Make fans, not consumers
Does your idea of having a fan base look a lot like ‘Beatlemania’ from the Sixties? Think black & white footage of fans screaming and girls fainting? It should! Your brand deserves mass hysteria just as much as the next teen idol does. In a world of overconsumption and unlimited options, your brand needs loyal consumers that will stick with you no matter what. Creating a thriving community is tricky though, but with these useful tips, you’ll have your own fans rooting for you in no time!
Celebrate your existing customers
One of the oldest tricks in the book, but attracting new customers is much more expensive than keeping old ones. We’re sure you’re already familiar with this concept, but let this be your friendly reminder to invest in the people who’ve loved your brand from day one. Find out who they are, what they like, start a conversation and most importantly listen to them. Creating a long-lasting community gets you invaluable insights which will transform loyal customers into superfans!
Engage in a two-way conversation
Just like any other strong relationship, communication is key. Launching new products, sending newsletters or regularly posting on social media without ever engaging with your target audience is a red flag which may cost you consumers. Now more than ever, people are making conscious decisions. It’s critical to know what your target audience is thinking and how it affects their consumer behavior. Building and maintaining a strong brand community should be high on your list. Treat your consumers as if they were your closest friends. Engage, listen, talk and just like that a long lasting relationship might be around the corner.
Focus on emotional needs
Emotional needs are more durable than shopping behavior. A successful brand or product fulfills a consumer’s personal needs without them even knowing. Building a strong community with your target audience helps you to crawl into your customer’s mind and truly enables you to understand their deep rooted needs. If your fans feel an emotional connection with your brand, they’re more likely to stay with you instead of switching to your competitor.
Be a role model
Honest and authentic brands are gaining trust and usually have a supportive fan base. We know you can’t buy authenticity, but here’s a trick or two to steer you in the right direction. See your consumers as valuable community members and allow them to criticize your brand or activities when needed. Nobody is perfect, neither is your brand. Find out what’s important to your target audience and which values they like to keep. What’s meaningful to them, must be meaningful to your brand as well. Be honest about errors or failures and celebrate successes. As in life, your brand has its ups and downs, being real about it makes you trustworthy.
Become a loyal friend
Do you know the feeling of obsessing over an exciting new television show, book or restaurant? When you’re passionate about something, you probably can’t stop talking about it. You want to share your experience with friends, family or even your social media followers. Word of mouth marketing may feel old-school and outdated, but you can’t underestimate the power of loyal fans. Being a valuable part of a thrilling community is something fans take pride in. They are more likely to tell their friends and family how much they love your brand when they feel like they are part of something truly amazing. Let’s be honest, who would you believe more: your mother or just another social media ad? In an online world ruled by influencers paid by brands, the importance of honest #notsponsored hashtags is never bigger.
Details matter
Everybody can gather useful data about consumers and their behavior. You want the good stuff, the insights pot of gold! Get to know your customers on a deeper level by paying attention to the details. It’s a great way to distinguish yourself from your competitors and an even better way to gain loyal superfans!
Create a thriving community
Did you know that you can easily build an online space where you can engage with your consumers? CMNTY Platform is a user-friendly and flexible solution where you can create your very own fan base. The platform combines all the tools you need to build a thriving community. You can engage with participants through the forum, questionnaire, journal or plan an online focus session. You can even mix qualitative and quantitative research to get all the information you need from your consumers. Whether it is your first attempt at setting up an online community or you’re hiring a market research agency to lead the project, CMNTY is there every step of the way. With every project comes a dedicated Customer Success Manager to help you set up the software and assist you throughout the whole project. We care about your community and wouldn’t want anything less than seeing your superfans cheering you on!