Why You Need A Brand Community

Would your brand benefit from having customers so committed that they felt like your brand was part of their identity? According to marketing thought leader Mark Schaefer, community is “the last great marketing strategy.” In Belonging to the Brand, Schaefer calls community “the marketing megatrend of our time.”

These statements might be a bit hyperbolic, but Schaefer points out the declining effectiveness of traditional marketing and advances in technology as drivers of brand communities.

Local Business Communities

If your customers are in the same geographic area, you start with an advantage. Your customers are easy to reach and likely already have many things in common.

Here’s an example. My wife and I bought several cars from a small-city Lexus dealer in Indiana. This dealer went beyond the high-touch customer experience the brand is known for. Their staff strove to care for every customer and make them feel special. In addition, this dealer hosted events that brought customers together. The nature of the events was in keeping with the brand image – a wine presentation and tasting hosted by a sommelier, for example.

At these events, one inevitably met friends and business acquaintances. Even the people you didn’t know tended to share interests and demographics. The owner of the dealership was always visible and took the time to chat with customers individually. These connections created a sense of being part of the same family.

The emotional connection with the dealer was so effective we weren’t inclined to shop elsewhere for cars.

When we moved to Texas, during a service call a local dealer removed the Indiana dealer’s license frame, discarded it and replaced it with their own. That wasn’t a brilliant way to ingratiate yourself with a new customer who was emotionally invested in the previous brand. My wife contacted the Indiana dealer for a replacement and continued to support their brand for years to come.

Big Brand Communities

Communities are easiest to build when the customers share a common interest. If you are lucky enough to have a market like dog lovers or fly fishing enthusiasts, your job is half done – provide suitable infrastructure and some encouragement, and your community will practically build itself. Schaefer cites shoe and apparel maker Vans who created a Roblox community that lets skateboarders interact, create new designs, and much more.

Schaefer uses an expanded definition of community that includes people having an emotional connection to the brand. People with a strong affinity for a brand don’t have to interact with each other in any organized way. Rather, they identify with the brand and even promote it to others.

Even products that aren’t inherently exciting can build community – coolers, for example. Nobody wakes up thinking, “I’m a cooler person.” Commodity products like coolers and travel mugs are available at every supermarket. Nevertheless, Austin-based YETI has skillfully built a community of outdoor and adventure enthusiasts who strongly identify with the brand.

Recently I was working in an airport lounge and noticed the person across from me had a YETI sticker on his laptop. When I asked, he explained that he just loved the brand. That’s not unlike Schaefer’s story about meeting a young woman with a big YETI sticker on her phone. These people aren’t cooler or mug enthusiasts, they are advocates for a young but iconic brand.

Supermarkets, Too

Texas supermarket chain H-E-B doubles down on its Texas heritage and, by doing that, leverages the Texan identity of its customers. They sell hundreds of Texas-themed products, from Texas-shaped tortilla chips to a Texas-shaped cast iron frying pan. Their house brands include “Texas Tough,” “Texas Roots” and “Hill Country Fare.” Virtually every one of their private label items emphasizes its Texas origin in some way.

Their advertising and marketing slogans focus on Texas, and they describe their extensive disaster relief efforts as “Texans helping Texans.” All of this, in combination with superior customer service, has created so much brand loyalty they sell apparel and other merchandise branded with their logo and slogans.

Your Brand Community

There are many ways to create a brand community, and the current status of the brand will point the way. It’s important to leverage your strengths. If you have a brand people already like, build on that.

If you are a new or growing brand, craft an image that people will want to feel part of. That’s what YETI did – their ads emphasized an adventurous outdoor lifestyle, not the products themselves.

The core values of your company can be key ingredients, like “Texans helping Texans.” It’s not just a slogan, it’s part of H-E-B’s DNA.

Almost anything can be the basis for community. Schaefer describes a stay-at-home mom who built a profitable community, Motherhood Simplified, by helping others who faced similar problems. A fifteen-member Facebook group morphed into a monetized community of thousands.

Building a brand that people feel connected to isn’t always easy, but the rewards can be enormous. You’ll not only have a core group of loyal customers, you’ll also have brand evangelists advocating for you. You’ll know you’ve succeeded when you see people (who aren’t your employees) wearing your logo for the world to see.