In keeping up with latest trends, we found a great article from Finances Online about 2022 brand strategy trends. One of them was cultivating your online community. Seeing that we all spent considerably more time online these past few years, it’s become increasingly important to tap into your online presence.
As stated in their post, “COVID-19 has made virtual or online communities an important part of branding. That’s because communities provide consumers things that are necessary during the pandemic—”social connection and a trusted, safe environment in which to interact with others and the brands they care about,” (WWD, 2020).
These online communities serve as a platform for your customers to interact with each other. Interaction can take the form of social media comments, instant messages, phone calls, emails, or even through the hashtags on their posts, as we’ve discussed earlier. With these, you can connect your clients with like-minded individuals and create deeper relations between them and your brand. Think of this participatory experience as a casual get-together no different from inviting friends for a cup of coffee to discuss your interests.
Moreover, building an online community can prove beneficial to your company’s ROI. This was backed by a MarTech study that revealed 2 out of 3 brands with online communities experienced a revenue increase, thanks to strong community engagement (MarTech, 2016). The ongoing pandemic has also made clear the importance of online communities at a time when people rarely go out to shop (Higher Logic, 2020)
Aside from boosting retention, online communities, in a similar light to hashtags, are also a great way to understand the wants and needs of your customers. This reduces the need to extensively monitor social media for trends as you can see what they are discussing right on your servers”.
A strong online community builds bonds among your fans as well as brand loyalty. We all are looking for ways to connect. Now is a great opportunity to build up your customers and your company at the same time.