Go beyond selling or buying a product
What is Community Building?
Community building can take many forms and look a little different for each business! It’s about creating spaces, online or in person. Building a community helps create long relationships and loyalty, allowing people to connect with each other and the brand. A great example is Nike, known for selling sneakers and athletic wear. They built their community by forming the Nike Run Club to bring people together around fitness and shared goals. Instead of focusing only on selling, you can also focus on creating relationships with customers that will last!
Understanding the Voice of Your Customer
When actively participating in your brand’s community, you can understand exactly what customers need, want, currently enjoy, and don’t like. Being present gets you direct feedback from your customers as they can express their opinions and suggestions in real time. You can get unfiltered conversations in peer-to-peer discussions and see what people really think about your product or service. You also have the opportunity to spot trends early in your industry. Trends are ever-changing, and you may not be the first person to get to them. Connecting with people in your niche who support your growth and offer new ideas can make all the difference in your business. That being said, you can also test out new products or services on your community first, get direct feedback, and find out if their responses reflect how a broader audience might react!
How it Helps Your Marketing
On a marketing level, the benefits of a strong community are powerful. Word of mouth spreads naturally, building personal relationships, gets people talking, even bringing their friends and family to your events, and recommending them to others, helping create an authentic endorsement. Community members automatically become advocates for your brand, which helps influence people, sometimes more effectively than ads. By being a part of a group, members will create their own content, reviews, and stories that get you engagement and that you can repurpose for your own audience. When people join your community, it humanizes your brand, making your marketing feel real and personalized, and less like selling!
What Could a Community Look Like For You?
As a vendor, there are so many ways to build your community. In-person events could include workshops and classes like retail display how-tos and subscription ideas. Another option could be hosting events around seasons, like a holiday prep guide or seasonal gift pairing. Local partnerships could also make your community stand out by connecting audiences, such as collaborating with local coffee shops and other vendors, and hosting fun events like a pop-up shop! Community building isn’t limited to in-person events. Online spaces like Facebook or Instagram groups let customers share their work, ask questions, and connect!
The Power of Connections
Community building doesn’t have to be complicated. It’s one of the most effective ways to create customer relationships and sustainable growth! The key is to create a space where people feel seen and included. When your customers feel like they belong, they don’t just buy flowers, they become loyal customers too!