8 Tips to Foster Community Loyalty

Tip #1: Make Community Members Feel Included

Tip #2: Always Cater to New Members

You should view community is an opportunity to build meaningful, sustainable connections, the result of which are not just customers, but valued, engaged, and important brand advocates. Your goals regarding your community should include striving to encourage open communication between a brand and the online community. The key to starting and growing individual relationships is to be personable and relatable; you will play a number of roles while interacting with your community, ranging from leader, spokesperson, therapist, to friend. This means there are a few key principles to building and maintaining a community that is thoughtful, meaningful, and engaged. Here are some tips from my my friend @sprout_sarah on how to grow your community and inspire loyalty for your brand.

We all desire to feel like we’re a part of something. In fact, the need to feel a sense of belonging is part of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. Beyond our physiological – food, water, sleep, shelter – and safety needs, we desire to feel valued and included in groups both large and small. Fulfilling this need can be as simple as having a conversation, but in the setting of community, simple interaction needs to go a step further.Actively participating in a community takes time and effort. People love to be recognized for their effort, and it’s vital to acknowledge that, ensuring that individuals feel valued and part of something greater. They need to feel wanted. The same rules of respect that you follow in your physical communities can and should apply in your online communities as well:

While it may seem obvious, an important thing to keep in mind is that a community is always growing and changing, and any new members will inherently need more attention and information. Oftentimes, their first interaction with you is their first impression of your brand, so it’s important to approach each interaction openly and enthusiastically.

One conversation can affect an individual’s entire perception of a brand or community.One great concept to keep in mind is “Eternal September,” which refers to the notion that new members are always going to make up part of any given community. Moderators, as well as existing users, need to have patience and fervor for teaching them the rules, etiquette, and procedures of the community.

• Use individuals’ names.• Address their questions directly and with poise.• Respond to comments and questions in a timely manner.• Treat everyone with the same respect.

Tip #3: Enable and Impassion Community ChampionsJust as your community will always have newer members, it will also be comprised of some brand champions. These folks may have adopted your organization early on, or simply appreciate you for the way you make their daily lives just a little bit easier. Either way, they’re willing to defend your brand and promote it whenever possible. Most important, they’ll give your brand time, which is more valuable than anything else.

You might not have a large number of these brand champions, but that doesn’t matter. What does matter is enabling and empowering the group – that is what will help grow your community. Ask these knowledgeable and invested parties to educate the newbies, post tips about your product or service, and be vocal within and outside of your community. They’ll gladly oblige as long as you start with a small “ask” and grow it from there. Also, make sure to acknowledge their efforts as much as possible and express your gratitude.

Similar to how it’s important to highlight and single out brand advocates, it’s also important to frequently recognize other community members for various reasons. While an individual may not be a power user, they might be using your product in a really interesting way, or be enjoying great personal or business success from using it.

Promoting the stories of your community members shows the transparency of your brand and makes it clear that your organization is genuinely invested in those that make your company successful in the first place.

If your brand can afford the time and financial commitment, find ways to help community members achieve their goals, and realize their hopes and dreams. Why do people use your service? Is it to achieve recognition? Gain sales? Connect to people in a certain industry?

Based on how you answer these questions, you should align the company goals with those of the individuals within their community, and then use their company’s resources to find ways to help. Demonstrating selflessness as a brand will grow a community of fiercely loyal people. If you help members achieve what they want, they’ll want to mobilize and tell others about your support. This word-of-mouth marketing is stronger and longer-lasting than any form of advertising.

Tip #4: Single Out Members

Tip #5: Help Individuals Achieve a Goal or Dream

A common interest in your brand is the connective tissue that holds the community together. However, they each have lives outside of your community, so it is important to encourage them to build connections with each other as well as your brand. No matter what kind of relation an individual has to the brand, a strong connection to other individuals who are a part of the brand’s community will inspire them to become more invested.

Enabling community members to learn from and help each other will make your brand a significant resource, as your social presence will serve as the hub where the connecting is happening. Orchestrate occasions for members to get to know each other, which will in turn cause them to become interested in what others are doing. This works even more in your brand’s favor if it’s in relation to your product or service.

A non-zero-sum game is defined as everyone winning, as opposed to just one individual. Think of your community in this way: the happiest and most beneficial communities are ones where everyone gains something and no one feels like they’ve lost anything.

To create a non-zero-sum game, find ways the community members can benefit from each other. As I mentioned in the last tip, find members who can enrich each other’s lives: connect a mentor and a mentee, or find a seasoned pro who loves teaching and introduce them to a new community member.

While our world is becoming increasingly connected through social media, video conferencing and the like, digital relationships are still limiting. Ninety-five percent of professionals believe face-to-face meetings are key to business success.

Digital relationships will never fully replace in-person ones, so it’s important to continue to foster face-to-face gatherings as well. Hosting or even organizing a meetup for your community is incredibly beneficial. The event doesn’t need to be a grand production, just organized or sponsored by your company; people will appreciate the opportunity to connect on a more intimate level.

Tip #6: Enable the Community to Connect with Each Other

Tip #7: Always Keep a Non-Zero-Sum Game in Mind

Tip #8: Host Events

Every community is different. What works well for one group may not be as relevant for another. You will need to test different tactics to figure out your community’s expectations and which directions the community will best grow.

Many of the above tips can be completed by a community manager, but a community manager is more successful when they are provided with a strategy to apply these tactics with. As a Community Strategist, I help companies to establish a plan for building, growing, and improving their communities through the use of my Community Playbook, ultimately, positioning themselves to hire a community manager who will implement all of these tactics. If you are ready to create a solid, strategic foundation from which to build your brand and improve your reach to your communities, let’s talk.

Contact me at kfelten@gmail.com to get started with your Community Playbook.

Outlining a Solid Community Strategy