{"id":29230,"date":"2023-09-04T11:22:45","date_gmt":"2023-09-04T18:22:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.helpshift.com\/?p=29230"},"modified":"2024-04-15T02:23:14","modified_gmt":"2024-04-15T09:23:14","slug":"what-is-an-online-community-5-steps-to-build-your-own","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.helpshift.com\/what-is-an-online-community-5-steps-to-build-your-own\/","title":{"rendered":"What is an Online Community? 5 Steps to Build Your Own"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
Now it is easy to find like-minded people on the Internet. You can have a heart-to-heart talk with a person from another corner of the world and discuss the latest news and topics that are interesting to both of you. More interested people can be involved in the conversation. And then it turns into an online community with its own distinctive features.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
How is a community different from a group, audience, society as a whole, or an organization? Here are the main characteristics of a community: <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Any group can be described from a community point of view, while not every group is a community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
An online community is an organized group of people who communicate with each other on the Internet and sometimes interact in virtual space. Examples of online communities include various chats, collective and private blogs, social media platforms, forums, web conferences, wikis, multiplayer games, and in-app communities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Online communities live their own life. They have their own celebrities and insider jokes that are understandable only to their participants. People come to communities to get answers to their questions. And having met understanding from the \u201cold-timers\u201d, they stay and watch what is happening.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You can attract this audience to your project or brand. You know that they are interested in and what worries them. And you know what you can give your potential customers. It is a powerful social marketing tool.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Depending on the platform, there are the following types of online communities: forums, blogs, social media groups, gaming communities, and in-app communities. You can also distinguish communities by the method and type of contact:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It is also possible to distinguish communities according to experience, collaboration, and competition. For example, Wikipedia is a collaborative community of people with the same experience: everyone who contributes to Wikipedia has a common experience with other community members. A gaming clan or guild is another example of a community based on competition and common experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The most important advantage that an online community can bring you is access to information. People can later use this information to create a buzz around your brand, continuing to build a community without your active participation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
You can observe the benefits of online communities on any promotional website or social media page of a brand. People actively participate in discussions of various issues and pain points. The most important goal in building an online community is to bring together as many members as possible. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
On the one hand, this is because a company can address a well-defined target group and present itself as a competent partner for information seekers. By building an online community, the company offers a communication platform and opportunities for experience exchange. On the other hand, it is beneficial for a brand that people stay on community areas of an app or a website longer than on other pages, thus becoming more and more engaged.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In addition, by observing communication in an online community, a brand can learn about the shortcomings of its product and the consumers\u2019 wishes. Such information helps to improve the product with the focus on the customer needs and requirements. It is also possible to customize the product based on the membership profile. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
A variety of information posted on message boards, private home pages, and community chats would always interest a newcomer. After that, they start filling the community with further content.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, you want (or need) to build an online community. Where to begin?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
First, start with a goal. Imagine how the result will look like after you have already developed an active community. What will you achieve by this? Consider the following questions:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you are building an online community for a brand, research the competitor apps or websites and see how they implement and manage their online communities. For instance, if you own an e-commerce brand and want to unite its consumers into a community, consider\u00a0the example of MyGlamm, a beauty and skincare brand. This brand has integrated GetSocial\u2019s Activity Feeds, providing the users with a platform to express and share their thoughts. As a result, the brand gets an insight into what their customers think and has a direct channel to interact with them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n