The members of a brand community not only interact with the brand but also do so with each other because they share common interests that take advantage of new digital channels to explore that social aspect.
Continuing with the PlayStation example mentioned above, many players gather around the brand to discuss the devices, make recommendations or comments and share their experiences with Sony games.
Thus, the brand community is important for companies and allows customers to find people with the same interests and hobbies.
For a company, the brand community allows it to be in direct contact with people who are enthusiastic about its products and who, at the same time, can be influential in the opinion or vision of other individuals. This marketing approach enables the brand to adapt and change in response to the demands and expectations of its most important clients.
Advantages of creating a brand community
We have already mentioned and explained how a brand community works. Now is the time to see its concrete benefits for companies.
These are some of the key advantages for a company when creating a brand community:
Less marketing and advertising expenses. Betting on this marketing strategy usually implies a reduction in advertising spending.
Creation of a feeling of belonging. As we have seen, the brand community helps create a sense of belonging among customers or users.
Identify product improvements. Since customers can participate, it is easy to incorporate improvements to the brand’s products.
Brand image. A good brand community helps create a positive brand image reflected through customer and user comments.
Loyalty. This strategy makes it much easier to retain the company’s customers.
Visibility. The brand community helps increase the visibility of the company’s products and its reputation among potential customers.
Improved knowledge of the target audience. Creating a community not only means sitting down to receive the benefits, but it also means listening to customers. This, in addition to helping to improve products, serves to identify better who the company’s target is.
Attract traffic to the website. If combined with a good content strategy, you can increase the traffic that reaches the brand’s website.
How do you create a brand community?
Next, we are going to do a brief review of key characteristics when creating a brand community:
Analysis. Before creating it, you must analyze the important points about the brand, values, corporate image, etc.
Goals. Once the initial analysis of the situation has been carried out, you must establish what you want to achieve with the community to combine strategies and obtain positive results.
Target identification. The better the brand knows its potential customers, the easier it will be to create a successful brand community.
Rules. The community is a place of interaction, but to create a favourable environment, rules of use must be established, and the consequences of violating them must be specified.
Content strategy. The brand community must develop a content strategy like any other digital marketing strategy. Encourage participation, create communication channels, raffles, consultations, problem-solving, doubts, etc.
Active listening. Creating a community is useless if the company actively listens to the needs of its target audience.
Dynamization. At the same time that it is necessary to listen, it is essential to promote the dynamization of content and interaction between users and the brand.
Monitoring. It is about designing a plan that defines how and in what way the brand community will be managed. It cannot be created and left to grow and move independently. There is a need for professionals who manage a healthy and active community and who report results.
Analysis of results. Periodically, it is advisable to carry out an analysis of the results that are obtained.