How to build a community (and know what they want from you!)

Building a community is more than growing your audience and following on social media - it’s about creating something powerful, something your community wants to be a part of.

One massive mistake that so many creators are making is focusing all of their effort on gaining more followers, increasing their audience size, and seeing that number next to their name go up and up. But then, the people who are already following them - their existing audience - are basically ignored.

Listen - you don’t need more followers. If you want to be successful as a creator, and grow a sustainable creator business - you don’t need a big audience. What you need is a community and to understand what they want from you.

So, today we are going to talk about how you can actually put this into action - this is how to turn your audience, into a true community and how you can integrate that strong community into your plan for monetization as well. Let’s do this!

How to build a community:

Before you can truly understand what your community wants (or needs) from you, first you need to figure out how to build a community (not just grow your audience). But how?

Create a culture with your content

Creating a true community out of your audience starts with building a culture around your content. You've probably heard of corporate culture - the values, vibe, and shared identity that unites employees in a workplace. What I'm suggesting is that you create something similar for your audience. This is the first step towards developing a real community.

So how can you do this? It really comes down to the values and vibe that you project in your content. Your viewers will pick up on this and either gravitate towards you or drift away. And that's okay! For a community to thrive, it needs to be made up of like-minded individuals who share something in common. It doesn't mean that your community has to agree on everything, but there should be something that brings them together.

So how can you begin to develop a culture with your content? Let your personality guide you here - maybe you have certain words or catchphrases that you use often, which your audience connects with, and that makes you memorable. For example, years ago, I used to watch Meghan Hughes on YouTube a lot, and even though I don't keep up with her as much now, I still remember how she would always use "brother" as an endearing term for anyone, regardless of gender. I loved the way she said it - it always made me chuckle - and it really jived with her happy, hippie vibe. That's just one example.

Developing a culture can also look like creating inside jokes with your audience - maybe by referencing funny or embarrassing moments from your life or past content. This is especially effective if it's something that might be relatable to your audience. One of the biggest and most iconic internet communities is pretty inarguably the community that surrounds the vlogbrothers - John and Hank Green. I, and many others, were drawn into the community through the relatable jokes Hank and John would make about the experience of being a nerd in high school, of loving Harry Potter, and feeling really awkward.

So think about what funny or relatable experiences you could share, what catchphrases or jokes you could make that would help your audience connect with the culture of your content. That's the first seed that can start to grow a community.

Get your followers talking to each other

Having a strong culture in place gives your community a space to grow from - once you have that, you need to start giving your followers an opportunity to interact with one another.

Even something as simple as prompting your Instagram followers to comment on your post introducing themselves and sharing something that interests them - and then encouraging them to follow up with one another and make connections. You'd be surprised just how many people are open and looking for those connections, but understandably, won't insert themselves into a situation to try to make them. If you give your audience an opportunity, or a prompt, to connect with one another - lots of people will be excited about taking that opportunity.

So let's go rapid-fire through 5 potential ways you could implement this today - and get your followers to start interacting with one another:

Share a Reel introducing yourself and prompt your audience to comment below introducing themselves as well and sharing one thing that they love (maybe a book, movie, travel destination - whatever is relevant to your niche!)
Share "friend-dating" profiles on your IG Stories. An artist I follow, Semler, does this - they prompt their audience to submit a silly "dating profile" to their DMs, and then they share them to their story - and other followers can then reach out to anyone shared in the story if they want to be their friend.
Create a Reel asking easy interview questions - prompt your audience to Remix your Reel answering them - and then you can share those remixes on your story, giving your audience a chance to connect with other community members.
If you have an email newsletter - do a weekly subscriber shout-out! share a profile of one of your subscribers, along with a question or prompt they can answer, and include their social media links so other community members can reach out.

Set goals that your followers can work towards together

In addition to giving your community a user-friendly space to connect, another effective way to generate that increased connection is setting goals for your followers to work towards together - whether that's a challenge or a shared goal that you as the creator are also working towards - having a common mission is a great way to build friendship.

This will help develop real friendships within your community. Chances are, followers already share similarities, and we, as the creator, can help them discover those by developing common goals and tasks. This will build a stronger bond within the community and encourage them to work together towards a common mission.

No matter what stage you're at in your creator journey, it's always worthwhile to implement some of these community-building practices so that you can not only grow your following but also ensure that you have a following that is engaged and invested in what you're doing, and making connections and growing themselves, too.

How to understand your community (so you can figure out what they want from you!)

By understanding who your community is, you can tailor your content, services, and support to meet their needs. This will help you build long-lasting relationships with your community.

When you know your community, everything you do will be more likely to resonate with the people who matter most to your success and that’s the goal, right?

But how do you understand your community?

1. Review past and current data you have regarding your community

If you already have begun to build a community and potentially have already started selling products, it’s important to analyze all of your current and past data first.

For social media analytics, take a look at which posts have the most likes, comments, shares, and saves. Look for patterns in the type of content that performs well, such as certain topics or formats. For product sales analytics, examine which products have sold the most and which have received the most positive reviews. This can indicate which products are meeting the needs and wants of your community.

Once you have identified the content and products that are resonating with your audience, consider how you can expand on those themes or create similar products. You can also use this information to come up with a solid marketing strategy, highlighting the aspects of your content and products that have been successful in the past. By understanding what your community is already interested in, you can tailor your offerings to better meet their needs and build a stronger, more engaged community.

2. Create Your Avatars

Developing creative marketing avatars can help you understand the needs and wants of your community and customers. These avatars represent your ideal customers and help guide your product or service development as well as your marketing efforts. By creating detailed personas, you can get a better sense of your community's preferences, pain points, and interests. This can help you tailor your content and messaging to better resonate with your audience and build a stronger community.

Honestly, you can make this part fun. Create these fictitious humans that you want to target and that you want to be a part of the community. Give them Harvey’s, favorite, coffee, shops, and even give them a name. Let’s say that you name your avatar “Rebecca” - now when you’re thinking up your next piece of content or product, you can ask yourself, would “Rebecca” be interested in this?

3. Ask your community

Beyond doing research, why not just ask your current community? Conducting surveys is effective for getting specific answers to questions you have for your community about your products or services, marketing efforts, customer support, and more. With surveys, you can ask your community for both general statements and specific details about what they want and need from you.

It's easier than ever to communicate with your community. Platforms like Instagram offer features such as polls and question boxes in stories, which allow you to get direct feedback from your followers.

4. Investigate other leaders in your niche

Investigating other leaders in your niche is important for your success. This allows you to understand what they are (and aren't) doing well, how they're targeting the community you share, and what those community members are and aren't responding to.

One effective way to understand your community is to analyze the comments of people with a similar community. By reading comments on social media posts, blog articles, and other content from creators in your niche, you can get a sense of the types of questions and concerns that your community has. You can also see which topics generate the most engagement and interest. This information can be used to create content and products that resonate with your community and address their needs and interests. Additionally, you can use this information to identify gaps in the market and create unique offerings that set you apart from other creators in your niche.

5. Pay attention to what your community is saying

Pay attention to your community’s feedback over time through their comments and engagements on your posts, reviews, and so on. This will tell you which positive and negative experiences many of them are consistently having so you can maintain the things that are working well for your community and resolve the largest issues immediately.

6. Test out new ideas with your community

Testing out new ideas with your community is a great way to determine whether or not your business is effectively evolving with your community as you grow and create new product or service offerings and features.

Experimenting with new ideas is crucial to keeping your content and products fresh and relevant. By trying out new approaches, you can find new ways to engage with your audience and meet their evolving needs. Testing out new ideas also helps you refine your approach and identify what works and what doesn't. This can lead to more effective content and product development over time. Don't be afraid to take risks and try something new - it may just be the key to unlocking the next level of success for your brand.

How to know what content your community wants?

Understanding the fears, desires, and pain points of your community is crucial to creating a successful product or service for them. To achieve this, market research can inform you of the best solution to fit your community’s learning style and pain points - which is exactly what you would have learned while getting to know your audience better in the many ways we already chatted about.

So, to create a product or service that speaks directly to your community, you need to determine whether a specific system or technique can help your potential customers turn their problems into wins. Whatever your product idea is, it must provide a solution to those pain points.

After brainstorming a product idea, decide on the best plan of action to deliver the solution to them. Some examples could be:

Online Courses: Online courses are educational programs that are delivered usually through course platforms or for me, I actually launched a course using Notion. They can be self-paced or instructor-led and cover a wide range of topics. Online courses are a great way to share your expertise with your community and provide them with valuable knowledge and skills.
Webinars: Webinars are live online events that allow you to connect with your community in real-time. They are usually focused on a specific topic or theme and include a presentation and Q&A session. Webinars are a great way to educate your community and provide them with an interactive learning experience.
Workshops: Workshops are in-person or online events that are focused on hands-on learning and skill-building. They can be tailored to a specific topic or theme and are usually led by an expert in the field. Workshops are a great way to provide your community with an immersive learning experience and foster connections between participants.
E-books: E-books are digital books that are available for download or purchase online. They can cover a wide range of topics and are a great way to provide your community with valuable information and insights. E-books can also be a great way to establish yourself as an authority in your niche and drive traffic to your website.
Templates: Templates are pre-designed documents or files that can be customized for a specific purpose. They can be used for anything from designing social media graphics to ways to support your content creator business, for example, I have loads of Notion templates for sale on my website; including content calendars, script templates, and more. Templates are a great way to provide your community with valuable resources and save them time and effort.
Consultation Services: Consultation services are one-on-one or group sessions where you provide personalized advice and guidance to your community. These services can be offered in-person or online and can cover a wide range of topics from business strategy to personal development. Consultation services are a great way to build deeper connections with your community and provide them with tailored support.
Branded Merchandise: Branded merchandise includes any physical products that feature your brand's logo or messaging. This can include anything from t-shirts and hats to stickers and mugs. Branded merchandise is a great way to promote your brand and provide your community with tangible items that they can use and enjoy.
Membership: Membership programs provide your community with access to exclusive content, resources, and perks in exchange for a recurring fee. Membership programs can be a great way to build a strong community and provide ongoing value to your most dedicated followers.
Personal Coaching: Personal coaching is a one-on-one service where you provide personalized guidance and support to your community. This can include anything from business coaching to life coaching. Personal coaching is a great way to build deep connections with your community and provide them with tailored support and guidance.

There are many products you can create for your audience. If you're unsure, don't hesitate to ask and survey your existing audience on social media, just like we talked about earlier.

Once you know what product you want to create, it's time to go into creation mode. Understanding the logistics of creating your product is important, especially when creating a course or coaching program. If you want an episode all about adding products and services to your content creation journey, let me know and we would be happy to do that.

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Ultimately, your entire mission as a content creator should be community-focused. Building a strong community is the foundation of a successful online brand. By creating an environment where people connect and engage with one another over shared interests, you foster relationships and create a sense of belonging. When you focus on building relationships, listening to feedback, and providing value to your community, you will create a loyal following that not only consumes your content but also actively participates in it. Remember that the success of your brand depends on the strength of your community.