THE GLUE THAT KEEPS US TOGETHER AS A COMMUNITY
What strikes you when somebody mentions the term ‘mutual interest?’ The terms are pretty self-explanatory as they denote something of importance that is shared between individuals. Any facet that is a commonality between a group of people such as a shared love for a certain beverage or an obsession towards a particular music band, classifies as mutual interest.
Mutually interested brands are able to connect with consumers on levels that are unanticipated. They get to the very heart of the matter in finding out what really keeps the people interested. Brands that spend a considerable fraction of their budget on research & development benefit from the results that get generated. Research is often underrated when it comes to certain industries but it is the sole driving factor for any brand’s propulsion.
As per a research conducted by SproutSocial, 64 percent of consumers want brands to connect with them. Connecting with people should be the topmost priority and should even supersede that of selling. Today’s times are rife with conflicts that take place on all fronts. Feuds over anything under the sun are taking place on a regular basis and a sense of disorientation is gradually creeping in. It becomes all the more vital to find a common ground with all those we come in contact with, either in the virtual space or in the real space.
Social media platforms are working towards creating communities that are all-inclusive and sensitive to peoples’ triggers. Communities bring together individuals who harbor similar passions so that they can ideate on something productive and work towards a common goal. An illustration of this would be connecting a food connoisseur to a restaurant owner or to a budding entrepreneur who is setting up her health café.
Swedish furniture & home goods retailer, IKEA, is a quintessential example of how brands involve their customers so that they can feel more at home during their dealings. It started ‘Co-create IKEA’ which lets all the customers design and model furniture as per how they want it. The platform is digital and quite user-friendly. ‘Co-create IKEA’ has four major objectives- improving its products through suggestions provided by customers, working with entrepreneurs to understand their pain points, collaborating with students from the University on devising product solutions & getting in touch with innovation labs all over the world. The interest of each segment has been carefully considered before launching the campaign.
This approach led to an engagement that was never witnessed before. IKEA was successful in building a COMMUNITY THAT TRULY CONNECTED THROUGH MUTUAL INTEREST.
You can always build communities around the unmet needs of certain members. This becomes achievable as you get to explore your equations with them. Meaningful relationships have their own charm as people do not have to expend extra effort in maintaining them.
So, why does Mutual Interest matter??The entire world is a community in itself. This can only be understood when humans reach their zenith of self-actualization. Each time a nerve-shattering incident takes place in some corner of the world, its ripple effect is felt by all of us. The first question that pops into our heads is “What if this were to take place with me?” When a factor of relatability sets in, MUTUAL INTEREST follows.
We must all work towards a cause which serves the larger interest of people.
As the enlightened Dalai Lama believes,
“Mutual Respect is the foundation of genuine harmony.”