The key to a strong digital marketing strategy is a solid relationship between brand and consumer. Nurturing your customer base can be done at a number of different touch points, but given socials are (now) usually the first place new people will find and interact with you, it’s vital to get this element on lock.

So, how do you foster close relationships on social media? Creating a sense of community makes the most sense.

Building a community on Instagram might sound a bit daunting - it’s not as simple as creating and moderating a group like on Facebook - but the good news is the app is providing more and more tools to help brands and creators interact with their audiences, every day.

Start by creating engaging content

Okay, okay, this is like telling someone they’ve got the job but not giving them a job description before hiring them. But while this may seem obvious, it’s a lot more nuanced than it seems.

Creating engaging content is what’s going to bring you new community members, and it’s also what’s going to retain your existing follower base. 

Some easy wins for engagement on Insta include:

• Asking questions in your captions.

• Splitting your messaging or content out across multiple tiles and sharing in a carousel, incentivising your audience to swipe across to view the whole post.

• Using Stories functions like Polls, Quizzes and Q&As to gamify your content and test your audience’s knowledge of your brand.

• Running competitions that invite your followers to tag and share with their friends - this boosts not only your engagement but your follower count!

• Participate in viral Reels trends and encourage your community to get it on the action.

Master your community management

It’s easy enough to create a content plan and hit send. But the difference between a good social strategy and a strong social community is an account that actually interacts with their audience. 

Take the time to reply to comments - even when they’re not questions or complaints. This makes your audience feel seen, strengthens their brand loyalty and creates a more engaged community. The same goes for your DMs.

Encourage and leverage User Generated Content

Invite your community members to share their experience with your product or service, and then use their content as social proof. This may be proven to be great for your bottom line, but it’s also super beneficial for attracting new customers as they’re likely to trust an authentic testimonial from a familiar face. The more relatable and genuine you come across to people online, the stronger your community will be.

Want more tips on creating and fostering your social community? Join the Simply Social Network on Facebook and engage with like-minded business owners and creators about best practice for social media marketing.