Written by our Founder, Anna Sullivan
Building Community through Social Media
As I have been traveling for a bit, I have come across so many social media channels other countries use and how brands are utilizing them. Unless you are planning to go international (mainly throughout Asia) you won’t need to worry about these channels, however I think there is a lot to learn about why they are successful.
The channels I’m talking about:?Telegram
,?Line
,?Viber
,?Naver
, and?Kakao
.
So, what are they doing that keep people using them and interacting with brands? The first thing I want to mention is all of these apps feel somewhat similar - it’s just about the country you are in and which one (or two) that have really worked well in that country. All of these apps are very focused on interactions through conversations and sharing updates (vs content marketing we pursue on Instagram, TikTok, etc.) mores regarding sales, events, etc. Some even allow you to connect with the other “followers” of the brand/group. For Naver specifically, it’s an exclusive way to book any restaurant/experience/etc in South Korea.
Now, we know that Facebook Messenger and Instagram DMs are where some people still go to interact with a brand but it doesn’t feel secure that the brand will see or respond within a timely manner, or even at all. Messaging a brand via email feels a little too professional, and no one calls anymore (most brands without a phone number to even dial).?
Facebook Groups has really failed as Facebook is pretty much dead. SMS marketing is really working for some brands, but for others that hasn’t been adapted. So that leaves a gap in terms of truly connecting with your customers/followers and sharing information that is now most likely the content shared via email marketing (and maybe Instagram Stories). Not to mention, there is not an easy way to interact with other people who love the brand other than them interacting on their own content, like on Tiktok.?
Here are my thoughts on that customer connection and building community:
- As social media has pushed brands to be more gritty and authentic (specifically though TikTok), what if your brand hosted regular LIVE sessions for customers to join where you talk about the brand, how los, FAQs, things to come, etc. and have time at the end for people to ask questions/speak up.
- Back in the day, hashtags could signify a group of content (from a brand and UGC) as a community - now it is just used for gained exposure and misused a lot. Honestly, I am not sure of a direct placement for that unless the social apps make some feature changes - that would be so dope to see!
- Utilize your social listening time by really diving into content posted by others featuring the brand and going through all of the comments to respond to people, you can do something similar for any topics that are directly related to the brand as well.
- Have FAQs in Instagram Stories or through pinned posts on your Instagram Profile - can do something similar for TikTok.
- We used to encourage a CTA on all organic posts, but that is pretty much an outdated best practice. So, consider in your video content making it more engaging/open for conversation - especially on TikTok and Reels where people actually read through all the comments like a forum.
- Reposting user content is easy (through Instagram stories) but maybe start adding a little more detail promoting these people to encourage other people to check their profile out.
- Don’t overcomplicate things and consider opening a number for people to text or add to your bio that DMs are open (note Instagram is easy, but TikTok you must follow each other to send a message).
- Obviously you can adapt these apps (especially something to consider if you are an international brand or have a lot of customers who are from certain countries that may already be using this or explore an app like?Geneva
?that is really picking up in the US
Otherwise, I have a ton of other things to share this week that may be of interest:
- Marketing a brand? I love this?thought process
?and?this one
?regarding social media specifically.
- Are you a food or beverage startup??Food Foundry
, a startup accelerator, is taking applications for their next cohort.
- Audio is a huge component to TikTok content, no wonder?brands are testing sonic branding
?on the app.
- Selling on Amazon? HUGE news, Amazon will now allow you to?email your Amazon customers
.
- How cool is this tool? If you are a brand that wants to get more involved with IRL events/activations (even as simple as just free gifting)?this tool
?can connect you with the opportunities.
