- Without a doubt, being able to listen and respond
to customers is one of the biggest benefits
of using social media.
Yet, many businesses avoid communicating with them directly
on social media and just blast their promotional messaging
just like they would elsewhere.
The more effective approach here is to take the time
to build a community for your customers,
where you're able to encourage conversation
and build trust and loyalty in the process.
So, what do I mean by community on social media?
A group or account run by your organization where people can
come together over a common interest
to share their perspectives, discuss a topic,
and support each other.
These aren't spaces on social media where people
are passively following along, but actively participating
in the discussions and activities happening there.
These communities can exist almost anywhere on social media,
whether as a LinkedIn group, Twitter account,
group Pinterest board, or a YouTube channel.
A great example is the indoor cycling company Peloton,
who runs very active Facebook groups,
one for all its members, another for Peloton mothers,
and a third for customers in the UK to connect.
These groups are communities where members
discuss their workout routines, struggles
with staying active, and seek advice
from fellow Peloton customers facing similar challenges.
Peloton will occasionally chime in on conversations,
answer questions, as well as share company announcements
and prompts to spur discussions.
Fostering a community like this is useful
because it's an opportunity for your organization
to demonstrate you care by being supportive,
educating customers, or showing empathy.
Plus, you're creating a safe place for members
to communicate on a topic with like-minded people
open to engaging with them.
In the long run, facilitating a genuine conversation
with your community on social media can lead
to greater trust in your organization
and a stronger familiarity with your customer base.
Furthermore, a study by Ling Tung, a Taiwanese university,
found that a person's sense of membership on social media
can have a positive effect on their brand loyalty.
To build your own community that improves customer loyalty,
identify which topics they're most passionate about
and decide where it's most ideal for them to participate.
Sometimes this means creating a specific group
to connect your audience on a set of topics,
but most of the time, connecting with them
from companies' profiles works great.
From there, make it clear that you're looking
for their input on your campaigns by asking them directly,
proactively responding to their feedback,
and featuring the input of customers in your messaging.
The makeup brand Glossier has done this successfully
by highlighting positive feedback from customers
and always responding to their comments
and DMs on Instagram.
As a result, they've built a massive community of people
excited to talk with the brand because it's well known
that they consistently listen, respond,
and react to their audience.
Your company can do this too, as long as you recognize
that social media should be a dialogue with customers,
not a monologue.