Why Online Communities are Vital to Your Brand
They say it takes a village to raise a child. Well, it takes a community to grow a brand. It has been proven that businesses benefit from their online communities. Taking the time to develop, nurture and grow your influencers is an important part of maintaining your business’ reputation.
If you haven’t given much attention to your community, now is the time to do so. Not only will this help your business increase sales and brand awareness, but also it will solidify your position as an industry leader.
Let’s dive into some of the ways that building a community can benefit your brand.
Help Customers Get the Full Value from Your Product
Maintaining an online community helps customers get more value from your products. Some services are straightforward but others are not. For example, if your business sells software, it’s important that customers know how to use your program. You might leverage your community to share tips and tricks, point out hidden features and introduce time-saving shortcuts that are included with your software.
Improve Your Product’s Features
A lot of discussion takes place in online communities. We encourage you to listen to the feedback and take it seriously. Some of your customers may have great ideas as to how to improve your products and services. After all, they are the ones using your items to enrich their lives. At the very least, you can be a step ahead of your competitors by understanding how to make your products better.
Introduce New or Updated Services
When you do take the time to develop a new product or enhance your current service, an online community helps spread awareness. Instantly, you will have a group of loyal customers who are excited to try your new product. These fans can help spread the word through their own social profiles, and the best part is, it doesn’t cost anything! You can’t argue with free advertising!
Control Social Media Conversations
Being present on social media is a must these days. All it takes is a few negative posts from unhappy customers to create a poor perception of your brand. Fortunately, an online community lets you influence conversations on social media regarding your brand.
For example, you can have more intimate, private conversations with your audience without your competitors knowing. And, if customers do have feedback, it can be addressed in your community rather than all over social media. Additionally, an online community consists of supporters of your brand. If negative posts are generated, you can hope that some of these individuals will come to the rescue.
Online communities are highly effective at identifying advocates, growing your brand and influencing what is said about your products and services. All it requires is a group of people – employees, customers, potential customers – that come together for a shared passion. Need help building a community for your brand? Let WSI Star Web Solutions help!