In a social space characterised by enhanced consumer awareness and scepticism, a human-first approach to community marketing is what can make your brand stand out and rekindle the meaningful relationship with your audience.

In this article, we will explore how an enhanced focus on community marketing with user-generated content (UGC) at its centre can help your brand build a strong connection to your followers and unlock future opportunities for growth and trust.

Community marketing and the current social media landscape

An underlying feeling of distrust has started to appear in the mindset of today’s consumers and social media users. As marketing experts, we’re gradually starting to detect that our followers are not interacting with content the same way as before. Things are changing – engagement has become more difficult to achieve, and meaningful moments with our community are hard to come by. The reasons behind this could be traced back to a number of social factors.

Overproduction and overconsumption of content have certainly affected the way that consumers interact with brands online. Moreover, the oversaturation with paid ads has shifted the focus away from community marketing and has led to a higher level of alertness and scepticism amongst social media users. Lastly, the vast and wide-scale integration of artificial intelligence and automation in branded spaces is also changing consumers’ attitudes towards content.

The data is also there to signify this: consumers continue to prioritise other customers and users as the most trustworthy source of information during their decision-making process (source; source). The challenge that this creates for social media marketers today is how to find a way to incorporate that within our content strategies while maintaining authenticity, building connections and providing value to our followers.

At Giraffe Social, we say that the answer lies in two simple words: community marketing. As an agency which aims to be the frontrunners of the new human-first marketing movement, we believe that community marketing with a strong focus on UGC sourcing should be an indispensable asset in any brand’s strategy for success.

Why Community Marketing holds the key

All of the above-mentioned reasons for the shift in consumer habits and social media behaviour can be summarised by one mutual trait. Social media has gradually become more impersonal. However, the audience has remained the same – we are still, as we were 10 or 50 years ago, marketing and trying to connect to people. In the wider scenario, we may often forget that the main characters – both brands and consumers – are still people communicating and exchanging value with other people. This is why there has never been a better and more necessary time for the human-first shift in marketing.

Community marketing and the human-first framework

One of the core principles of the human-first framework, as outlined by Phil, our CEO and author of “Human First Marketing: The art of being seen, heard and remembered”, is the element of community.

The objective of many brands today is to stimulate engagement with their audience. However, in their efforts, many brands continue to rely on outdated impersonal tactics or new automated processes. In reality, what will help you reconnect with your audience and your community is a more personal approach. The focus should be on nurturing the connection between your brand and your audience, and engagement will be a natural result of that.

Community marketing is one of the primary ways in which you can do that, and the new human-first strategic outlook can be laid out in a simple scheme.

The foundation

Before any type of community marketing activities commence, it is important to assemble the foundation of your strategy. Make sure to clearly outline your aims and objectives, what you are hoping to achieve with these activities, and how you will measure success.

The principles

Think of it as creating a manual about how your brand will present itself and communicate with others online. This is where you outline your tone of voice to fit different scenarios, your boundaries, as well as any templates and additional important guidance on how your brand will present itself during this process.

The approach and execution

Community marketing in action can be reactive and proactive, both with an equally important role to play in the grand scheme of things. Reactive community marketing is necessary in order to create grounds for further conversations, which can start from a simple comment reply. While certainly standing more on the lower-effort and involvement type of engagement, demonstrating this reciprocity is crucial.

Proactive community marketing is where reciprocity turns into outreach and appreciation. Instead of waiting for the conversations to happen on your turf in your owned social media platforms, it is time to practice social listening and join the conversations happening externally.

Keep an eye on your community and ensure you are showing your appreciation for their support and celebrating any special moments. Also, research and seek out new connections and collaborative opportunities by joining new spaces and engaging with content creators and leading voices in your sector.

The precautionary planning

A plan in place for a potential escalation scenario means half the crisis has been averted before it has even happened. Ensuring you have adequate processes in place for monitoring and responding to such situations will guarantee minimal damage.

Thus, with a strong and solid community marketing strategy in place, it is time to turn our attention to UGC.

Community Marketing and User-Generated Content

User-generated content is one of the best and most authentic ways to enhance your connection with your audience, nurture trust and dependability, strengthen your brand positioning, and give your community something to advocate for.

In terms of strategies to stimulate UGC creation, both reactive and proactive community marketing in tandem can create a favourable environment to support and motivate user-generated content production. Here are a few paths you could take to further support this process:

Create moments worth engaging with

Explore the journey your customers take across your brand and socials, and outline the most seamless parts of it. Those will be the moments worth emphasising in your content. Is it the exceptional customer service experience that you create for your community? The way you celebrate important milestones and achievements with them, or just simply show appreciation for their support? Or the way you continuously ensure their needs and concerns are answered and met with your output, thus achieving high customer satisfaction?

Highlighting how you show up for your followers and community is what will drive them to show up for you. Creating and sharing these special moments with your followers will lay out the foundation for genuine and authentic UGC.

Continue with consistent community marketing and engagement

As a result of your consistent efforts with reactive and proactive community engagement, new opportunities for connections and collaborations will arise. Community engagement is important for not just nurturing the relationship with your existing community, but ensuring you branch out into new territories. With the help of proactive engagement, you are making your brand visible to new audiences, and with that, new UGC opportunities become available.

Add the right incentives

Incentivising the process of UGC sourcing and creation can be a good addition to the strategy if executed correctly. It is important to align any incentives with your larger goals and objectives, and ensure they do not take away from the honesty and authenticity that UGC needs to convey. Contests, loyalty programs, and exclusive awards are all strong tactics, if used smartly.

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If all of this sounds inspiring and you are ready to put the plan into action, we are here to help! To take your fan community and engagement to the next level, get in touch with us here.