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Building a community? 5 considerations for the why and how communities can grow around brands.

WHY: Build trust.

It’s harder for consumers to trust a brand than a community. I don’t know about you, but I’ll scroll through Amazon reviews and take complete stranger’s word on a product over what the original product description says. Shift your brand’s culture towards a community thought process. People trust communities, because they’ll tell you the truth.

HOW: Create a place where people can gather.

A community makes space for people to talk to people — not to a brand.

Create a thoughtful experience and a home for questions from your community where they’re able to get the answers they need, help one another, and want to come back again.

WHY: Build loyalty through community

People love talking about what they love. Advocacy programs enable natural community formation when people are able to give referrals and be the voice of a business. Build a community experience so your customers are getting enough of a significant value — prompting them to drive growth through recommendations and word-of-mouth.

HOW: Be conversational.