Being part of a community is an exhilarating experience, similar to attending sporting events and concerts. Surrounded by friends who are into the same things as you and enjoying the moment together. It’s like being part of a giant puzzle— all the pieces are in place, and we enjoy the bigger picture. Communities are built on shared interests and provide a space for people with similar goals to come together. Here are some ways to help build and engage with your own communities.
Why communities matter
The best thing about communities is that they connect you with your community in a more intimate setting. A community lets you share content with its members, get feedback, and find new audiences. It also cultivates brand loyalty by listening to your audience and creating content around topics they care about most.
Finding your community—and finding your place in it
Finding your community is important.
But before you can build a community, you have to find one. Your best bet is to search for a space that aligns with your values and interests. This might be an old-school forum, Facebook group, or something more modern like Twitch, Gank, and other social media platforms!
Where will you engage with your community?
You will encounter many communities throughout your journey as a content creator. In fact, one of the keys to your success is your ability to build and engage with your own communities.
There are online communities—forums, social media channels, and the like. You also have physical communities—meetups in events and conventions that bring people together in real life.
It’s worth considering which of these opportunities makes sense for your brand at this time. It usually makes more sense to focus on one or another aspect of community building.
Exclusive Platforms
Exclusive platforms like Discord and Subscribers-only chats are a great way to build a community around your brand and drive engagement with your fan. They’re also a way to establish your brand as an authority in the digital space, which helps with visibility on social media.
While there are many benefits of using exclusive platforms, one of them is their exclusivity. If you want to build an engaged community, it’s important that you create a content strategy that makes sense for both the user and you as the brand itself.
When trying to determine if an exclusive platform would work for your audience, ask yourself these questions:
- What type of content will my audience be interested in?
- How often do they want this information delivered?
- Is this going to be something they share with other people or just keep private?
- Will they feel like they’re getting value out of what I have offered them?
Growing and building groups
Now that you’ve identified your communities, it’s time to build and engage with them.
The first step towards building a community is identifying the people you want to be part of. Make sure the people you want to be part of your community feel welcome, safe, and heard. understanding the role that each person on your team plays in growing it. This means defining each team member’s responsibilities, their purpose within the community, and how they fit into its overall strategy.
You also need to consider what goals you want your community members to achieve. These can range from getting people to share content and create relationships with one another to getting them involved in an offline event or meetup.
Tips for fostering and sustaining great communities
Here are a few key things to keep in mind when fostering and sustaining a great community.
Your community should be inclusive.
It’s important that your users feel safe and welcome in the space you’ve created for them. Make sure no toxic members or groups would make others uncomfortable. Be clear and consistent with your community rules, and get moderators to help implement them.
Don’t hesitate to step in when someone is being harassed. Even if it’s just an outside party asking questions, explain that it’s not okay—and then escalate if necessary!
Your community should be safe and welcoming.
You can’t have an active community without some degree of safety—you want people who feel comfortable contributing their thoughts and ideas rather than staying silent out of fear of what others might think about them! Make sure your platform has ways to report offenders and block them as well!
The key to having a safe community is to welcome diversity. Create spaces where people with different experiences or identities can comfortably interact and be themselves!
Conclusion
Being a part of a community is a rewarding and fulfilling experience. You want this experience to be shared by all your supporters.
Communities are a great way to build your brand and connect with fans. They can also be powerful tools for generating ideas and learning from others. But what makes the difference between a good community and a great one? It’s not just about finding people who share a passion—it’s about making sure those connections are authentic, consistent, and inclusive. Building and engaging with your own communities is essential to your success as a content creator.
