Let’s talk about brand loyalty; brand loyalty can be an essential factor in your company’s core. When consumers continue to buy your brand’s products rather than your competitor’s products, they are loyal to your brand. Building a community is a great way to create a hub of devoted customers who share and advocate for your brand.
This community is made up of what many people call brand advocates! Brand advocates are customers who want to connect with others about your product and how much they love it (essentially, they have your back). It is also important to consider what your customers want and expect from your brand. By engaging with your consumers and the communities they build, your brand can understand how to keep them as loyal customers. This process begins with listening to your brand’s advocates and learning what they like and dislike about your products. By understanding them, you can make changes in how your products are marketed or work. It’s all about COMMUNITY!
Let’s look at some companies that have made an effort to build a community with their fans and, as a result, have brand advocates.
Nike:
The term Sneakerheads refer to individuals who like to buy, collect, and trade sneakers. One brand that is popular amongst sneakerheads is Nike. Nike recognized that they have brand advocates willing to purchase multiple products. So, to ensure that they can engage with their fans, Nike created the “SNKRS” app. Nike uses the app to inform customers about events, launches, and exclusive releases. They also provide information about the meaning behind the design of each shoe and give customers the ability to order shoes to pick up in-store. The app allows Nike to interact directly with their loyal customers and provide them with all the information they need to participate in their hobby.
Nike also did a user-generated content campaign with their Nike PHOTOiD web app. Customers could select one of their Instagram posts, and the app picked colors from the photo to put on a pair of shoes. These custom designs could be shared on social media, and customers also had the option to purchase shoes with the designs! This helped Nike interact with their customers and provide them with unique designs that they could share with their peers on social media.
What led to Nike’s success was that they took the time to understand their customers and provided them with tools to keep them happy. Brands can learn that while marketing their products is essential, your brand will benefit significantly by involving customers and getting inspired by them to create unique content and campaigns.
Peloton:
Peloton, an exercise equipment brand, also understands how to build a community effectively. Their customers buy their equipment and are in a membership program where they are provided, live-streamed fitness classes. Peloton provides its brand advocates with an easy way to virtually take classes with other people. This causes them to be connected and helps build a community over their shared interest in fitness. An example is Amanda Segal, a Peloton member who “…runs the 6,500-member Hainsby Facebook fan page, called Leanne Hainsby’s Yes To You Crew. She also hosts a podcast about the Peloton community” (Reuters).
Peloton’s connected community allowed Segal to connect with other customers who are fans of her favorite Peloton instructor. By providing a community-based program, Peloton will enable customers to build a bond with each other. The brand also has a “community” tab on its website where they share UGC made by its brand advocates. By doing this, Peloton has built a positive and supportive community for their customers, and in return, this encouraged potential customers to look into their product and become excited about joining this exclusive community.
Starbucks:
As you might know, Starbucks has many brand advocates who buy their products multiple times a week. They love sharing what products they try and their personalized orders. On their social media, Starbucks engages with its customers a lot. For example, on Twitter, they retweet their customers’ posts and respond to them. This ensures their customers feel like they are part of the Starbucks community and that their voices are being heard. Also, this encourages their customers to share their products more on social media, resulting in their loyal customers talking to each other about their products. On Instagram, Starbucks will repost their customer’s UGC, making sure they feel appreciated and allowing other customers to comment on the post.
Starbucks also created its rewards program that rewards its customers with stars for making purchases, attending events, and playing games. They can use these stars to redeem free products. This program is available on the Starbucks app. Better yet, they offer a free birthday drink every year as part of their rewards program, which makes their customers feel special. Starbucks provides its brand advocates with ways to connect over their products, and they constantly try to respond to their customers to keep them engaged. This type of community allows brands to experience continuous engagement with their brand advocates, have repeat customers, and have a more prominent online presence.
How fans create communities:
Did you know that brand advocates create a lot of brand communities?
According to Oracle, “96% of companies see the value customer collaboration presents for the marketing department”. Many times, brand advocates are the ones who start connecting about your product, leading to them creating their communities. These individuals usually post on social sites and can meet and interact with people with the same common interests. Let’s look at three brands whose fans have created unique communities.
Starbucks has many fans worldwide who take pride in being a brand advocate. These individuals use Starbucks as part of their identity and use the brand as a way to connect with fellow advocates. There are many Facebook groups that customers have made for Starbucks-related content, some even containing 300K+ users. For example, in one group, fans share their recipes for Starbucks drinks by including an image of the drink and how to order it. These customized drinks are trendy amongst Starbucks’ brand advocates, and it causes customers to continue trying new products. Since Starbucks drinks are easily customizable, the brand makes it easy for their fans to order them, which makes them stand out. As a result, Starbucks has brand advocates who will make buying their products part of their daily routine. As a result, a strong community is built as they constantly share and bond over Starbucks products.
Tesla also has a unique consumer base. Much like with Starbucks, Tesla’s brand advocates utilize their brand as a part of their identity. Many Tesla customers are passionate about the company’s products, from electric vehicles to solar products. As a result, there are many podcasts and YouTube channels with content made by brand advocates. This content educates current and potential customers and keeps the general public updated about Tesla news. Tesla brand advocates who absorb the content feel as if their opinions, likes, and dislikes are heard, and they feel like they belong.
Squishmallows is a brand that sells stuffed toys that include different animals and objects. Their brand advocates collect the toys and connect them over their stuffed toy collection. While the brand only posts about new products, its advocates help educate fellow customers about where to buy certain toys. For example, on TikTok, many people create videos showing how they go to a store and find the Squishmallow they are looking for. By making these videos, they are increasing the brand’s reach and introducing their products to potential customers. As a result, the brand itself does not need to post much content but can still profit significantly from its products.
Alexa Justine, marketing specialist at Kostex Garage Repair, shares the importance of brand communities and how it helps brands understand their customers;
“A strong brand community provides valuable insights that can help the company make better decisions in the future. Your brand is not just about you. It is about the people who love it and the people who are passionate about it. A strong brand community is one of the best ways to ensure that your customers feel connected to your brand”.
This shows that tapping into pre-existing communities can be beneficial for your brand. Take the time to understand the communities around your brand and interact with them to learn more about your target audience. When your brand reaches out to these communities, it shows them that your brand values them, increasing their engagement with your brand.
Now, you might be wondering, how can my company build a community? The first step to doing this is to connect with your current brand advocates. You show that you care about them by engaging with them and asking them questions. Once you talk to them, you will learn what similarities your brand advocates have and what they can bond about. Lindsay Pinchuk from Spolan Marketing & Communications tells us about one of her clients;
“All we had to do was change the conversation—add social posts that talk about topics relevant to them and their lifestage, talk to them, answer DMs, comments etc. This brand is seeing triple digit increases in their social media engagement and growth in their followers”.
If your brand advocates have already developed a community, you can look for ways to help them learn about your company. By providing them with tools to help fuel their passions, you will be able to help build the community they have made and create a bond with your brand advocates.
To track what your brand advocates are posting, search for your brand’s name on social media. If customers do not tag your brand in their posts, they will often type out your brand’s name in the description. This way, you can see what type of content they are posting and whether they are speaking positively or negatively about your brand. Oliver, CEO of Mad Rabbit states;
“We [Mad Rabbit] respond directly to their [customers’] comments on our shared content. It means the world to us to hear how real customers have success using our products, and are willing to share that on social media to help grow our business. We also see criticism, and use this data to help improve our products going forward”.
Interacting with the content they are posting will encourage them to keep purchasing from your brand, as well as keep posting about your brand. So, the key to building a community is to take the time to actively engage with your brand advocates, learn about them, and provide them with ways to fuel their passions.
In conclusion, brand loyalty is vital in your brand’s marketing. Engaging with your brand advocates is essential to ensure you are meeting their needs. You want to make sure your customers feel their thoughts, opinions, and ideas are being heard. Creating a community for your customers encourages them to connect and purchase more of your products. When your brand advocates create their communities, they help promote your brand by sharing their opinions on your products. Ultimately, building a community with your brand advocates is the best way to ensure continuous profit.
