You might have noticed that we talk a LOT about Community Marketing here at Free Folk Agency. But what exactly is community marketing and why is it important?
THE SHORT ANSWER IS…
Community Marketing is marketing with a focus on building and nurturing community first and foremost.
Community Marketing is marketing with a specific intention to prioritise genuine conversation, develop two-way relationships and create positive experiences your customers can’t get anywhere else.
AND THE LONG ANSWER IS…
Community Marketing is marketing for brand growth and for longevity and it involves bringing a focus on community to all parts of the marketing mix including:
- Social media marketing
- Email marketing
- Content marketing
- Public relations
- Influencer marketing
- Events and offline activations
We bring a Community Marketing focus to every strategy we develop, every piece of content we create and every social post we draft and schedule by putting the community, or the “people” at the heart of everything we do. We do this for our own business (and if you’re reading this, you’re now part of the Free Folk community!) and we do this for our clients too.
Community Marketing is a long-term strategy and you have to keep at it to see results. It’s not an overnight success or a quick win, it’s a strategy that will help you kick goals in the long run and grow sustainably.
WHY COMMUNITY MARKETING?
To explain Community Marketing better, and why we keep harping on about it, it’s important to know why Community Marketing is critical to the marketing mix.
The digital space, in particular, is overcrowded and oversaturated, and it’s hard to push a product or service with a traditional marketing approach and a heavy sales message. Consumers are changing their buying behaviours and now expect more from the brands they purchase with. They want to feel involved in the process and like they are valued, not just a means for revenue and profit.
So, Community Marketing is how you give consumers what they want (and need) and still communicate your sales message, drive leads into the sales funnel, convert leads into paying (and loyal) customers and keep the cycle spinning.
By harnessing the power of Community Marketing you can:
- Build credibility and authority
- Drive brand awareness
- Generate leads and convert them into sales
- Increase metrics like acquisition, retention and repeat customers
- Keep leads “warm” and moving through the sales funnel time and time again
- Improve metrics like open rate, click through rate, views, impressions, reach and engagements
When your marketing strategy is optimised to put the community at the core, you give your community a reason to invest in you. When consumers feel like more than just customers, they become loyal and engaged members of the community, and that is where the real value is for businesses.
WHO ARE MY COMMUNITY?
If you have a business, you have a community, whether you know it or not.
Your community is the people who actively engage with your business – it’s your social media followers, your email list and your customers. But they don’t just stick around unless they have a reason to, which is where Community Marketing comes in.
We grow and nurture communities for businesses and turn newcomers into your most valuable customers, and keep them coming back for more.
How?
Through content that adds value, informs, educates and inspires.
Through social media strategy that feels like a two-way relationship rather than a promotional platform.
Through personalised email communications.
Through exposure that gets in front of your target market.
Through copy that grabs attention and goes deep.
And that’s it – the short and long answer to “what is Community Marketing.”
If you want to learn more about Community Marketing or want us to do it all for you – send an email to heyteam@freefolkagency.com
