For the previous ten years, I’ve lived and breathed advertising. I’ve run social campaigns, labored with influencers, created content material, constructed affiliate applications, and all the things in between. One issue unites all the things: Each single profitable technique has at all times tied again to neighborhood.
And as a rule, when an initiative flops, it’s as a result of that neighborhood is lacking. When manufacturers fail to interact, there’s a way that they’re simply pushing content material onto their viewers, moderately than bringing folks right into a dialog and fascinating with them.
Neighborhood has at all times been important. However in 2025, it issues greater than ever. That’s why I wrote this put up. Beneath, I’ll share widespread errors to keep away from and my private tried-and-tested ideas for constructing lasting, genuine communities.
Why Neighborhood Issues Greater than Ever in 2025
Prior to now, entrepreneurs talked so much about figuring out a audience. We’d provide you with a product and inform our audience to purchase it. The trade ended there, with none deep, human-centered connection.
That’s all altering. In case your model is simply telling folks to purchase a product, you’re falling behind. While you sound sales-y, potential prospects tune out. They don’t really feel heard. There’s no engagement, they usually don’t really feel like they’re part of something. The answer is neighborhood.
As a substitute of “Hey, have a look at this” or “Hey, I want you to purchase this,” a community-focused marketing campaign begins by truly speaking to folks and understanding their wants. Now, high manufacturers work backward, ranging from prospects’ wants after which constructing merchandise primarily based on actual, human enter.
It’s not a cookie-cutter method. The method includes each realizing what present communities to serve and constructing communities round new merchandise. Groups have to speculate time exploring why present options don’t work. Then, they’ll develop efficient options hand-in-hand with a neighborhood.
Over the past ten years of my profession in nonprofits, TV, and social media, I’ve discovered that funding results in loyalty. I’ve realized to make neighborhood the middle of all my campaigns, so prospects turn out to be part of our model story.
What does this appear to be in follow? One in every of my favourite campaigns concerned advertising a beauty eye masks for Topicals as their Director of Social Media. Earlier than launch, we despatched the product to actual prospects for testing. We related with individuals in group chats to see what they thought. We even organized an in-person hike, invited everybody to put on the attention masks, and listened to what they thought.
My workforce’s focus wasn’t simply on accumulating product suggestions. We weren’t making an attempt to financial institution content material from this superior group of 40 girls, all carrying eye masks and strolling round Lengthy Seashore. We wished to construct a two-way relationship with our prospects.
That’s what community-based advertising is all about. Constructing an actual neighborhood decenters the product and as an alternative focuses on the people who find themselves the center of any model.
3 Widespread Errors Manufacturers Make When It Involves Neighborhood
After a decade within the subject, I’ve seen many profitable methods and customary setbacks. Listed here are the pitfalls that get in the way in which of efficient, community-focused advertising.
1. Participating with the Unsuitable Neighborhood
No matter you’re inquisitive about, there’s a neighborhood stuffed with specialists who know the subject in and out. So, if you’re first diving into community-focused advertising, you must discover the appropriate area of interest. In the event you concentrate on a neighborhood that doesn’t suit your providing, your marketing campaign will flop.
For instance, I run a nonprofit social membership known as off worque. It’s a neighborhood that’s targeted on occasions and networking for professionals navigating points associated to work/life stability. We get a number of pitches for random magnificence merchandise that don’t make sense for our group.
Now, I can do the work to attempt to tie these merchandise to our neighborhood. I would see if there’s a psychological well being connection, as an example, that will assist a few of these merchandise really feel extra related. However usually, it’s finest to establish a neighborhood that basically aligns together with your product, moderately than making an attempt to push a product on a gaggle that’s not inquisitive about it.
2. Falling into the “Free Stuff” Entice
Don’t get me mistaken: I really like free stuff. However, it’s straightforward for entrepreneurs to fall into the lure of pondering that giving out numerous free stuff implies that numerous persons are engaged. A goodie bag with a free pattern or mini present can maintain your model top-of-mind, however your freebies should be related.
If I’m at a journaling occasion, a free pen or pocket book makes all of the sense on this planet. However a free lip gloss? That’s much less useful. You can provide out 50 free lip glosses, but when these 50 folks by no means put on lip gloss, they aren’t the appropriate neighborhood for you. A freebie gained’t change that.
3. Treating Neighborhood-Constructing Like a Technique Session
That is extra a matter of mindset than techniques. After all, being strategic is necessary, however in my expertise, constructing a neighborhood will not be a technique session.
You actually don’t should suppose too exhausting. You don’t must craft a meticulously calculated and arranged strategic plan. On the contrary, I’ve discovered that one of the best neighborhood engagement campaigns occur organically.
So, don’t overthink it. Simply use some widespread sense: As an illustration, if you happen to’re promoting sneakers, possibly a run or stroll membership could possibly be a very good neighborhood on your model. In the event you’re promoting skincare merchandise, the place are folks already speaking about associated well being and wonder points?
Not all the things must be a severe, strategic determination. As a substitute, asking fundamental questions and fascinating authentically with present communities might be a good way to get began.
My Prime 5 Neighborhood-Constructing Suggestions
So, what does it take to construct and have interaction with a neighborhood? Right here’s what I’ve discovered most profitable.
1. Discover your folks.
In the beginning, community-building is all about discovering your folks. This goes deeper than simply defining a audience. It’s about speaking to your prospects, understanding their wants, and studying the place and the way they like to attach with one another.
Then, when you’ve recognized a neighborhood that’s prone to be inquisitive about your model, you can begin reaching out. However keep in mind: Don’t simply skip straight to promoting. As a substitute, discover genuine, inventive methods to interact with folks on their phrases.
2. Construct bridges.
After all, you don’t should restrict your self simply to a slim, extremely particular neighborhood. It’s additionally sensible to search out methods to construct bridges between your present loyal prospects and different, associated communities adjoining to your personal.
For instance, if you happen to’re promoting nutritional vitamins, your prospects are most likely pretty health-conscious. That may imply that run golf equipment or 5K races could possibly be good locations to search out individuals who could also be inquisitive about your model. However, a hair or beauty-focused occasion could also be much less related to your model and prospects.
To determine what teams your buyer base tends to spend time in, I’ve discovered that conducting some easy surveys might be actually efficient. You may attain out to present prospects to ask about their pursuits and day-to-day lives, after which you should utilize that info to make educated guesses in regards to the sorts of communities and occasions that is likely to be aligned together with your model.
3. Outline communities clearly however inclusively.
Relating to community-building, it’s necessary to outline your neighborhood clearly. You may’t be all the things to everybody. In any case, efficient manufacturers know who their persons are.
On the similar time, it’s necessary to maintain that neighborhood open and inclusive. Try to be a guardian of your neighborhood, however not a gatekeeper. For a neighborhood to develop and thrive, it wants to have the ability to welcome new folks in.
Adidas and Nike are a few of my favourite position fashions right here. These are working manufacturers, however you don’t should be a runner to be part of their neighborhood. You don’t should be a three-minute-miler to get pleasure from an occasion. Their sneakers are for walkers, too.
These manufacturers have outlined communities which might be clear of their focus, however nonetheless open to a variety of individuals with a variety of skills and pursuits. They’re aspirational and relatable. The manufacturers encourage folks to affix, moderately than pushing folks away or pressuring them to interact with the neighborhood inauthentically.
4. Leverage social media.
Figuring out a broad neighborhood is one factor. Determining methods to truly interact with it’s one other. Particularly, there are three key social media platforms that I’ve discovered are usually particularly useful in connecting with a model neighborhood.
Primary is LinkedIn. I really like LinkedIn as a result of it’s obtained one thing for everybody. There are folks searching for jobs, the networkers, the folks asking for recommendation, the folks providing recommendation… There are such a lot of totally different communities on this platform, which makes it an awesome place to attach with folks for something associated to careers, psychological well being, and work-life stability.
Substack
Extra just lately, I’ve discovered that Substack is one other good spot to attach with a neighborhood. You may write about something on Substack: Some people are sharing recipes, some are publishing a day by day journal, some are posting intimately about their relationship woes (and hoping their companions don’t see their posts).
Substack is a superb place to see different folks’s concepts, to remark, to share, and to contribute in no matter approach is smart.
TikTok
And at last, in fact, there’s TikTok. The unbelievable factor about TikTok is simply what number of random, area of interest audiences it has created. The platform sparks curiosity in pursuits folks didn’t even know they’d. This platform is a superb place for manufacturers to attach and have interaction with hyper-specific communities.
5. Embrace empathy.
Constructing a neighborhood is tough. So, all through the highs and lows of neighborhood advertising, manufacturers must at all times empathize with their prospects.
Don’t create golf equipment or manage occasions as a result of neighborhood advertising is one thing you’ve been advised you have to be doing. As a substitute, faucet into your viewers, specific real curiosity about their wants and pursuits, and let the stuff you be taught inform the communities you create.
Construct neighborhood like a professional.
Over the past ten years, I’ve seen firsthand simply how highly effective a model neighborhood might be. Gone are the times when manufacturers might simply promote merchandise in a vacuum. At this time, the best manufacturers be taught to establish and have interaction with their prospects’ communities.
It’s time to spend money on actual understanding and middle communities at each flip.
