Do you really have a brand community? Check again.

I’ve been fortunate to consult with many organizations that are in some stage of building a brand community. They usually find me through my book, Belonging to the Brand: Why Community is the Last Great Marketing Strategy.”

And I’m consistently seeing the same major problem repeated over and over again. Here’s a clue. I cringe when they brag about their Instagram or TikTok community. Do you know why?

Let’s unravel that mystery today.

The emotional connection

Do you have an audience or a community? This is a very important distinction and one that can cause a lot of confusion.

There are three main differences:

1. COMMUNION

In a community, people know each other. There is communion. There are exchanges and collaborations. If you are reading this blog, you probably don’t know anybody else who is reading this. That’s OK. I love you, and that’s all that matters, and I appreciate that you’re here.

But here’s a secret. The research shows that when people become friends in a community, that goodwill spills over to the brand. If you have great friends in a community, will you ever leave it? You literally belong to the brand, right? This suggests the most important community strategy is to encourage connections between the members — the ultimate emotional connection.

2. SHARED INTERESTS

The second difference is the intersection between the brand’s goals and your customers’ needs and dreams.

For my blog or Instagram audience, we may or may not share ideals and values. I am happy to teach you and help you wherever you are in your life and career.

But in my marketing community RISE, we all share a common goal — career relevance in a fast-changing industry. By sharing content and ideas continuously, we’re helping each other navigate the future.

A community from Patagonia, for example, brings together a brand and a group of people who share values around responsible outdoor recreation.

Sephora has one of the most significant brand communities in the world — over a million members accounting for 80% of its revenue. People are addicted to the site because they get to see and try the latest beauty products.

A group of adult LEGO enthusiasts has gathered for years to contribute new product ideas, sharing a passion for the tiny plastic blocks.

When you find the intersection of brand gpals and customer passion, you have the potential for community!

3. NEW RELEVANCE

If you have a content strategy for a podcast or video audience, it’s likely that your format remains the same for years.

But in a community, you’re constantly pulled into the future by the interests and ideas of diverse humans.

For example, I’ve been blogging every week since 2009. My topics have evolved but I’ve always stayed within the intersection of marketing strategy, technology, and humanity. Like most businesses, my overarching strategy for my audience is more or less bolted to the center of the earth.

But in my community, the members lead the way. Sure, I play a role to make sure the place is safe and fair, but 95% of the discussion has nothing to do with me. The community leads the direction. That just doesn’t happen with an audience.

Think about scaling that. Having your customers lead you into the future seems like a power idea.

The in-between

As with everything in marketing, there are few hard and fast rules. Certainly, there are real groups of people who might gather on Instagram or TikTok who might share some of the characteristics of community: communion, shared interests, and new relevance.

But in general, this is not the case. 99% of the time, when people talk about their social media community, it’s not a community at all. It’s an audience, which is fine … but different on the emotional spectrum.

Community is an important strategy that requires significant resources and effort. It makes sense to stay focused on the true nature of online communities to realize the most value.

By the way, would you like to explore my online marketing community? Here’s some information!

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