Whether social media channels or company-owned platforms: Engaging with fans and customers in a community is becoming increasingly important. To get started, those responsible for community management should understand the platform - and enjoy using it. Influencers can make it easier to get started.
How community management succeeds and is fun
The Social Media Atlas 2020 has found that almost one in five social media users aged 16 and over in Germany is a member of a company's own digital customer community. According to the study by communications consultancy Faktenkontor and market researcher Toluna, 47% of social media users who are not yet members can imagine joining a customer community. Women, young people, opinion leaders and professional influencers in particular can be found in customer communities. These platforms, also known as "on-domain communities", are offered by many companies.
Anyone who is active on the Internet and offers their goods and services there has a disadvantage compared to a store in a prime location. People pass by the store by chance and their gaze lingers on the cleverly decorated shop window. On the Internet and in social media, the brand has to be found first.
This can help, for example:
- A search engine optimized webshop
- Landing pages with crisp texts and attractive images
- Always up-to-date and relevant content on the website
Potential buyers should become aware of the products on their customer journey. A presence on the right social media platforms can help with this. But only those who understand the mechanisms of social media will be able to build relationships with fans and (potential) customers.
What goals can companies achieve with their community?
- Improve your visibility
- Strengthening the brand
- Build trust
- Improving the image
- Build up expert status
- Improve customer service
- Turn fans into customers & strengthen customer loyalty
- Attract and retain satisfied and loyal customers
- Become a Love Brand
- Generate and use user-generated content
- Strengthening employer branding
- Conduct market research, present new products in advance, generate data
How can you build and maintain a community for your brand?
- With a presence on social media channels such as Facebook, Instagram, TikTok or LinkedIn
- By setting up a group on a social media platform such as Facebook or LinkedIn
- With activities in online forums
- With the establishment of a company-owned community
The advantage of having your own community (on domain) is obvious. Instead of being dependent on the rules and algorithms of the large platforms, you as the provider define the framework conditions yourself. In other words, you have "domiciliary rights" and at the same time a content hub for your content. The visibility of the content is not subject to any algorithm - and no posts are deleted. In addition, such communities offer a wealth of data on customers and their interests and preferences.
Step by step to the online community
What are the best steps for building a community? You can compare the procedure with going to a party or an event. If you meet a large group of people that you only know partially or not at all, you will probably be rather reserved at first. Over the course of the evening, you will get to know other people, strike up a conversation and introduce yourself. With a few exceptions, very few people would jump into the middle of the room and immediately tell their own story or introduce their products.
What does this mean in relation to a social media platform?
- Step 1: Look around and listen carefully (including the question: What is the competition doing?)
- Step 2: Get to know functions, customs and algorithms
- Step 3: Make initial contacts
- Step 4: Respond to contributions from others
- Step 5: Talk to the fans
- Step 6: Post your own articles, take part in challenges and boldly follow the motto: "Trial & Error"
- Step 7: Be there for the long haul!
- Permanent: After the success analysis is before the success analysis
How do you get started on a new social media platform?
When starting a new channel, it helps to find employees who have the right knack for the platform. If you don't know what to do with videos, you should focus on LinkedIn or Twitter, but not TikTok. A successful entry can be made easier by working with influencers who are already successful creators on the platform. If their fanbase overlaps with your own target group, this creates an excellent win-win situation. This requires a thorough selection of cooperation partners, their professionalism and a trusting collaboration on an equal footing. A fair agreement with appropriate fees and exclusive content should be a matter of course for a good partnership.
Instead of limiting yourself to high-priced online stars, you can also consider micro-influencers with a suitable focus. They often have an enormous engagement rate, a top target group and a high trust factor. Their brand loyalty and credibility are considered particularly high and they know many of their fans personally.
Online meets offline
Sustainably successful community management in the online world is important. Nevertheless, you should not forget the analog space with personal contact. Exclusive on-site events for influencers and brand fans can strengthen a community. Such events don't have to be expensive. Being invited to the company's headquarters and gaining insights that "normal" customers are denied is already an attractive reward for loyal cooperation partners.
Communities sometimes emerge in places where they are hardly expected. Let's take Deutsche Bahn as an example. If you explain your delay at a party by saying that the train was standing on the open track for an hour, it usually triggers a lively discussion. Passionate car drivers and train haters immediately add their own travel experiences. A punctual train with a good meal in the on-board restaurant is rarely mentioned, but failed air conditioning systems are mentioned all the more.
But the impression is deceptive, there are also many enthusiastic users of the train. Some of them are almost walking timetables. If you want to get an impression of this, you can ask a question on Deutsche Bahn's Facebook page. There is a high probability that a fan will provide a quick and well-founded answer, especially outside of service hours. A community like this is extremely valuable for the company.
Successful customer communities in Germany
The TchiboCard Community is one of the particularly high-reach examples. For four years, its members have benefited from exclusive promotions and product tests relating to coffee and many other topics.
For example, if you publish your favorite cake recipe, you can have it judged by the community. If you get enough likes for your recipe, the "Community star chef" badge is waiting for you.
With its "square, practical, good" chocolate, Ritter Sport belongs to the Love Brands category. For the chocolate manufacturer, listening to customers' wishes and letting them participate in the development of new products has been standard practice for several years. Chocolate fans vote on new recipes, product names and packaging or submit suggestions.
On the Ritter Sport blog, chocolate fans can always vote on which slogans should appear on posters. These are displayed twice a year in large train stations. The idea is as simple as it is ingenious. The company receives feedback with little effort and thus free market research. In addition, the fans feel heard and involved.
Community management on TikTok
A platform like TikTok offers completely new opportunities to bind the community more closely to the brand. These include hashtag challenges, which ideally give creators a lot of freedom. On the other hand, remixes and the use of the duet function enable creative engagement with the company's content.
The basic principle and the algorithm in turn make sharing more difficult. In other words: If you want to rely on your community on TikTok in the long term, you have to constantly convince them with your content. The size of the community is less important than the actual content, because: Content finds users! This means that even a little-known player can achieve a wide reach - and vice versa.
Errors and risks in community management
An existing community also needs to be maintained. That's why high-quality and relevant content is required in the long term. As a community manager, you shouldn't leave the community to its own devices, but get involved on a regular basis. You should keep an eye on your "heavy users" and cooperating influencers. Monitoring their posts, responding to them and communicating with them on specific occasions (e.g. birthdays) is a must for community managers.
As a company, you are responsible for the discussion culture in your community; a passive attitude is not advisable. Keep an eye on the negative side effects of the community in the form of trolls and hate speech - and react with a sense of proportion. Instead of deleting an inappropriate comment, the wiser reaction may be to hide it if the platform allows this. However, at the latest when potentially criminal statements are made or community members make racist comments, for example, the fun should stop.
Community Management in a Nutshell
One quality is particularly important for building and maintaining successful communities: being a good listener! Those who engage with and value their community can benefit from feedback, recommendations and loyal customers. A community is not an advertising channel, but a constantly evolving organism that enables relevant and creative content to be brought to life and exchanged in a spirit of trust.
