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The Importance of Brand Communities

Brand communities occur at the nexus of individual identity, culture, and business. At Jive PR + Digital, we align with brands to find the most authentic way to create and maintain a community of people who are invested in being more than a customer – people who aspire to become a part of the brand. Some of the most successful brands did not attract a community simply because they were successful, but rather can largely credit their ongoing success to the community rallied around them. 

Though brand communities come in all shapes and sizes, the following are general signs that a brand has an engaged community: 

  • People will be eager to join and be a part of the community, perhaps even before they have purchased any products
  • People will want to be involved with the brand – by reviewing, following on social media, and commenting on posts
  • People will be open about how much they love the brand by sharing content and talking to their friends and family 

Brand communities can be thought of as the foundation, or support system, of a company. Here’s three reasons why they’re integral to a brand’s long-term success: 

  • Brand awareness: Though brand awareness is not synonymous with brand community, growth in awareness can result from earned media produced from a strong community base – whether fans are interacting organically via social media by sharing authentic, branded content or eager to become brand ambassadors
  • Honest feedback: A brand community has a vested interest in a company’s prosperity, and therefore can be the best source for discovering pain points and opportunities for growth, which can be facilitated by giving fans the opportunity to influence future product launches (i.e. How Glossier solicits genuine advice from readers via open threads on Into the Gloss)
  • Brand loyalty: An engaged community of true fans are worth exponentially more than regular customers because they will be willing to spend more, make repeat purchases, and advocate on behalf of the brand, which is why the quality of brand fans is far more important than the quantity
Brand Communities

No brand community is alike – which means every approach to cultivating one is unique. Our team at Jive develops multi-tiered, dynamic strategies that are customized to meet the needs of each brand (and community) we work with. Regardless of the approach, it’s important to incorporate a mix of services to grow a community while keeping true fans engaged. Placing too much emphasis on growth or sales can result in neglecting the fans that built the community in the first place – it’s key to provide value and support for community members.

Within what brand communities do you belong? We’d love to hear your input. Find us on social at @jiveprdigital. 

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