In the 4th century BC, Aristotle wrote in his book Politics: “ Humans are by nature social animals .” Many other philosophers throughout history supported the truth behind Aristotle’s statement. L.S. Vygotsky recognized this in the Sociocultural Theory of Human Learning and Marshall McLuhan said that new communication technologies were building a “ global village .”
We thrive in communities
From the moment we are born, we learn to read the world through others and are greatly affected by the people we socialize with every day.
Given the immense global changes, people are spending more and more time online. In this time, communities are growing and forming organically through social platforms where people connect every day around the world.
These communities tend to form around panama phone number list passions and lifestyles. From politics, music, travel, technology, food, work and more, we are increasingly drawn to one another in digital interest groups. We are wirelessly and digitally connected, which means we have taken our “social animal” preferences to a whole new level.
But where do marketers and brands fit in? In this blog, we explore how brands can grow alongside digital communities organically and intuitively.
Communities and content creators is the second topic in Rock Content’s blog series, created in partnership with Hootsuite, which considers the findings of the Hootsuite Social Media Trends 2022 report .
Communities and creators
With so many communities, brands can now find existing communities to increase brand loyalty or they can build their own community around the brand.
The second option is much more laborious and 7 reasons why you should use facebook advertising takes many years to establish itself. Coca-Cola, Harley-Davidson and Converse have spent decades building and growing their followings.
This doesn’t mean you should abandon this idea, but there’s a high chance that a community that focuses on topics that are strongly related to your brand already exists . According to a Pew Research Center survey, 90 million Americans participate in online groups .
You just need to buy your ticket to enter these communities. But who sells it? Answer: content creators .
In 2022, the key to unlocking online communities (no matter the size of your business) lies in the hands of digital creators. Whether they’re chefs or Fortnite fans, creators add richness and value to these already existing interest groups.
As the social tide turns away from glossy mega-influencers toward smaller, more authentic communities, brands that partner wisely with creators are connecting with new audiences, earning their trust and building cultural capital.
Understanding the influence of content creators
Creators acting as brand advocates is not a new concept. It’s been done for decades.
In the 1980s, for example, Pepsi hired stars like Michael Jackson and Madonna to promote its product to young people. The campaigns were a success. Many other brands have done the same over the years, including Nike with Michael Jordan and Calvin Klein with Justin Bieber.
But you no longer need to hire big celebrities to crawler data humanize and connect your brand with the public. And this is especially good for small and medium-sized businesses that don’t have millions of dollars for a campaign like this.
In fact, partnering with small and medium-sized creators can be much more effective (and cheaper, of course) than dealing with celebrities.
Digital creators are regular people who create video content based on a myriad of topics. People tend to identify with low-profile creators, who are true consumers.
Partnering with digital creators can build trust in brands and help them reach larger audiences .
Amanda Wood, Director of Social Media Marketing at Hootsuite , told us in a recent interview, “ Communities are at the heart of a successful social strategy, and content creators and influencers have built networks where their visibility and influence are truly powerful .”
He added: “ But it’s not the size of the audience
that should distract brands; it’s the quality of the interactions and engagement that matters . If brands can partner with the influencers who have fostered these kinds of unique relationships, they really have the opportunity to connect with a whole new audience on social media – one that’s already paying a lot of attention .”
The thing is, choosing which creators to partner with and which platforms to find them on can be tricky. Before entering into any partnership, you first need to understand your audience’s preferences . Are they on TikTok or do they prefer watching videos on Youtube? What are their demographics? What tone of voice should you use? This report from Hootsuite is a great resource to help you figure out these preferences.
When fashion tech startup WANNA promoted
its new augmented reality app “Wanna Kicks,” it clearly targeted millennials and Gen Z. That’s why it partnered with creator @josephwsj , who became one of its first digital partners.
Victoria Fedorova, Brand Marketing Manager at WANNA, said via email: “ As sneaker culture began to focus more on status and lifestyle than solely on athletic performance, we wanted to reach our potential audience through their everyday lives rather than chasing fashion or sports-oriented designers .”
WANNA wanted to drive app installs, increase brand and product awareness, and grow its community by partnering with TikTok creators, which seems like a great strategy.
Ultimately, creators must keep up with cultural trends, social changes, and everything else that impacts a consumer’s daily life.
Brands are already seeing impressive results
That’s exactly what BigDUG had in mind when it partnered with TikTok creator @TheP00lGuy . BigDUG is a UK-based storage and shelving company that typically sells to large and medium-sized businesses.
But when the pandemic hit, it shifted its focus to a more domestic customer. With more people spending time at home, there was a surge in online sales of DIY products in the country. In the United States, the situation is similar .