5 community-building tips I’ve learned from working in social media, TV, and nonprofits

For the previous ten years, I’ve lived and breathed advertising and marketing. I’ve run social campaigns, labored with influencers, created content material, constructed affiliate applications, and all the pieces in between. One issue unites all the pieces: Each single profitable technique has at all times tied again to neighborhood.

And most of the time, when an initiative flops, it’s as a result of that neighborhood is lacking. When manufacturers fail to interact, there’s a way that they’re simply pushing content material onto their viewers, fairly than bringing folks right into a dialog and fascinating with them.

Neighborhood has at all times been essential. However in 2025, it issues greater than ever. That’s why I wrote this put up. Beneath, I’ll share widespread errors to keep away from and my private tried-and-tested ideas for constructing lasting, genuine communities.

Why Neighborhood Issues Greater than Ever in 2025

Previously, entrepreneurs talked so much about figuring out a audience. We’d give you a product and inform our audience to purchase it. The alternate ended there, with none deep, human-centered connection.

That’s all altering. In case your model is simply telling folks to purchase a product, you’re falling behind. Once you sound sales-y, potential clients tune out. They don’t really feel heard. There’s no engagement, and so they don’t really feel like they’re part of something. The answer is neighborhood.

As a substitute of “Hey, have a look at this” or “Hey, I would like you to purchase this,” a community-focused marketing campaign begins by truly speaking to folks and understanding their wants. Now, high manufacturers work backward, ranging from clients’ wants after which constructing merchandise based mostly on actual, human enter.

It’s not a cookie-cutter method. The method entails each understanding what current communities to serve and constructing communities round new merchandise. Groups have to take a position time exploring why current options don’t work. Then, they’ll develop efficient options hand-in-hand with a neighborhood.

Over the past ten years of my profession in nonprofits, TV, and social media, I’ve discovered that funding results in loyalty. I’ve discovered to make neighborhood the middle of all my campaigns, so clients grow to be part of our model story.

What does this appear to be in observe? One among my favourite campaigns concerned advertising and marketing a beauty eye masks for Topicals as their Director of Social Media. Earlier than launch, we despatched the product to actual clients for testing. We related with members in group chats to see what they thought. We even organized an in-person hike, invited everybody to put on the attention masks, and listened to what they thought.

My group’s focus wasn’t simply on gathering product suggestions. We weren’t making an attempt to financial institution content material from this superior group of 40 ladies, all carrying eye masks and strolling round Lengthy Seashore. We needed to construct a two-way relationship with our clients.

That’s what community-based advertising and marketing is all about. Constructing an actual neighborhood decenters the product and as a substitute focuses on the people who find themselves the center of any model.

3 Frequent Errors Manufacturers Make When It Involves Neighborhood

After a decade within the area, I’ve seen many profitable methods and customary setbacks. Listed here are the pitfalls that get in the way in which of efficient, community-focused advertising and marketing.

1. Partaking with the Mistaken Neighborhood

No matter you’re concerned about, there’s a neighborhood stuffed with consultants who know the subject inside and outside. So, once you’re first diving into community-focused advertising and marketing, you might want to discover the best area of interest. In case you concentrate on a neighborhood that doesn’t suit your providing, your marketing campaign will flop.

For instance, I run a nonprofit social membership referred to as off worque. It’s a neighborhood that’s centered on occasions and networking for professionals navigating points associated to work/life stability. We get a variety of pitches for random magnificence merchandise that don’t make sense for our group.

Now, I can do the work to attempt to tie these merchandise to our neighborhood. I’d see if there’s a psychological well being connection, as an illustration, that may assist a few of these merchandise really feel extra related. However on the whole, it’s finest to determine a neighborhood that actually aligns together with your product, fairly than making an attempt to push a product on a gaggle that’s not concerned about it.

2. Falling into the “Free Stuff” Entice

Don’t get me mistaken: I really like free stuff. However, it’s straightforward for entrepreneurs to fall into the lure of pondering that giving out numerous free stuff implies that numerous individuals are engaged. A goodie bag with a free pattern or mini present can preserve your model top-of-mind, however your freebies must be related.

If I’m at a journaling occasion, a free pen or pocket book makes all of the sense on the planet. However a free lip gloss? That’s much less useful. You can provide out 50 free lip glosses, but when these 50 folks by no means put on lip gloss, they aren’t the best neighborhood for you. A freebie gained’t change that.

3. Treating Neighborhood-Constructing Like a Technique Session

That is extra a matter of mindset than techniques. After all, being strategic is necessary, however in my expertise, constructing a neighborhood shouldn’t be a technique session.

You actually don’t must suppose too arduous. You don’t must craft a meticulously calculated and arranged strategic plan. On the contrary, I’ve discovered that the perfect neighborhood engagement campaigns occur organically.

So, don’t overthink it. Simply use some widespread sense: For example, should you’re promoting sneakers, perhaps a run or stroll membership could possibly be an excellent neighborhood on your model. In case you’re promoting skincare merchandise, the place are folks already speaking about associated well being and wonder points?

Not all the pieces must be a severe, strategic determination. As a substitute, asking fundamental questions and fascinating authentically with current communities could be a good way to get began.

My Prime 5 Neighborhood-Constructing Ideas

So, what does it take to construct and have interaction with a neighborhood? Right here’s what I’ve discovered most profitable.

1. Discover your folks.

In the beginning, community-building is all about discovering your folks. This goes deeper than simply defining a audience. It’s about speaking to your clients, understanding their wants, and studying the place and the way they like to attach with one another.

Then, when you’ve recognized a neighborhood that’s prone to be concerned about your model, you can begin reaching out. However keep in mind: Don’t simply skip straight to promoting. As a substitute, discover genuine, artistic methods to interact with folks on their phrases.

2. Construct bridges.

After all, you don’t must restrict your self simply to a slim, extremely particular neighborhood. It’s additionally good to seek out methods to construct bridges between your current loyal clients and different, associated communities adjoining to your personal.

For instance, should you’re promoting nutritional vitamins, your clients are in all probability pretty health-conscious. That may imply that run golf equipment or 5K races could possibly be good locations to seek out individuals who could also be concerned about your model. Then again, a hair or beauty-focused occasion could also be much less related to your model and clients.

To determine what teams your buyer base tends to spend time in, I’ve discovered that conducting some easy surveys could be actually efficient. You may attain out to current clients to ask about their pursuits and day-to-day lives, after which you should utilize that data to make educated guesses concerning the sorts of communities and occasions that is likely to be aligned together with your model.

3. Outline communities clearly however inclusively.

On the subject of community-building, it’s necessary to outline your neighborhood clearly. You may’t be all the pieces to everybody. In any case, efficient manufacturers know who their individuals are.

On the similar time, it’s necessary to maintain that neighborhood open and inclusive. You need to be a guardian of your neighborhood, however not a gatekeeper. For a neighborhood to develop and thrive, it wants to have the ability to welcome new folks in.

Adidas and Nike are a few of my favourite position fashions right here. These are working manufacturers, however you don’t must be a runner to be part of their neighborhood. You don’t must be a three-minute-miler to take pleasure in an occasion. Their sneakers are for walkers, too.

These manufacturers have outlined communities which can be clear of their focus, however nonetheless open to a variety of individuals with a variety of skills and pursuits. They’re aspirational and relatable. The manufacturers encourage folks to hitch, fairly than pushing folks away or pressuring them to interact with the neighborhood inauthentically.

4. Leverage social media.

Figuring out a broad neighborhood is one factor. Determining the right way to truly have interaction with it’s one other. Particularly, there are three key social media platforms that I’ve discovered are usually particularly useful in connecting with a model neighborhood.

LinkedIn

Primary is LinkedIn. I really like LinkedIn as a result of it’s acquired one thing for everybody. There are folks in search of jobs, the networkers, the folks asking for recommendation, the folks providing recommendation… There are such a lot of totally different communities on this platform, which makes it an excellent place to attach with folks for something associated to careers, psychological well being, and work-life stability.

Substack

Extra not too long ago, I’ve discovered that Substack is one other excellent place to attach with a neighborhood. You may write about something on Substack: Some of us are sharing recipes, some are publishing a every day journal, some are posting intimately about their relationship woes (and hoping their companions don’t see their posts).

Substack is a good place to see different folks’s concepts, to remark, to share, and to contribute in no matter approach is smart.

TikTok

And eventually, after all, there’s TikTok. The unbelievable factor about TikTok is simply what number of random, area of interest audiences it has created. The platform sparks curiosity in pursuits folks didn’t even know that they had. This platform is a good place for manufacturers to attach and have interaction with hyper-specific communities.

5. Embrace empathy.

Constructing a neighborhood is tough. So, all through the highs and lows of neighborhood advertising and marketing, manufacturers must at all times empathize with their clients.

Don’t create golf equipment or arrange occasions as a result of neighborhood advertising and marketing is one thing you’ve been informed you have to be doing. As a substitute, faucet into your viewers, specific real curiosity about their wants and pursuits, and let the stuff you study inform the communities you create.

Construct neighborhood like a professional.

Over the past ten years, I’ve seen firsthand simply how highly effective a model neighborhood could be. Gone are the times when manufacturers might simply promote merchandise in a vacuum. In the present day, the best manufacturers study to determine and have interaction with their clients’ communities.

It’s time to put money into actual understanding and middle communities at each flip.