What's up brand Builder Stephen Houraghan here at
Brand MasterAcademy.com and in this video you're Going to learn how to build a thriving
brand Community with top brand examples So you can bring your audience together through
their challenges and goals and lay the foundations For a passionate following now brand communities
are a powerful asset why because they bring a Specific group of people together who just so
happen to be the Brand's target audience around Their shared interests including their problems
their Solutions their obstacles their challenges Their goals and their passions now most of
us internalize what we think around many of The things that we do and we don't always get the
opportunity to chew the fact to ask questions and To Simply join conversations around the things
that we're trying to do and that's where brand Communities come in in providing a platform
for conversations and engagement Brands build Relationships earn trust and learn more about
their people they're trying to help and in this Video you'll learn how to build a brand Community
for your people around your brand now the beauty Of about building brand communities is that you
already know the people you want to create the Group for if you're creating a brand Community
then you have a brand if you have a brand then You've done your research on your audience and
you know exactly who you want to help so let's Look at how you can bring those people together
and help them in the process number one get clear On your audience and their passions their brand
communities aim to bring people together through Their shared interests and their passions as well
now the more acutely aware of those interests and Passions you are including challenges and desires
the more engaged a community that you can create Now for Brands to help their customers in some
way to live a desired lifestyle an opportunity Exists to illuminate the picture of that desired
life and align themselves to the positive emotions Associated with it number two get clear on your
brand fundamentals now your brand exists to serve Your audience that's why your brand exists without
that audience there is no reason for your brand to Exist but you need to get crystal clear on what
reason you're going to provide that audience to Choose you over your competitors that is your
differentiation strategy and the position that You're going to take in the market once you're
clear on the position that you're going to take In the market you then need to define the method
that you're going to use to communicate with That audience how are you going to show up what
way are you going to speak how are you going to Communicate how are you going to look and feel how
are you going to sound these are all fundamental Questions that need to be answered through your
brand strategy and getting crystal clear on your Brand strategy is critical at this point the more
clearly you define your brand and what it stands For the more effectively you can communicate
this to your target audience being clear on Why you exist and how you're going to help makes
it easier to bring people together on that shared Path through a brand Community number three Define
the goals for your community now before you invest
The time and effort into fostering a great brand
Community consider the primary objectives of That community so what are you hoping to achieve
from setting up a brand Community answering this Question will help you to make customer oriented
decisions about how you interact with your Community to achieve your goals so think about how
you plan to engage with your community how can you Turn new customers into brand loyalists how are
you going to measure the success of your community Your engagement levels and your conversations
what metrics will you track on a daily weekly or Monthly basis and how do you think the community
will achieve the broader company goals and finally How can you strengthen your relationship with
your community members consider these questions Before you proceed with any Community Building to
ensure that you get the most out of the process Number four choose a community platform where will
your online brand Community meet to socialize and Share information you have many options at your
disposal here forums are a great way for larger Communities to get together and discuss a variety
of topics related to your brand or industry so Much of modern discourse takes place on social
media platforms and you probably already have a Presence on Facebook Instagram or LinkedIn you
can build a brand community on social networks By engaging with members through your account or
creating a dedicated LinkedIn or Facebook group Rewards and affiliate programs are another option
for a brand community base these are specifically More focused on giving back and rewarding
Customer Loyalty but they can still be used As a place for discussion and to exchange ideas
affiliate programs directly contribute to business Growth as consumers get rewards for referrals
incentivizing the spread of your brand experience Private communities are also another great option
with slack and mobilize being great tools for Community engagement that allow the brand to
create various channels and topics for each Discussion so this gives you a bit more freedom
than the likes of Facebook where your visibility Might be a little bit more restricted and don't
forget there's always room for offline and In-person meetups as well many Brands organized
groups where customers can meet up to enjoy the Brand's products together and to socialize as
well gyms and sports club often do this to help Generate the sense of community spirit and bring
people together under their Banner number five Plan your engagement so whichever platform you
choose you need to give customers a reason to Interact with the community and there are a few
different considerations for this first ensure That you're active in responding to customer
comments and queries as well customers expect You to answer questions promptly and you should
see this as part of the customer experience that You off offer now of course there will be other
members within the group answering those questions But as the community leader as the brand leader
as the brand building this community you need To have active engagement within that group that
means engaging in group discussions but also at an Individual level as well this approach shows that
you care about your loyal customers second you
Need to create a Content plan for things to share
within your brand community and then stick to That what are you going to share with your loyal
customers that provides valuable information and Keeps them checking your community and actively
taking part now this should be fun competitions Educational videos blog posts surveys news update
anything that really gives them information that They can use on their Journey on their path to
achieve their goals or to Foster that sense of Communication faster that sense of discussion
and connection that will really bring people Back to your platform time and again now look the
type of content you post the way you engage it's All going to depend on your brand personality and
the way you want to show up but what's important Here is that you're maintaining a presence within
the community that encourages further engagement Number six consolidate the emotional relationship
it's not enough to create a space for discussion You need to encourage emotional bonding within
your community most loyal customers don't love Brands out of logic they become fans based on
an emotional connection with the brand now that Emotion comes from a constant brand experience
that aligns with their values and outlook on life So within your brand Community you need to inspire
that connection through brand storytelling that Leans on your brand personality to resonate with
that fan base now this is done in a multitude of Different ways you can share stories of success
from your customers who have been through the Journey who have been through the challenges and
come out the other side you can share your own Stories of your own challenges and the problems
that you overcame as well you can play games Within the community you can discuss what's going
on within the industry itself or The Wider World These are all ways to really engage your community
and get the discussion going so that people are More compelled to engage within the conversation
than to come back for more so now that you have Some solid steps to go out and build your own
Community let's have a look at some examples Of brand communities that showcase the power of
community engagement now apple is a poster child For Brands around the world and when it comes to
Brand communities it's no different Apple uses Its brand Community to shape a lifestyle that
goes beyond the products themselves Apple Vans Don't just gather to discuss the latest iPhone
updates or the latest MacBook or iOS updates They gathered to discuss opportunities that exist
through using the Brand's products Steve Jobs once Famously said the people who are crazy enough to
think that they can change the world are the ones Who actually do and apple have built a community
of people who are crazy enough to think that they Can change the world and in this modern era today
with so many businesses being created online so Many use the Apple products to do just that along
with a community for people to gather and think Differently they also created an Apple support
Community this encourages community members to Engage with each other to troubleshoot problems
while offering other suggestions to improve The product experience even when addressing
potential issues Apple turned troubleshooting
Into an opportunity for increased engagement and
to solidify that Community Spirit Starbucks is Another example of a brand with a vibrant brand
Community often the detail is in the Small Things Starbucks calls its Baristas Starbucks partners
and this label already sets out the ethos that Starbucks is an inclusive brand as it Embraces
employees as partners now Harley Davidson is A brand that is renowned for its Army of loyal
fans but it wasn't always roses for Harley and In the 80s they faced an uphill struggle there
were a brand with no clear Direction then they Made a conscious decision to Pivot as a Lifestyle
brand around a brand community of Harley-Davidson Riders the hog or Harley Owners Group is a highly
engaged brand community based around the lifestyle Associated with the brand they celebrate real-life
road trips Adventures spirits and a general Fun-loving attitude that captures the dreams of
Harley-Davidson owners community members motivate Each other to get out on the open road and to
enjoy the lifestyle that goes alongside with Owning a Harley-Davidson the hog brand Community
is a perfect example of making that emotional Connection between a brand and its way of life
the motorcycle is the literal vehicle through Which community Unity members Express themselves
now I really love this example because it is about Bringing people together through their passions
and through that lifestyle as well remember these Are things that people already think about they
want to be out on the open road they want that Freedom from the constraints of modern society so
Harley Davidson creates this environment for their Passions to come out and if you have a community
of followers or if you support a certain type of Lifestyle then lean into that lifestyle put that
lifestyle on a pedestal and use that to attract Engaged followers now if you're wondering
would a brand Community work for me from my Brand for my industry well let's look at a few
critical questions to get to the bottom of that Do our customers have shared interests are they
passionate about these interests are we involved Directly or indirectly in those interests do
they or would they gather to discuss their those Interests if the answer to these questions is yes
then there is an argument in favor of creating a Brand Community for your brand having a loyal
community of brand lovers can bring countless Of benefits for your brand from customer insights
from the horse's mouth to a breeding ground for Brand ambassadors an effective well-managed brand
Community can be an invaluable asset for your Brand but it's important to remember that it is
the feeling of community of emotional connection And regular engagement that distinguishes
engaged and valuable communities from the Rest bring your audience together on shared and
passionate interests create an environment to Share and connect and you might just build an
asset that breeds loyalty and advocacy now if You want to dive deeper into brand strategy then
this video here will help you out but before you Click it if you want to become a master of brand
make sure you hit the like And subscribe to get More videos just like this until next time Brian
like a master and I'll see you in the next video
[Music]
