Why your brand needs a community management strategy

Before creating a brand presence, ask yourself these three questions: what personality fits my brand, what do I want to learn from my audience, and how will I leverage the information I receive from my audience?

Once you’ve established these objectives, you will have a clear focus on what strategy works specifically for your brand. The next step is recognizing that you are speaking to three main groups: new, old, and returning fans. These fans make up your base audience.

Get behind your audience

Approach each platform’s audience with a rinse-and-repeat method: observe, listen, and respond. Observe what is being said about your brand, not just on your platforms, but beyond your channels. Take a step back and looking at the bigger social media picture. This can be anything from surface-level hashtags and mentions to deep dives into brand sentiments and other data that is provided by social listening tools.

Listen to what your audience enjoys about your presence by noting the positive and negative feedback. You will be amazed at how much someone has to say by simply voicing their own opinions.

Something that is not always utilized by brands is using the feedback received by the audience. It’s important to respond to those who are taking the time to engage with your platforms as a way of acknowledging that you are listening. The range of responses goes from general comment replies to FAQs and addressing negative feedback, to using platform features such as video responses to individuals that make more of an effort to be heard.

Find your voice

Establishing a tone of voice (TOV) is crucial. Your TOV establishes personality, and should embody the values of your brand. When you engage with your community, you need to take on the curated persona, and ensure consistency in all responses. If your TOV doesn’t resonate with your brand, people will pick up on the disconnect. This leads your audience to question your authenticity, which may result in a reluctance to follow or engage.

Make your brand known

Over the years more brands are using outreach techniques to capitalize on brand awareness and exposure. Consider the Baader-Meinhof phenomenon (also known as frequency illusion): the feeling you experience after you’ve seen something for the first time and then start seeing it everywhere.

The more effectively you practice outreach, the more your brand will be recognized, improving its image and reputation.

Platform diversity

If your brand is on multiple platforms, understand that you are speaking to different audiences. Your audience on Instagram may not be the same demographic that’s following your other platforms such as Facebook, Tiktok, etc.

This is where you need to pay close attention to the responses and engagement you are receiving from each platform. If you notice audience inconsistencies between platforms, you will need to find a balance where the TOV stays true to your brand, while still creating connections with various audiences. This will show that your brand is flexible but consistent.

Hijack trends

Whatever niche your brand falls under, there will always be trends and news that directly or indirectly influence your brand. It’s in these moments that being reactive and making your mark sets you apart from others.

Trending moments happen fast, and don’t last long, which means you have a small window of opportunity to take advantage of. This is where quick-on-your-feet thinking and sharp wits can be a game changer. Stay connected and keep on top of upcoming events and topical dates that may influence your brand’s niche.

Leverage social behavior

Who you are connecting with is valuable information that can be leveraged toward your content output. The only way to know if your content is working is by seeing what your audience is responding to, and how it’s being received. If you’re not taking advantage of user feedback to uplift your content, your audience will feel unheard and assume your channel is not worth engaging with.

Those taking the time to engage with your brand are expecting recognition, and it's here that you have the opportunity to show reliability. When your audience notices the reciprocation, you’ll see an increase in brand loyalty.

Community management requires a layered approach, and by using all these key elements, your brand can succeed in achieving an impactful presence, followed by a dedicated audience.