Social media is a microcosm for real, human interaction in many ways. Perhaps the most prominent is everyone’s search for a community. Whether they find that in a Facebook group, on an Instagram page, or elsewhere, a sense of community is what will keep social media users coming back to your content time after time. At Social Media Marketing World this year, Brian Fanzo discussed the ways in which you can cultivate a strong community.
Spoiler alert: it’s not as easy as naming multiple moderators for your Facebook group or asking intriguing questions. In fact, it goes far beyond that – into the territory of empathy, trust, and more. The earlier you can stop thinking about social media as the place for you to give users a glimpse into your life, or a place for them to tell you about theirs, the easier it’ll be to create a strong community bond. As Fanzo says, the shift that everyone needs to make is a move away from “me” and towards “we.”
Community, according to Fanzo, begins with passionate people. Your task is to find them, and it’s often easier than you think. Rather than thinking about reaching new audiences, look within at the customers or employees you already have. Find the ones that react passionately and personally to your brand and its message, working to leverage their support. Community blossoms when members work together, and passionate people are willing to put in the work. Find them, show them you appreciate them, and work with them to build something amazing – whatever that may be.
Additionally, narrow down your shared purpose. Most people follow brands because they relate to them in some way. Similar to how you shouldn’t be seeking new audiences to find your passionate community members, you shouldn’t be trying to change your members’ purpose or generate some new goal. Ask them: what motivated you to follow my page? Why did you join my group? With those answers, you’ll have a clear sense of what your brand means to the people that matter. Capitalize on that message and grow it, spread it. It will only draw more passionate people toward you.
Also make clear that your space online is one of collaboration and curation. Don’t put pressure on anyone to create something new and innovative. Just ask them to bring up ideas that matter, and take those ideas to heart. Fanzo emphasized that collaboration is only useful when it’s mutually beneficial. When your followers are coming up with the ideas that will eventually land a spot on your website or in one of your posts, they get the satisfaction of contributing, and you get to reap the benefits of their wonderful ideas. Don’t shy away from advice from customers or employees – the more you work with them, the more accepted they’ll feel.
Finally, you must leverage each member’s individual passion. It’s likely that each individual Instagram follower or Facebook group member has stuck with you for some unique or specific reason. Showing them that you recognize and appreciate that, or doing what Fanzo calls “shining the spotlight” on them, makes them feel accepted. Furthermore, when you can echo their reasons for being there or give them validation that they’re in the right place, you begin cultivating digital empathy.
This concept of digital empathy is truly the key to all community building online. Being able to understand and share the feelings of your followers is what will help them realize they’re not just a follower, or a number. Rather, they’re a human alongside you working towards a shared vision. Empathy, however, starts with you. You need to make these efforts to find the passionate individuals, nail down their shared purpose, and invite collaboration in order to take your brand from a “me” centric purpose to a “we” centric success.