There has been a lot of talk lately about Community Based Marketing, and how it is influencing the choices of big brands.
In this article we will see what it is and how to exploit it for your business.
Let’s start from the root of the problem: what change in customer consumption habits has led to the formulation of this new strategy?
According to a 2018 Salesforce study, 84% of. Customers say they want to be treated as a person rather than a number in relationships with brands.
Over the course of 2 years, this consumer need has forced the giants of commerce to face a context that is certainly known, but all in all new in terms of the quantitative factor (84%, EIGHTY-FOUR).
The brand must therefore humanize itself and actively participate as a member of a community.
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The intensification of relationships between customers and brands is making community based marketing a crucial component of modern marketing strategies.
In addition to its undoubted effectiveness, there is also a progressive disaffection of customers from traditional marketing practices, such as advertising or influencer marketing.
Let’s go step by step:
Table of contents [Close]
Definition of community
What does community marketing involve?
Advantages and disadvantages
Some examples
1. Lego
2. Adidas
Some examples of community-based marketing strategies?
1. Create advocacy programs and ambassadors
2. Online platforms
3. Support a social cause (and think about it)
4. Organize events
5. Gamification
In conclusion
Definition of community
A community can be defined as a space, whether virtual or real, in which people share similar values and interests and feel a connection or belonging to something.
There are 3 indicators that reveal belonging to a brand community:
Awareness (recognizing connections between people and distinctions from other groups)
Rituals and traditions
Sense of obligation to the community
While these indicators apply to communities in general, in the case of a brand community these points are declined around a brand.
Customers are now creating deep connections with other supporters of a specific brand and even with the brands themselves.
The rise of brand communities marks a new opportunity for marketers to connect deeply with their customers.
What does community marketing involve?
Community-based marketing therefore takes advantage of this natural human propensity to aggregate and fuels it by providing values, messages and meanings for community members to share (both online and offline).
You don’t even have to go to the trouble of creating a community from scratch (you don’t know how much work and effort that means!).
Brands can choose to enter with determination into an already existing community! (not that this doesn’t involve effort and work, mind you).
In both cases, community building requires constant contact with the “base”, and the creation of as many opportunities for interaction as possible (such as events or groups), up to the creation of real traditions (festivals, gatherings, etc.).
Community building is a long-term process that requires attention and consistency.
Advantages and disadvantages
Advantages:
Better customer experience
Increased loyalty
Growth in word of mouth
Humanization of the brand and the customer
In short, in addition to the undoubted advantages купить ресурс данных телемаркетинга listed, we are talking about practices that although they seem easy and natural are different (sometimes diametrically opposed) to traditional marketing.
Companies that adopt community-based marketing will face the challenge of measuring the
effectiveness of this strategy, managing negative feedback, and the need to constantly fuel conversations around the brand.
Some examples
1. Lego
The Lego community is an excellent example of community-based marketing, which manifests itself in the form of a web platform called Lego Ideas.
The platform allows community members to share ideas for new products and proudly showcase the creations they have made using Lego.
Members can then vote on and comment on specific ideas.
In addition to building customer loyalty, this bu leads strategy is a great source of UGC (user generated content), not to mention the great value of what we might call spontaneous market analysis.
The Adidas Creator’s Club may seem similar to the Lego strategy, but it brings the gamification factor to the community.
Community members can complete tasks like uploading images or participating in a workout to receive rewards like early access to sales, product discounts, or exclusive invitations to events.
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It is a way of creating a highly engaged and engaged community, which has great potential to share branded content outside of the platform, to their circle both online and offline.
Some examples of community-based marketing strategies?
But what has been said so far must be translated into practice. Here are some techniques of this powerful marketing strategy.
1. Create advocacy and ambassador programs
Advocates and ambassadors are the anchors of a community, they drive conversations, organize events and make newcomers feel welcome when they join the community.
Brands need to be able to connect with these advocates and motivate them to contribute to communities, and this can be done in the form of an advocacy or ambassador program.
An advocacy program is a system that rewards and encourages customers to support a brand.
These programs are often set up as reward programs, VIP clubs or even paid ambassador positions.
2. Online Platforms
Online platforms like Lego Ideas or even Facebook Groups are an easy way to connect with communities that need a digital place to come together.
Marketers can create and moderate this space to start conversations, communicate offers, and gather feedback.
3. Support a social cause (and think about it)
One of the most powerful tools marketers have when it comes to building communities is supporting social causes.
People naturally form strong bonds when it comes to. Supporting causes they are passionate about, as evidenced by the global wave of climate protests sparked by the now famous Greta Thunberg.
But what does a company have to do with these social dynamics?
Well, 76% of consumers expect brands to have a positive social impact on the communities they operate in.
Companies can support causes in a variety of ways, including sponsoring social organizations, hosting events, or making charitable donations.
4. Organize events
Events are a direct tool for creating shared meanings and traditions within a community.
Physical events are particularly effective because they provide space for people to interact face-to-face and potentially meet the people behind a brand.
5. Gamification
Gamification has been a must in marketing for years now, which uses some psychological levers to make people perform actions (with the promise of gratification).
Implementing a gamification strategy also contributes, in the world of social gaming, to creating and consolidating communities.
In conclusion
It has now become essential for brands to convey empathy for customers and community members, and therefore constantly create communication opportunities and encourage the birth of traditions that help consolidate relationships.
Companies that achieve this result will build brands tailored to their specific target, and this relationship, we are sure, will last for years.
