your business is located, you will at some point reach market saturation. You will have gotten your message out to everyone who might be interested within your local area and your best hope for attracting new customers will be new arrivals and those whose needs change over time. Having access to a wider market will allow you to continue to reach new prospects all the time.
In the past we've talked about ways that you can use social media to promote your business. Today, we're going to focus solely on creating a community to further your business interests. An online community gives you a forum to communicate with current and prospective customers. It provides an easy way for your clients to share your business with others and opens up a channel of communication that can prove invaluable as you continue to grow your small business.
Now that you're excited about starting your own online community let's talk about how you go about doing that. There are several platforms that you can choose to set up your community. You can, and should, promote the concept with your company website. Include a blog that provides useful, relevant information for visitors. Allow members to leave comments and include ways for them to reach staff within your company so that they always feel like valued participants in your forum.
Your web presence is important but often it only allows you to reach people who were looking for your good or service already. How do you reach those individuals who might be interested in your company, they just don't know it yet? Establish a presence in the social media outlets they already frequent. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram; these are just a few of the sites you need to consider. For general tips on managing your online presence click here.
The first thing you'll need to do to create a community using one of the suggestions above is by crafting a clear identity. If you try to appeal to everyone you aren't likely to attract a real following. Your message will come across as too general and won't convince many people to keep coming back. Clearly define your target market and explain what you offer them. Then provide frequently updated content that will be of particular interest to that group. This ensures that people will be motivated and interested in keeping up with your posts. Allowing users to comment (carefully moderated, of course) will allow the community to grow at a much faster rate as users will interact with each other rather than being totally dependent on you for content.
Provide incentives and benefits specifically for your followers. Everyone loves a good deal, even more so when they feel as though it is a special offer. You can offer special discount codes, early access to sales or even just information that is only published through these channels. This will encourage local 'locals' to join your online community as well.
Being part of a community generates feelings of belonging. It allows your customers to take pride and feel ownership in your company. These feelings of goodwill can help with customer retention and even assuage negative feelings if there are issues with any of their dealings with you. Creating a community for your customers will provide numerous benefits and allow you to grow and succeed at new levels.
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