We all talk about community, and you should too
Community is becoming more and more important for Gen Z and Gen A. Young consumers long to be part of the community of their favorite brands and artists.
The brands that get it, get it. The brands that don't, don't. Some give back to their community through giveaways, while others give their community a sense of belonging through exclusive access to an event or sale. If you haven’t started building your community yet, here’s why you definitely should.
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craving connection
Gen Z and Gen A crave connection, they want to feel seen and heard. Thanks to social media, especially TikTok, it’s easier than ever for brands and artists to genuinely connect and engage with their audiences. Major artists like Billie Eilish and Lady Gaga are on TikTok, where the algorithm gives them a For You Page just like everyone else. They can like, comment, and share content from everyday people, making the gap between artists and fans, or brands and consumers, feel smaller and more authentic. And Gen Z and Gen A love this! If they get the feeling that brands aren’t being transparent, or aren’t taking their customers seriously, they move on to the next best brand. By building a community, you allow your brand to connect with its target audience on a deeper level, creating brand love and an emotional connection. Make sure you give your audience something that’s adding to their lives. This could be inspiration, empowerment, education, or just a positive feeling. Doing this, plus engaging with them in a way that resonates, will give them a reason to be part of what you’re building.
A WIN-WIN SITUATION
So the next generations want to be part of a community, we know that now. But don’t forget that building those communities is also extremely valuable for you as a brand. By listening and engaging with your target audience, you gain deeper insights into their preferences, pain points, and what they want to see next. Building a community also boosts customer loyalty and keeps your brand top of mind. These are just a few reasons why creating a community is so important, and many brands are already reaping the benefits. If you’re not doing it yet, your competitors likely are, and consumers may switch to brands that do make them feel seen and heard.
Brands that are doing it right
Do you still feel lost? Let us show you three examples of brands that fully understand how to build that community!
Djerf Avenue Icons
Djerf Avenue showed love to their community by inviting the first 40 people who signed up on their website for a photoshoot. These girls were no influencers and don’t really have a big audience to share this experience with. However, this did make the Djerf Avenue community feel seen.
Maebe by Molly Mae
New fashion brands launch every day, but Molly Mae blew us away with hers. Her womenswear brand ‘Maebe’ gained 80 thousand followers through earned media of people speculating about Molly’s new project. From the start, she made sure to include her community and this is how.
Before announcing anything online, Molly gave away little pieces of information in her social media and vlogs. This allowed fans to collect the pieces of the puzzle, and so the speculation began. Rather than staying quiet, Molly and her team decided to go with the flow and get the hype going even more. Molly was interacting with the investigations on TikTok and eventually posted a video of her answering this question:
‘Have you ever thought about launching a fashion brand?’
‘Maebe'
After this post, the Instagram and TikTok of Maebe blew up and she gained almost half a million followers in only two days. She then posted content on her social media accounts where she spoke directly to her audience and their detective work. That was everything the reveal needed and the perfect way to keep her followers engaged and make them feel included
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Close friends with Billie Eilish
Billie Eilish also knows how to make her community feel seen and heard. She broke the internet when she decided to add all of her followers to her ‘Close Friends’ story. Close friends is a function in Instagram, in which you make certain stories only available for selected people. Billie decided to add all of her followers to hers.
Instagram users were in shock when they saw they had access to Billie’s close friends story. By adding her followers to her close friends, she made certain content accessible for just her followers. And what happens when you don’t have access to this exclusive content? Exactly: You get FOMO. And this is why Billie gained over 10 million followers in just one week.
This is such a small change in communications, but it gave her community that sense of exclusivity, almost like a VIP club. Such a simple way to build that feeling of belonging.
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common mistakes
Tess Scholten, founder For You Agency:
"One of the biggest mistakes brands make is assuming that everyone wants to follow them. Understand that not everyone wants, and can be part of your community. This isn’t a bad thing. It just gives you the chance to put more focus on the people that do want to be part of it."
It’s so much better to have a select group of people that loves you, than a big group of people that kind of likes you.
Become part of the community you want to reach. Brands that succeed in creating authentic experiences don’t just talk to their audience, they become one of them. When a brand is being real, people notice, and that’s what builds brand love and lasting loyalty.
what's in it for the marketer?
We’ve said it once, and we’ll say it again. Community is key. Not caring about who buys your products or services is no longer an option, as people place more value on brands they feel attached to. That doesn’t mean that you solely have to focus on your community, but you should pay attention to what they’re saying, what they want and how you can connect that to your brand. If you're still debating on investing in your community, now’s the time. As the distance between brands and buyers is getting smaller, it’s easier to communicate directly with them, and get their direct feedback. Try to see this as an opportunity, play with your community in different ways, give them a chance to ‘discover’ something, let them speculate, make them feel special.
