Your website needs an active fanbase regardless of its purpose or design. You need people – real people, not just bots – to visit your site regularly. If you sell products, you want them to return to increase the likelihood of repeat purchases.
If you sell a service, you want to become the go-to professional in their eyes. Even if you just manage a blog, a healthy community that reads, shares, and comments are exactly what you need to turn a hobby into a profession.
Whatever your website’s goals, you are going to need to cultivate a thriving digital community, which means improving your content and marketing and using these tips:
Be Specific About Your Brand
The best way to grow your digital community is to truly define your niche. You won’t be able to compete with big brands that have the budget to invest in every topic, so narrow down what you focus on.
This could be directly related to what you sell or what services you offer, or it could be a specific niche. For example, instead of starting a blog about things to do in your city, start first with which bars to visit. Build up a reputation for this one specific niche and then expand as you are able.
( Also Read: Benefits of Branding for a Successful Business )
Reassess Your Content Offerings
Regardless of what the content is about, the type of content should be varied. Work out different series you can focus on. Have a weekly bar review, for example. Expand on this and create a series of videos of bartenders making their favorite drink and talking about it.
There are so many ways you can offer multi-media content in whatever niche you choose. Start with one, perfect it, then work on adding more.
Research New Ways to Offer Value
Always be on the lookout for more inspiration as well. Just because someone else came up with a great content idea doesn’t mean you are not allowed to copy it. So long as the work is yours and the direction is unique, you can take inspiration where you find it.
Hire a Marketing Agency
Marketing is hard, it doesn’t end, and most importantly, it takes a lot of time. If you are a small business, then you simply don’t have the funds to hire a dedicated team for the job.
That is what it will take, after all – a whole team. Instead of struggling on your own to improve and master your marketing strategy, it is better to outsource to a digital marketing agency.
By outsourcing, you can improve your conversion rates, your SEO, your social media marketing, and your paid ads. For the best results, find an agency located near you, as they will know the best opportunities for your area.
Think of New Ways to Build Communities Offline as Well as Online
If you really wish to build up a digital community of followers in your area, then see if there are ways you can build it up offline as well. People are always desperate to be a part of something. Consider hosting a bar crawl once a month, for example, or partnering with bars to have a tasting night. You can earn money doing this well, and make many new friends.
Be Genuine and Engage
Offline, online, in comments or direct messages – whatever you do, remember to be genuine and engaged in the conversation for the best results. People don’t just want to read an excellent opinion piece or blog; they want to become a part of it.
