If you want to make money online, you need to build a social media community. In Zimbabwe, more and more people appreciate this reality. That is why there are now so many online content creators in Zimbabwe. Zimbabwean businesses are also increasingly appreciating the importance of building social media communities. You can make a living by monetizing a social media community. Businesses can generate leads and push sales by effectively tapping social media communities. The great thing is that anyone can create and build a social media community. Let us discuss some cardinal rules when building a social media community.
Authenticity
There is a general life principle; never consider it cliché. Many people are inauthentic; they assume an identity at variance from who they really are. Doing so is unsustainable in building social media communities. Remember that you will be exposing yourself to many different people. All those people are or can be your critics if need be. If you are not authentic, they will see right through you and call you out for it.
If you are inauthentic, you will lose much-needed credibility. Be authentic! Being authentic is to be genuine, conforming to reality and therefore worthy of trust, reliance, or belief. Without authenticity, it will be hard to rally anyone around you. The focus is to be you (do not feign). ‘I love that they are so authentic’. That is a common compliment people with large social media communities often get. It is a big deal to people that you are authentic.
Two-Way Communication
This brings to my attention one of the definitions of community. The condition of having certain attitudes and interests in common is community. How can you build a community without interaction? How can you interact without communication? How can communication be achieved without two-way communication? Yet many people trying to build social media communities do not prioritize this.
You need to be an active listener, listening to your audience. Then you need to respond to them at all times. You also have to inspire them to talk to you and amongst themselves. In all this, you must take their interactions or your engagement with them seriously. This is because it is from there that you will get invaluable feedback. You will get to know them better.
Relevant And Engaging Content
Consider the definition of community – the condition of having certain attitudes and interests in common. That implies that for you to appeal to your audience, you must appeal to their attitudes and interests. The content you propagate must satisfy that. It should be content that is useful. It should be content that informs. It should be content that is consistent with your brand.
Most importantly, it should be content that your audience resonates with. More than 80 percent of the time, you should provide your audience with such content. This will keep them engaged all the time with your social media accounts.
They will also share the content or tag others they know may like your content. That is why there is no large social media community that is not centred on relevant and engaging content. It is akin to putting on a light in a dark place; the likeliest thing is for anyone to be drawn to it. On social media, people are actually drawn to a place of relevance. It is also a place that shows that many people are highly engaged in it.
Consistency
Consistency here can refer to many things. It can refer to being consistent with your brand identity, voice, and message. In all that you do, that consistency should be seen. It will speak to your authenticity as well. Do not flip-flop; do not make it difficult for people to understand what you are all about. If you are about sport, be about sport consistently. If you are about comedy, be about comedy consistently.
Another angle to consistency pertains to consistently posting your content. Stay consistent even if you have a daily dedicated schedule of how and what you do on your platform(s). That way, people can always count on you, and anticipate what is coming. This all helps in keeping your audience attached to your social media activities. Consistency breeds loyalty and inspires word of mouth in the process.
Inspire By Demonstrating
For anything you want your audience to do, be the model example. This might not be applicable at all times, but apply as much as possible. For instance, you might want to inspire people to work out, eat healthily, give to charity, and so on. The best way to build a community around you is by inspiring through demonstration. People are more likely to get involved and invite others when you demonstrate things.
Imagine you are building a social media community around make-up artistry. It is far better to do live demonstrations than just merely talking about it. It, in a way, speaks to that social proof element where people are more likely to do what others do. You should find ways to inspire by demonstrating.
You must follow these five cardinal rules when building a social media community. Be consistent, and do not take shortcuts. If you want to use paid approaches, e.g. ads, go ahead. If you feel you want organic growth, go ahead. It is possible to build a vast social media community organically. In fact, when it is organic, you usually have a genuine and immersed social media community. It does not matter which social media platform it is, these are some of the cardinal rules when building a social media community.
