Social Media Marketing For Online Community Building II

This is part 2 of the two-part series. 

Social Listening, what people say on a topic, must have PRable content (presence & relevance). Get to know what’s the latest!

1. There is merit in reposting content. Amplify user-generated content.
2. There are many creative tools on Facebook and Instagram. Use them!
3. Measure Positive Social Sentiment – Likes, Shares, Comments, Reposts, Subscribe, Follow.
4. Measure C.T.A. – Pay-per-click, Cost-to-acquisition, App or PDF downloads, Sign-ups, etc.
5. Optimise content if performance is not up to mark, or scale up to do even better.
6. Posting Contextual Content is what makes it interesting.

On Social, activities you can do are:

1. You can pin a post to your F.B. page to stay there longer.
2. Upload stories on Facebook and Instagram that remain for 24 hours only.
3. Host online events on the Facebook page or group. Facebook Live & Watch party.
4. Start a poll on Facebook or Instagram to understand interest, behaviour, and demographics.
5. Create a fundraising campaign on Facebook and Instagram.
6. Run Facebook and Instagram ads and boost posts for a broader community base & reach.

With every business page, there should also be a business group

Building a like-minded community on Facebook can be a great way to know, share, understand, reflect, improvise, and empower the members to contribute their knowledge and insights.

Nowadays, any company or brand has a bigger picture: Sustainability, E.S.G., D.E.I., Artificial Intelligence and Technology, Post-Pandemic Issues, Shared Culture, Networking and Events, and more. To voice a brand’s ideology, core values, and key messages calls for involving all stakeholders in a shared social space like a Facebook Group. Announcements, Pinned Posts and Group Guidelines are imperative to a place like this for positive outcomes. You can set a tone, a style, and a narrative for a community-building online platform.

1. Encourage members to create content & tag other members.
2. Announce Rewards and Recognition for active members of the group.
3. Host events on the group – online and offline events, live talks and watch parties
4. Harness the power of online reputation management (ORM) to lead by example on how you wish everyone in the group to stay in harmony and have constructive conversations.
5. In crises or conflicts, moderate or intervene to resolve the same.
6. Stay within guidelines – Facebook T&C, Community Guidelines and Rules.

Online Reputation Management:

One of ORM’s more significant challenges is to minimise conflict in online communities. Manage trolls’ negative sentiments on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. Community guidelines are a must. So is the brand’s or company’s point-of-view (P.O.V.) or official statement. Controversial topics may need an expert to intervene and moderate for the amicable resolution of the situation, prompt positive or neutral response, an authentic intention of resolving the matter, and some positive or good news to share on the platform.

Know how to curate content, close conversations, desolate negative comments, mitigate issues, resolve customers’ pain points, and report or block profanity. The main thing is to step in and act quickly with authentic information or a proper, satisfactory response.

What to expect from your consultancy?

Right from Social Media Account Setup to Community Strategy and then Operational Workflow. What’s missing? Performance Data Insights, Analysis and Review. Is your content bringing reach, engagement and conversion (take the desired action)? Ask your consultancy this very question?

Source: Community Management Studio Guide

Consultancy review and reporting presentations on data, information and social media insights should be a good starting point for the subsequent implementation at the strategy or workflow levels.

To Summarise: Be selective in the social media platform your brand is on, and ensure that there is a mission, goal, and values spelt out for that platform to have a more effective workflow operation that includes content strategy, content calendar and more. Brand strategy for that community also called the community strategy, can change over time and be optimised for better performance in reach, engagement and conversation. Keep an eye on the data & analytics!

The views and opinions published here belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of the publisher.

Preeti Juneja

Preeti Juneja is a distinguished Marketing Specialist and the Founder of DreamWeb India, showcasing a profound passion for Branding and Public Relations. Commencing her career at Genesis BCW, she gained extensive experience working closely with prominent Consumer and entertainment brands like Horlicks, The Park, and National Geographic Channel.

As a Brand Manager at UTV Entertainment, Preeti successfully launched UTV World Movies, collaborating with international film industry figures and foreign embassies. She championed brand advocacy through impactful campaigns such as '30 Years of Child Rights and You (CRY).' With over 23 years of diverse industry experience, including a noteworthy role as CEO at Loginworks Softwares Pvt. Ltd., Preeti continues to drive business sustainability and growth. In her latest endeavour at DreamWeb India, Preeti passionately empowers new businesses through innovative online marketing and public relations strategies.