A strong brand community is one of the best ways to drive loyalty and engagement with your customers. Communities are proven to create referrals, repeat business, reviews, feedback loops, UGC (user-generated content) and more. Moreover, brands can recognize the benefits of community advocacy by strengthening consumer trust and relationships, forming the underpinnings of long-term loyalty.
Kobie partners with leading brands to leverage community-building strategies as part of broader Enterprise Loyalty Design. Here are some key principals for fostering brand community, and best-in-market examples of how to activate them.
- Identify your core audience
- Through the analysis of your current customers, including their behavioral, emotional and transactional data (what Kobie refers to as Triple Play Data), identify you core audience and segments who will make up your brand community. Market research, competitor analysis, and additional data strategies can be leveraged to ensure you understand your who your core audience is and what type of engagement they are seeking with fellow community members.
- You can also utilize channels outside of your brand to identify and listen to your core audience. For example, AMC Theatres used social media to augment their understanding of members and create loyalty initiatives like for segments such as their retail investors.
- Create communal activities that center around brand values
- A key to community success lies in creating the activities that will facilitate engagement. Allow for interaction to help deepen community ties, create a safe space for members to share interests or make plans, and make it accessible for people.
- For example, REI hosts local meetups and adventure workshops for its community members, and Lululemon offers in-store class, global run clubs and personal development workshops. These communal activities tie back to their brand values and help establish community in tangible ways
- Cultivate authenticity
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- To help cultivate authenticity, focus on the quality of your community over the quantity of members. Giving members an outlet for open communication, connection and personalized support or recommendations can resonate authentically with customers.
- For example, Sephora’s Beauty Insider community aims to do more than “check a box” for members through the creation of an authentic, open community platform. Customers are encouraged to share their unique beauty experiences and can receive education from both peers and experts.
- Look for co-creation opportunities
- Today’s consumers want an active role in creating their experiences with a brand. Communities can serve as an ideal opportunity for co-creation, to where members can weigh in on desired products and services, provide valuable feedback, crowdsource ideas and help brands problem-solve.
- For example, Glossier has an active community on Reddit where members discuss skincare routines, product launches and honest review. The brand also used input from their Slack community to decide to use pumps instead of jars for their products.
Brands can activate these key principals and more through a variety of engagement models mentioned throughout these examples. Whether you’re driving member-to-member or member-to-brand connections, leveraging brand-owned channels or public forums, don’t miss the opportunity to gain valuable, long-term loyalty from your brand community.
To learn how Kobie can help, reach out to us today!
Written By: Hayley Hanel
Kobie’s Strategic Consulting Manager
