We have our community up and running. So, what is the next step? Managing it! One important thing to note here is that members of the community are not limited to loyal customers. They are your brand’s fans and potential ambassadors. They are infinitely more valuable to your brand than just loyal and satisfied customers. They not only have a very unique relationship with your brand, but also unique expectations, which may pose some challenges. Below are listed some advice that can help you manage your community:

  1.     Get closer and talk: Traditional approaches to PR see a necessity of high control of communications toward a coherent message that misses the possibility of effective interactions with fans. However, as fandom culture around the globe continues to develop, traditional approaches will hurt rather than help a brand’s capability to connect with their genuine supporters and potential citizen-ambassadors. Fanocracy is about getting genuine connections and real dialogue.
  2.     Let it go: When it comes to fans, we have to let go of our brand book and communication guidelines. Fans work as collaborators and partners in generating messages and meanings for the brand. In simple terms, brands should have less control in the community. It does not mean the communication will not be persuasive, just that the whole process of convincing your customers will take place at a different level. This requires less control,  more of playful engagement, networking, and “letting go”.
  3.     Building Together: Managing the community and giving members a chance to build their own messages. It is about getting them to create the content and lead the conversations the way they want. In the fan community brands can’t play by the rules of consistency. If the community is driven by controlling conversations then the members of the community will start seeing the brand as pretentious.
  4.     Give more: Brands develop fans by giving rather than taking. The idea of only giving attracts a lot of backlash from budget markers. However, the thing to keep in mind here is that great content that you give for free attracts loyal fans. In the world of information, nothing is more valuable than what you share on exclusive terms.
  5.     Influencers: Influencers also play a crucial role. Companies tend to pay anyone with a certain number of followers on social media to promote their brand. However, to build a true fandom for your brand you need to find influencers who genuinely like your company, your product and your services. Real fans are very sensitive to pretensions.

Building a community is not easy, but maintaining it is even more of a task! Posting the right content and bringing online community to offline events can be challenging. Midas PR can guide you to post the right kind of content to manage your community. Visit our website www.midas-pr.com today for more information or get in touch with us by email.

For creative branding ideas, please read “12 Super Creative Branding Ideas And Actionable Tips To Make Any Business Stand Out” by DesignRush