How to Build a Solid Online Community
Here’s the thing. I believe that social media is social. It started as, and should continue to be, a social platform where people are focused on people. Are there results and conversions from focusing on people? Absolutely. But you have to build trust and connect with your audience and community before they feel comfortable buying from you.
Trust is the foundation of any good relationship.
Want to get your community to start trusting you? To start actually connecting with you?
There are lots of strategies on how to do this, but here are a few of my favorites.
People first. Always.
Focus on your people. Put them first every.single.time. Make that a priority.
That means you need to engage and interact with them. When someone comments on a post, respond to them! When someone DMs you, respond to them! Better yet - send them a voice message or video message!
Be personal… click on their profile to find out their name, and call them by their name. Don’t give generic responses. The more personal and genuine you are, they more likely they are to pause and think, “Whoa… she’s actually paying attention to me.” Because in a sea of people and user accounts, most people - and definitely most brands - don’t pay that much attention. You will stand out.
Another thing you can do is to join Facebook groups related to your industry or niche… but don’t be a silent ghost in them. You need to actually participate. Comment. Respond. Engage.
You never know how far engaging with someone online can go… Some of my current closest friendships are a result of introductions and engagement on Instagram and Facebook.
Be a human.
Don’t let 100% of your social media posts be centered on your brand, business, service, or products. You will not look like an empathetic, friendly human. You will look like a sleazy salesperson.
My rule of them is that 80% of your posts should be relationship-building, and 20% should be promotional or sales. So maybe that means that 4 out of 5 of your weekly feed posts are focusing on who you are as a person (“It’s been awhile since I’ve introduced myself around here. Here are 5 fun facts you may not know about me!”), encouragement (quotes, whether inspirational or funny), educational (tips, hacks, mistakes to avoid), and community-driven (FAQs, polls). And then the other post each week is about your business/brand… (upcoming launches, upcoming sales or promos, what benefits you have to offer, how you can help solve someone’s pain points).
Provide value to your people. Show that you are an actual person with feelings, who makes mistakes, and who gets them. Sprinkle in a little bit about your brand and offerings.
Be consistent.
Be consistent in your posting and your engagement. Whatever posting schedule you can handle - stick with it. I talk about this a little bit here.
Another way to be consistent is in your engagement. If you have a hard time setting boundaries on spending time on social media, here’s a tip: Set a timer. Choose a set amount of time (20-30 minutes), and here’s how to break that down:
10-15 minutes before you post, engage.
20-30 minutes after you post, engage.
You can engage on hashtags (search 3-5 of your key hashtags or hashtags that your client might be searching, and then engage with 5 accounts that are following those hashtags), stories (reply to someone’s stories… it can be someone in your industry and/or a potential client), and with your followers (comment on their posts and reply to their stories).
Let’s not make being on social media just a matter of checking a box. Let’s build community.
Want to know more on how to make this work?
Let’s set up a Strategy or Coaching Session to talk about what will work best for your community!
