Is your brand involved in an online community? If not, you’re missing out on a powerful niche marketing strategy. Online communities are one of the smartest, most cost-effective ways to grow trust, authority, and relevance. Today’s consumer is a savvy digital user who doesn’t want ads. They want connection. 

When users feel connected to your brand, it builds customer loyalty and leads to greater word-of-mouth marketing. Online communities play a vital role in this. They invite consumers to get to know your brand on a deeper level. Plus, online communities foster an environment where users can share their passion for your products or services with others.

Whether it’s social media, forums like Reddit or Discord, or a message board you host on your site, you can use an online community as part of a niche marketing strategy that boosts your reputation and helps you grow organically. But how do you show up the right way? Keep reading to find out.

Why Online Communities Matter

Online communities are critical to the success of your marketing efforts. It doesn’t matter whether you’re a globally recognized brand or a small startup. You need to be part of the conversation. An online community can:

• Help you understand your audience and identify opportunities for marketing campaigns, or pain points to resolve to improve your products or services
• Transform a one-time customer into a repeat buyer, or even a lifelong advocate for your brand
• Provide a space for engaging with unhappy customers and earning their goodwill by offering solutions to their problems

With the right tactics, online communities give your brand a seat at the table in a way that other marketing channels don’t. You become accessible. This builds a level of trust and authority in your space that effectively supports a broader marketing campaign. It can lead to PR mentions, viral moments, and a culture of “user generated content” (UGC) because users will truly love your brand and incorporate it into their lives.

For example, Crocs leveraged its online communities into iconic UGC marketing. After observing how customers already loved to customize their Crocs, the footwear brand created a viral hashtag called #MyCrocsEra. They invited people to share their shoes as an act of artistic expression, showcasing the most creative Crocs – and generating millions of hits for the brand’s social media accounts.

The #MyCrocsEra campaign was an effective niche marketing strategy because it drew inspiration from an activity that customers were already doing. Without engaging with their online community, Crocs might have missed this UGC opportunity.

How Brands Should Behave in Online Communities

But before you dive into your online communities and start chatting with your customers, learn how to engage effectively. Often, brands treat online communities like a free billboard. This is generally a mistake. While some forums may appreciate the occasional “special offer” post or announcements of a new product launch, most communities prohibit this type of content. You can be banned for “spamming,” which will reflect poorly on your brand.

Even if it’s your own forum that’s dedicated to your brand, exclusively, you should be mindful to avoid aggressive or overt marketing. Users visit online communities because they want to learn something or socialize. They don’t want to feel like they’re being advertised to. 

Think value, not sales pitch. Let’s say you’re a skincare brand. Online communities devoted to skincare are extremely popular and active. It may be tempting to find a skincare forum, create an account, and post, “Check out our new face moisturizer, on sale here!” But this messaging will most likely be ignored.

Instead, simply offer information. You might find an existing thread or video to comment under. For example, if a user is complaining that their skin feels too dry, you could say, “It sounds like your cleanser might be stripping your face’s natural oils. Consider switching to a product with ceramides. We’ve worked with ceramide-infused formulas and they make a big difference.”

When interacting in an online community, you don’t need perfectly-crafted ad copy. But you need to be friendly, accurate, and helpful. This niche marketing strategy will position your brand as trustworthy and experienced.

How To Find Online Communities

With so many online communities, how do you find the right one for your brand? The possibilities can feel overwhelming. But the good news is that you don’t need to be everywhere online. Focus on 2-3 core communities where your target audience is already active and the discussions are relevant to your products or services.

Here are some tips to finding the right online communities for your organic marketing:

• Go where customers ask questions: Reddit and Quora are two of the best online communities for questions-and-answers. However, there may also be niche forums that fit your brand. For example, if you sell computers, Tom’s Hardware might be a great community to get involved with.

• Look for local Facebook groups. When it comes to online communities, bigger isn’t always better. Small, local Facebook groups can be very active and engaged. A group of 500 users who post every day is much more valuable than a group of 5000 with no activity.

• Join Discord or Slack groups in your industry. This is particularly useful for B2B brands or SaaS companies. You’ll find communities hyper-focused on a wide range of subjects from IT and programming to business development and finance.

• Use LinkedIn. Unless you’re actively hiring, you might overlook LinkedIn – but you shouldn’t! This social media network for professionals is home to thriving conversations about a range of different topics, including many brands.

Playing the Long Game

By engaging in online communities, you can enhance your brand’s credibility and endear yourself with consumers. But building trust through online communities isn’t about going viral. It’s about showing up consistently, helping others, and becoming a familiar name in the spaces that matter to your niche marketing strategy.

Remember, you’re not just marketing. You’re building relationships. When you take a people-first approach to online communities, you’ll grow your brand’s authority and trust. This increases customer loyalty to another level. When you connect with users where they “live” online, you’ll turn occasional buyers into lifelong brand ambassadors.

Need help with a niche marketing strategy that includes online communities? Bloom Ads is here to help! Contact us today.