How do you build, grow and nurture an online community? Over
the past several years, I have worked hard to build and grow vibrant
and interactive communities on social channels including Twitter,
Facebook, Instagram and Google+. Building a following takes time and
effort, and there are
no shortcuts. As someone with more than 377,000
Twitter followers (all organic), people often ask me how they can
succeed in social media. My simple answer is that you get out of it what
you put into it. The more effort you put in, the greater ROI you will
receive. Unfortunately, people aren't always happy with that answer. Too
often, people look for instant results. But creating and building
online communities simply doesn’t work that way: It's a long road.
The key is to create compelling content that resonates with your
community, then create interactions around that content to build your
audience.
For those that need a little help, here are a few bits of advice:
Seize opportunities to build your brand. Be smart in
spotting opportunities to build your brand. Be generous: If all you do
is take, people will stop responding to your emails. Instead, establish
partnerships with other key influencers in your niche. Serve as a
trusted curator and provide your growing audience with high-quality
content that aligns with their interests and passions. (Of course, you
must first get to know their interests and passions through interacting
with them online.) This will build your thought leadership and
authenticity with your community and will help build your brand.
Although lists are often purely subjective, if you are fortunate
enough to be included on a list of top social-media influencers
published by a well-known personality or media outlet, view it as a
positive development. Besides someone else declaring that you are
influential, this will be seen as validation of your skills and
leadership by your community. Achieving sufficient prominence on social
media to be top of mind for such lists also takes hard work, dedication
and focus: People can’t list you if they’ve never heard of you or seen
your posts.
If you are not already doing so, follow them on their social
networks. Reach out and say hello. Take the opportunity to establish new
contacts and relationships. You never know where the serendipity of
social media might take you.
As you build your online network, opportunities will materialize. Act
on the right opportunities -- the ones that will pay off in terms of
brand recognition, money or some other benefit. Then set yourself to the
task of achieving the desired results. For instance, if your dream
client wants you to drum up mentions on Instagram, take and share
eye-catching photos. Write pithy captions. Reply to people’s comments.
Share your Instagram photos for the brand across your other social
channels to help the campaign gain traction.
Invest your time and attention in what you want to create. Don’t stop until you’ve done the job.
Learn to work with others. There’s always something
new you can learn. Keep an open mind. Think in terms of abundance and
friendly competition, rather than being territorial or defensive.
Support other blogs, and look for opportunities to collaborate with
others. Select partners wisely, and you will build a powerful team. The
social-media universe is practically infinite: There’s room for everyone
to succeed.
Pursue complementary partnerships and relationships. Find people who
exude positive energy. Whiners and complainers are rarely doers!
We all have different strengths, voices and perspectives and that
diversity is key in building powerful and supportive communities. Treat
people as allies, not assets, and your community will grow.
Stay positive and consistent. Remember to have fun
with your audience. Think of your social channels as television
stations. Keep it fun, positive and engaging, so your audience will
enjoy tuning in. To stay relevant on multiple social channels, you need
to consistently create entertaining and valuable content.
Build a vibrant community. Success on social media happens when you
create meaningful relationships with others and maintain a consistent
focus on building your brand. Gaining a following on social media takes a
lot of work and, as with most things worth doing, there are NO
shortcuts.
Are you striving to be influential on social media? What strategies
do you follow? Are they working?
Let us know your thoughts in the
comment section below.
Credit to Ann Tran
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