This blog is all about one of my favourite subjects – Community!

Building communities is a marketing strategy – a longevity marketing strategy and, frankly, not something you can ignore any longer as a small business owner.

If most of your content you share on social media and via email marketing is “buy this” content to create sales, then you need to think more community building and fewer sales.

Now, I will say that yes, absolutely, as a small business owner, you need sales.

BUT what you need more is a community of people who know, like and trust you, who come for the content but stay for the community and who buy from you over and over and refer business consistently to you.

Another big mistake I see constantly is businesses hunting down the next buyer rather than taking care of the buyer they already have.

We need to stop focussing on the number of likes or the number of followers we have and build a community.

Wouldn’t business be easier, and simpler, if you had a community of buyers, referrers, and people who loved what you did and what you do?

Of course, it would!

So how do you build a community?

Firstly, you have to SHOW UP!  Every community needs a leader, so you need to ensure you are leading yours.

You need to have a platform for the community to grow and hang out with you and other like-minded people.  The most obvious one that comes to mind is a Facebook group, but it could be a group via Mighty Networks or via, a messenger chat group or an Instagram group.  Or it could be face-to-face or via zoom.

And, of course, importantly, the community must be customer-centric!  This isn’t a fan club group for you – it’s about them!  The content is focused on them, the marketing is focused on them.

Everything is customer-centric!

Why? Because you want these people to feel heard, loved, and important.

Communities also need a purpose.  A higher purpose than just buying something from you.

What is the purpose of your business – other than to make money?  What’s the higher purpose?

If you don’t know the answer to this question right now, write it down and come back to it – sit with it – you have one – 2000% you do!  Remember, the obvious sits in plain sight sometimes!

I have built many communities – my biggest being my online Facebook group called Buy From a Bush Business which has over 370,000 members, but I have smaller ones that are just as fabulous – including the one I promote here, often the Like Minded Business Owners Facebook group.

All my communities are customer focussed and built on a collective purpose:

• Buy From a Bush Business has the purpose of obviously supporting small rural and regional businesses through the sale of products
• Like Minded Business Owners is more about hanging out with like-minded people than selling things – although there are definitely opportunities to sell things.

But there are lessons I’d love to share with you about building communities.

So, here’s some lessons I’ve learnt

• The journey hasn’t been easy or smooth!
• I’ve seen the best and worst of humanity.
• I’ve learnt so much about myself – for example, I am too nice, too trusting, and don’t speak up for myself enough.
• I’ve learnt to trust my gut. If it doesn’t feel right, it’s not right
• No is an ok response – use it more!
• I’ve learnt that the more you give, the more (some) will expect
• No one knows your journey like you nor should you expect them too
• Marketing involves being generous and kind and also involves marketing the brand, the community and YOU

Things that make a successful community:

• A leader – and a leader willing to grow/learn
• A common purpose/common values
• Strict community rules – ensuring everyone has to comply (if they see a crack, they’ll make it a river!)
• Possibly a support person (or team!) to help the leader
• Super fans (they’ll come 100%)
• Easy and convenient access to the community
• That the members of the community feel some ownership over the community – they feel like they belong.
• A safe place – build on mutual trust.

And finally, let’s chat about the benefits of actually having a community.  I’ve already listed some, but here are some ideas for you to mull over.

• You can become the “go-to” person/business as you are being seen as a leader in that space
• You create brand ambassadors – people who know, like and trust you and are willing to tell others about you (the raving fans/referrers!)
• You can get direct lines of feedback on your business. New product soft launches to a trusted community and so forth. I have this is almost invaluable!
• As your community builds, you will see a direct correlation to your increase in revenue
• You can respond to market shifts quicker – because you see the trends in your community, you know what they are after, what they are sourcing or looking for that you can tailor make too
• Website traffic increased. With a community, you can drive more traffic to the places you want – like your website!

These are just a few benefits.  Some of the biggest benefits will come from within you.  Personal growth, the personal leadership growth, for example, can be huge.

With community building and embracing building a community, remember two things:

• You MUST SHOW UP!
• Lead with value first, always!

If you sit and think about your business model, you probably already have a community; you just aren’t thinking about it that way or recognising that you have one!

So, my hope with this blog is that you will start thinking community over sales, especially when it comes to your content, and embracing community as a strategy for your business.

Let’s chat more about community in my community – the Like Minded Business Owners Group.  Let me know your thoughts.

Or, let’s hang out and get social on social – you’ll find me on Instagram, Facebook and my fave LinkedIn.

CONTACT JENN:

If you would like to tap into some expert knowledge about community building, or other business marketing strategy, then I am here to help you! Simply book a discovery call with me here!

And don’t forget that Like Minded Business Owners Facebook group is a great place to learn more! It’s such a wonderful community of people in business.

Or you can DM me on Instagram or send me an email jenn@jenndonovan.com.au

I wish to acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of the land, the Yorta Yorta People, on which I conduct my business today and pay my respects to their Elders past and present. I extend that respect to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples reading this blog post today.

About the Author:

Jenn Donovan of Social Media & Marketing Australia.  Jenn’s an expert marketing coach and mentor from rural NSW. She is all about empowering business owners to earn what they’re worth so they can make a bigger difference in the world.  The Founder of Buy From a Bush Business, Co-Founder of Spend With Us – Buy From a Bush Business Marketplace and host of the very popular podcasts Small Business Made Simple and Stories from the Bush. Jenn is all about community and humans interacting with humans!  H2H Marketing – human to human marketing. Jenn talks the talk but importantly walks the walk! Jenn’s online community is over 320,000 with her famous Facebook Group currently at almost 365,000 members and still growing every day.  She’s the mayor of her own little online city!

Get in touch – www.socialmediaandmarketing.com.au

On Instagram – @jenndonovan_

On Facebook – Jenn Donovan

Or on LinkedIn as Jenn Donovan