The 3 Keys to Building Community Through Social Media

I’ve read quite a bit about building communities through social media recently, and it’s caused me to stop and think about some of the communities I’ve been involved with over the  past two years. It’s obvious to me that building communities is one of the single most important components of social media. As far as I’m concerned, building a community around your business, organization or brand can be accomplished through three basic steps. Most people don’t pay enough (if any) attention to steps 1 and 2.

1. Define your niche(s) — In order to build a community, you must have some idea of who you’re targeting. A community of potential customers for high-end jewelry business is comprised of a very different group of people than a community of people interested in organic foods. Many businesses have multiple niches and may want to consider establishing multiple online communities. As you seek to grow the number of people in your online community, remember that while quantity is important, quality is even more essential. Don’t waste your efforts going after segments of the population that are outside of your niche.
2. Provide Value — As obvious as it sounds, most people still don’t get it. In order to sway someone to take an action — you must give them something in return for their attention. This is not a new phenomenon — think about how traditional media and advertising has worked for decades. How do advertisers get their ads seen? Their ads pay for the content that viewers read, watch or listen to. The content — articles, television shows, radio programs, etc. — is the value I’m talking about. In the world of social media, the concept remains the same — you must provide content that will attract and retain your audience, or you will be left talking to yourself.
3. Spread the word — If you’ve properly executed steps 1 and 2, this should be be a manageable and rewarding process. If you have bungled steps 1 and 2, this will be an impossible battle. Far too many people start their community-building plans right here on Step 3.  Even if you are able to persuade people to “like” your page or follow your Twitter account, the results will be meager if the audience fails to find value in what you’re offering. You can spread the word about your online communities in a number of ways, but a great way to start is with your existing fans. Share links to your social media accounts via e-mail, on your website, and in blog articles; and include social media addresses on business cards and other printed materials such as store signs and brochures. A great way to expand your audience is to write articles for other sites in return for links to one or more of your social media accounts.

I’ve used these principles while developing communities in the past, and I will continue to use them in the future. One community that has taught me a tremendous amount is the one I organized around the subject of baseball art on Facebook. The first thing I did was define the niche — baseball artists and fans of baseball art, primarily across the United States and Canada. This was an area that had signs of interest, but no organization. Providing value for this niche was easy — the value was as simple as providing the organization for a group of people who shared a common interest. This community grew organically — it currently has more than 900 active and engaged fans —  and the interest was there for it to continue growing. By curating content, and occasionally writing articles for the Baseball Art website, I was able to provide additional value for the members of the community.

Building Community in Westchester, NY — All of the other communities I’ve been involved with are located in or near Westchester, NY. The same principles that built the Baseball Art community were used to promote the Westchester Social Media community on Facebook. With more than 250 fans, this is one of the most engaged Facebook pages I’ve seen. The page currently receives more than 42,000 post views per month — more than double that of the much larger Baseball Art page and many other larger pages. The key to the extremely high level of engagement is the tight focus of the niche, and the fact that there are a couple dozen members of the community who create killer content (check out the page to see what I’m talking about). There are hundreds of pages out there trying to keep up with Mashable and Tech Crunch, but there aren’t many that provide consistent social media news from a Westchester, NY vantage point.

Last week, I mentioned that there are businesses in Westchester using this same concept to build communities. I provided a link to the “365 Things to Do in Dutchess” Facebook page founded by Houlihan Lawrence, a Westchester-based real estate company. By providing value (only tangentially related to the business of real estate) Houlihan Lawrence actually manages a community of more than 1,300 people, all linked by the geographic area where they live or work. Brilliant.

There are many others. Some of the Westchester networking groups have done extremely well with social media. Professional Women of Westchester and the Westchester Business Connection have both taken advantage of the fact there is an obvious need for networking events within the county. In the past, organizing events and getting the word out was much more difficult than it is today. Social media has helped to revolutionize networking. An interesting footnote, for those who curse social media for stifling real in-person contacts, is that in this way, social media has actually helped to boost face-to-face events. PWW has more nearly 500 fans on its Facebook page in just a few months, and WBC has more than 1,000. Like I said earlier, provide value, and people will show up.

Businesses should learn from some of these very successful communities — and some already have. Rather than ramming your products down the throats of the people you want to be your fans, think about what you can offer them. Just yesterday, I saw a very helpful article written by Linda Rey, principal of Rey Insurance in Sleepy Hollow. The article talked about teen drivers and issues the insurance issues that surround teen driving. As someone who has literally fallen asleep trying to read insurance literature, I have to hand it to Rey. She provided her readers with some very interesting and informative facts — and simultaneously established herself as a professional in her industry. The article was published on the Equifax Personal Finance Blog, and provided links to Linda’s Twitter account and company website. What more can you ask for?

Lately, I’ve noticed that non-profits and governmental agencies have begun paying more attention to social media. Finally, some of these entities are doing more than simply setting up a Facebook page, and walking away from it. Westchester County has set up official Facebook and Twitter accounts, which it updates regularly. Numerous Area hospitals, Chambers of Commerce, Rotary Clubs, churches and many other groups are beginning to take social media seriously.

One of my goals with the Westchester Social Media community is to find ways to promote those who are using this new technology, and to come up with ways to make the technology work better for everyone. I’ve been giving serious thought to organizing a social media directory for Westchester, whereby businesses and organizations could easily be located by category and geography. I’ve already started a Facebook page list for Pleasantville, NY, and the interest has been high. If you know of any links to existing social media directories for Westchester, please send me an e-mail at Chris@WestchesterSocialMedia.com.

Chris S. Cornell is the Director of Social Media at Thompson & Bender — a Westchester-based PR, advertising and marketing firm. He manages several online communities, and consults, speaks and writes about social media. He is also the owner of Cornell Gallery, a custom framing business in Pleasantville. You can follow Chris on Twitter.

Adam Stone

Adam has worked in the local news industry for the past two decades in Westchester County and the broader Hudson Valley. Read more from Adam’s author bio here.