It’s one thing to have a social media profile, and another altogether to empower your business or personal branding efforts with an entirely independent social media fan page or community.
From small businesses to major corporations, thousands of worldwide business presences have captured the attention of social media platforms on a user-level, but few have made the move to becoming total fan-based brands.
Whether you want to simply conglomerate your social media presences or provide a new platform for fans and customers to interact, the tips in this post on fan page and community building will help you find social media marketing success.
1. Provide insider content
There’s nothing worse than a valueless community, and no marketer wants to be seen as a provider of one. Whenever you can provide an insider platform for your fans, make sure you fill it with information and valuable content too.
Sometimes all it takes is a few interesting company photos or videos, along with some cool interviews and insider content. Giving back to your fans doesn’t take much time, but it really pays off.
2. Connect with your community personally
If you operate a company or personal forum, don’t just leave it to users to create the conversation; get in there and do it yourself! A dedicated social media presence doesn’t just require communication with the general public, but a dedicated effort to connect with fans and insiders.
Rather than letting your forum self-survive, get in their and provide personal input to fans, customers, and followers.
3. Let your community participate in your projects
Crowdsourcing has received a lot of praise, and an equal amount of criticism, over the last few years. Whether you use crowdsourcing as a productivity strategy or merely as an audience involvement tool, it can be a great way to boost enthusiasm and connection amongst your followers.
If you’re involved in a very public project, give your community a way to participate and contribute. Not only will you gain valuable input, but you’ll boost the connection and loyalty of your followers.
4. Minimize confusion, and stay 100% transparent with your community
Blogging about one type of behavior and applying a different type to your own life is a recipe for disaster. Rather than leading your audience down a path that’s not true to yourself, stay transparent and let them know exactly what you’re planning.
Something as minor as a monthly summary post can really boost involvement and commitment from your community.
5. Put on special events and meetups
You’ve got to reward your followers for sticking with you and supporting yourself, your business, or your products.
Whenever you get the chance, make your own events something that your audience can join. From insider meetups to one-off parties, getting your community involved is a sure-fire way to move your influence beyond yourself.
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