Far too often, brands and marketers take the time to create social media accounts "just because." It's easy to look around and to see that everyone is on social media; it's the center of conversations and the reason many people go online in the first place. The end result? Pages are constructed, with a little initial effort some followers demonstrate interest. Then? Nothing. They become ghost towns that do more harm than good when they're stumbled upon by potential customers in the future. The problem? A lack of purpose.
When social media accounts are created with a "just because" mentality, they lack purpose and become more of a trend to follow than an actionable marketing initiative. To reap the full benefits of a digital community, it starts with purpose. Check out these 5 ways to determine yours.
1. Revisit Your Mission, Vision and Values
When you set up your brand in the first place, you probably put a lot of time and effort into creating a mission statement. You had a vision in mind and you have values that you make a part of your daily operations. These should go hand-in-hand with your digital community creation; the two should work together.
Are you looking to share knowledge? To work together for a specific goal? Do you value open customer communication? Take the time to consider these when starting a digital community, just like you did when creating your brand in the first place.
2. Find Your Target
A community can be welcoming to everyone. That's great; it just might not be the most effective method of increasing online conversions. The most effective online strategies target a specific audience.
What age bracket do you do the most business with or want to reach? Are they educated professionals? Teenagers? Tech-junkies? Car lovers? When a specific audience is a target, content can be created that is effective and useful, rather than too broad or general.
3. How Will Your Target Find You?
It's a common scenario. Brands create social media pages and hope followers will come organically. Yes, it can happen, but, no, this is not the best method. It's slow and unproductive.
Instead, think about how your brands will find you. Where can you market your community? On your website? On printed materials? Through an e-mail marketing campaign? Thinking this through from the start is critical.
4. Think About Value
For an online digital community to be a success, value must be provided every day. What value will you provide to your future community members? Distraction-free open communication opportunities? Contests and special events? Discounts? Meaningful content? Consider the way you'll provide value from the beginning.
5. Learn Your Network
Social HubSite is an excellent platform for creating a social network that centers around your business. Free of distractions and unnecessary tools and features, it is designed with user experiences and brand engagement in mind. This doesn't mean that it's the only network out there. Before getting started, it's critical to take a look at what network you'll launch your community on. Become familiar with it. Learn the features, take a tour and learn everything you can to be sure you'll be interacting in an effective, productive manner.
Without purpose a digital community is sure to fail. Follow the 5 steps above for maximum results. Ready to go? Sign up for a free Social HubSite free trial today!