The name of the game in digital marketing today is “community.” Any business that can grow its reputation beyond being known as a mere purveyor of goods or services can also grow brand awareness, customer loyalty and its bottom line. The key is to create an online presence on relevant platforms where users have opportunities to engage with each other and the brand and feel as if they are part of a larger community.
Companies around the world are trying to figure out how to draw their fans together in one place, where a community of like-minded consumers who love their brands can develop and thrive. To help senior leaders and marketing teams understand how to foster a strong community around a brand, the experts of Forbes Agency Council share 11 ways they’ve seen some of the most successful companies do it below.
Forbes Agency Council members share lessons from successful brands in how to build strong social media communities.
Photos courtesy of the individual members.
1. GoPro Turns Users Into Heroes
My favorite example is GoPro. The company’s been at this for years, beginning with this great user-generated video nearly ten years ago. The brand’s cameras are literally called “Heroes,” and they make their owners the heroes of their own stories. The campaign that GoPro ran during the worst of the Covid-19 quarantine is pure genius to me; I love this user-generated video in particular. – Paul Furiga, WordWrite
2. Hot Wheels Activates Audiences’ Interests
An old staple from when we were kids, Hot Wheels’ mix of activation-based marketing efforts and campaigns related to engaging big kids and small kids alike shows it understands its audience. A key component to learn from this is that you have to know your audience and their interests, then couple that with a willingness to take chances with your efforts that will generate heat for your social media. – Paul E. Benninghove, Pavone Marketing Group
3. Glossier Earns Media With Curated Influencers
Glossier is an excellent example of a brand using micro and nano influencers to build brand loyalty and create a community online. Its Instagram feed is highly curated and filled with people of all ages, shapes and skin tones. The brand gets a lot of free promotion on social media from fans tagging it as they show off their products. – Mary Ann O’Brien, OBI Creative
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4. Noom Fills A Niche By Fostering Positive Engagement
Noom has really developed a strong social media community. They have created a niche of “Noomers” who support each other during their respective health journeys. Noom’s social media consistently encourages the audience to engage and communicate with each other, and it has created a very positive environment for people to share their journeys, struggles and wins. – Ralph Burns, Tier 11
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5. Peloton Facilitates Social Competition And Connection
Peloton remains one of the most fascinating case studies in social media community building. Not only is social competition baked directly into its core product offering, but the brand also facilitates social media-based community groups to connect users, provide peer-to-peer support and create new brand-centered conversations. – Chris Martin, FlexMR
6. VaynerMedia Gains Die-Hard Fans By Taking Risks
There is perhaps no brand that shows the power of social media like VaynerMedia and its CEO Gary Vaynerchuk. Gary’s followers are die-hard fans who buy his books, attend his speeches and scramble for any opportunity to work with VaynerMedia. Other companies can learn the power of taking risks with their content and testing different types of content with a strong brand voice throughout. – Bernard May, National Positions
7. Netflix Generates Buzz By Inducing FOMO
Behind Netflix’s rise as a global phenomenon is a solid social media strategy based on the fear of missing out. The company’s different social media pages show memorable clips from movies and shows available in each market. Some of the post captions are short and indecipherable to those who don’t watch the show in question, but if Netflix’s high engagement is any indication, inducing FOMO generates buzz. – Lars Voedisch, PRecious Communications
8. Starbucks Leverages Seasonal Social Initiatives
Other companies can learn from Starbucks by following its social initiatives, which include creating seasonal hashtags, launching competitions and offering rewards to boost customer interaction and engagement. – Jonas Muthoni, Deviate Agency
9. Chipotle Knows Who To Target With Relatable Content
Chipotle has harnessed internet trends and humor in a fantastic way by using online trends to engage audiences, especially younger generations. Appealing to this demographic, the company uses relatable and entertaining memes as well to resonate and connect. Knowing your audience and what they can relate to is the lesson to learn here. Chipotle knows who to target and how to do it. – Lisa Montenegro, Digital Marketing Experts – DMX
10. NASA At The Kennedy Space Center Invites Followers In
Being a company based in Florida, we can’t ignore the brand power of NASA at the Kennedy Space Center. Not exactly a consumer company, they have built a strong brand following with quality content, high-resolution images and videos, and a brand engagement program where they invite their social media followers to watch launches. Other brands could learn a lot from them. – Marc Hardgrove, The HOTH
11. Yeti Channeled A Market’s Mass Desire Into Its Coolers
The most important aspect of community building to learn from highly successful companies such as Yeti is how well they channeled a mass desire from a market into their product. Meaning, many aspire to live an adventurous, outdoor lifestyle full-time, and Yeti positioned itself within that market with a cooler that is all about being the most adventurous. – Justin Richard, Loyal Pandas
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Author: Expert Panel®, Forbes Councils Member
