Has the community ever mattered more than it does in the current online climate? 2020 was difficult, in more ways than one, but social media allows the opportunity for connection. So when you’re managing your brand’s online community, finding that sense of relatability and belonging is really important. Bark Social shares their top tips to helping you create your own online community.
Be authentic
This is social media 101 – if you’re coming across stale, boring and robotic, you’re missing the point. To connect successfully with your community, you have to give off an authentic style. 75% of Americans regard transparency as the highest quality in a brand’s online community. Gaining that trust isn’t easy, but it can be hugely beneficial for your business.
Get your creative juices flowing
No one likes failing. Even so, in the world of community management, you’ve got to get some things wrong before you get them right. Falling into the trap of playing it safe or becoming monotonous can be detrimental. In some ways, your community is a big focus group. Always try out new ways of doing things while reading the room. At the end of the month you can assess what’s worked and what hasn’t. Sticking out from the crowd is vital!
Engagement
To put it bluntly: if you want your community to blossom, you’ve got to engage in the right way. Encouraging discussion in your online space will eventually lead to you spark conversations between different members. When you’re at a stage where discussion is going on without your input, all you have to do is sit back and relax. You want those community roots to go and the more you engage, the deeper they’ll go.
Get your channels right
Finding the right channel for your brand is always going to be one of the first steps of setting up your brand’s online space. It’s important to remember that quality always beats quantity. If you find that your audience mainly resides on twitter, focus all of your attention there. Forget the big numbers for now, they’ll come when you manage your community on the right channel.
Approach negativity correctly
We’d all love to be living in a care-free utopia but, unfortunately, that isn’t the way of the internet. Negativity will always sprout up in online communities and dealing with it correctly is crucial to your success. Burying your head under the sand is not the right way to deal with things so never ignore any public negativity. Keep engaging positive or negative. Also, never censor anybody unnecessarily. Of course, there are times when this is needed, but unfair censorship is a hole many community managers get sucked into.
When you find the balance in your community management, things will start to go incredibly smoothly. Use these five tips to discover that balance and you’ll have a great foundation to keep your community growing.
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