3 Reasons Why Community Helps Build Brand Love

If you want your brand to make more of an impact on your customers, you need to build a community. A brand community is like a family, it’s where your most loyal customers socialize. They get to talk about your brand, how it’s benefiting them, and discuss ways that your company can improve their services. After all, the people who buy from you know what they want, and discussions like this will give you the chance to improve. It’s important to mention that a brand community and brand awareness are two completely different concepts. Brand awareness means that people know about your brand, but they’re not emotionally or financially invested in it. Whereas those who are a part of your community are fully engaged with everything you do. There are several benefits to having a strong brand community, here are three of them. 

You Get Honest Feedback

The most effective way to develop your brand and increase your profit margins is to give your customers what they want. On social media platforms such as Instagram and Facebook, people are more likely to give their honest opinion about the experience they’ve had with your brand. Research has found that when people know they’re being observed, they change their behavior. This is referred to as the ‘Hawthorne Effect,’ hence the reason why traditional market research such as surveys and interviews are no longer as effective. With honest feedback, you can make the necessary changes to your company to ensure you’re giving your customers what they want.

Encourages Brand Loyalty

Have you ever had a bad customer experience where the service you received was below your expectations? Even when you spoke to management, no one validated your negative experience. That’s because the company doesn’t care about brand loyalty, and their main focus is on attracting as many customers as possible. That’s not the way to do business; a few loyal, happy customers is what you should focus on. These are the people who will tell everyone about your products and services, and keep writing good reviews. One way of retaining this type of customer is through a brand community. If you want to stay in business for the long hall, this is the way forward.

A More Efficient Way to Connect

Connection is important to you, and it's important to your customers. When someone wants to reach out to you, it's a lot easier to do when they are a part of a community. It can even prevent bad reviews from being written. If a community member is not happy with your services, they’re more likely to contact you directly in the hopes of rectifying the situation, instead of slamming you online. Additionally, it gives your business the opportunity to communicate with your customers in one place. For example, if you’ve got a new product coming out, make sure you release the information on an easily accessible platform. 

If you don’t have a brand community, start building one now. It will take time and effort, but it’s definitely worth it. You might want to set aside a budget for it and hire an expert to ensure that you get the most out of this effective marketing tool.