building brand communities
if you walked down the street and randomly asked people how they like to spend their free time, most would say hanging out with family and friends. as human beings, we’re communal in nature, which is why a vast majority of us live within a 30 minute drive of a city. It goes back to our early roots as hunters and “gatherers.” whether we’re illustrating the narrative on the walls of a cave or engaged in a simple exchange with our friends at a coffee shop, it’s in our nature to share and exchange. it’s not surprising that social networking and text messaging has exploded. what is surprising is the relatively low number of brands who have recognized this trend and employed it to their advantage by creating prospering online communities and an ongoing brand experience.
most marketers traditionally think of a “brand experience” as some kind of live event where consumers get direct access to a brand by sampling or at a tasting station. when I worked on the launch of G2, the brand setup a huge tent at the Super Bowl complete with a bowling alley, mod furniture, a celebrity guest list, and a bar that served the newly introduced product. we created an online companion piece, a virtual lounge that included some of the same elements. however, the execution could have been so much better if an online community had been built around the brand ala “My Starbucks Idea.” these types of programs are important and should be executed as part of a larger whole.
consumers are influenced by more than just their immediate surroundings. their perspective is an amalgamation of both their online and offline worlds. forward thinking brands have recognized the power of communities and put them at the epicenter of their marketing and communications strategies like starbucks has. However, their online community which launched in 2008 took a couple of years to garner successful results.
creating a successful online community isn’t an easy process or a quick one. it takes time and a herculean effort to both fuel and maintain productive dialogues once the conversation starts. brands need to commit to community for the long term and allocate proper resources to maintain them because community members are more engaged than a casual observer who occasionally purchases your product. as a result, you have a lot more to lose if you do a half baked job and do it wrong.
online communities provide your brand with a hub for consumers, who if provided something of value, will not only loyally purchase your product but also drive engagement from those around them through their online and real world networks. engagement breeds loyalty, influence, recommendations to friends, and brand advocacy when it’s done properly.
