In today’s installment of the How To Series, we will be working with this process:
Prospects become customers
Customers become community members
Community members become raging fans
Raging fans become your absolute best marketing team
My thesis is very simple: Build a community of raging fans who love and support what you do – and they will stay around to tell everyone.
No matter what type of business you might be in, you need a community of happy clients/customers surrounding you. If you are a brick-and-mortar – you need a community. If you are a work-at-home mom – you need a community. If you are a writer, speaker, salesperson, community activist or CEO – you need a community of people who believe in and promote you.
Sounds interesting DeLores – how do we do it?
1. Champion Community
Champion community by being involved in community. This is the starting point for building community. If you are a writer – involve yourself in writer communities. Places online or off where other writers hang out, talk, discuss and share.
If you are a businesswoman – organizations like BNI offer a place to network, share leads and ultimately build community.
Believe in the power of community and champion it at every turn!
2. Provide Quality
Do not tolerate bad quality in your product, service or content.
People talk about things they love.
Providing quality is the best way to get people to love what you do. Powerful, quality-filled products or services get noticed, purchased, used and talked about.
The more people talk, the more community gets built.
3. Offer Places For Connection
The UP Woman Movement builds community by offering places where its Members can meet and connect. Forums, Monthly Teleclasses and UP Woman Circles are great avenues for building community. I have found that when people connect, they feel a sense of ownership – and when they experience ownership, they tell other people about that experience.
Other places for connection:
4. Let Them Like You
This is all about reviews.
People buy from recommendations from friends, family, trusted colleagues or a website. If your business has a website – allow your customers to review what you do or provide.
Letting people use the power of their voice to say they like you and what you do not only builds more business, it begins to build a powerful community.
It doesn’t matter what type of business you run these days, your best marketing resource has become a community of raging fans who shout your message from the mountaintop.
Remember our process:
Build community today!
What other ideas do you have for building community?
P.S. You are invited to consider a Membership in the UP Woman Community! Check it out by clicking here.
