Building a Community Instead of an Audience

In the last few years, people are looking at companies' social media accounts for more than self-serving posts and flat content. Consumers are beginning to desire a deeper connection with a brand in order to establish a level of trust before they decide to buy the company's product or service.

People hate feeling like they are being sold to, which is why it is crucial to keep that balance of entertainment and promotional content. Social media marketing is everywhere, and people's attention spans are shortening more and more. This means brands have to work twice as hard to not only gain their attention but also gain their business. Showing the people and personality behind a brand can help break down those walls of distrust and possibly bring in a long-term customer.

For example, companies like DuoLingo have capitalized on creating content that is more focused on building brand awareness through following social media trends and less on convincing people to download their app. By establishing this community on their social media, they are more likely to have the trust of their followers when they do promote their product.

There are three things you can do to help establish a more personal relationship with your community:

• Figure out your niche that fits your brand and content that can be related to it (i.e recipes, health, wellness, etc.)
• Post content that is outside of what you are selling whether that is through humor, education, or putting a face to the brand. (Keep it light and fun!)

• Frequently interacting with accounts that fit within your community as well as those who comment on your posts.
  

The main takeaway and goal are to create an engaging environment that will in turn allow your community to grow organically!