In May 2021, the opening up of the UK’s high streets meant consumers could once again enjoy the in-person interaction with their favourite brands. But while this will no doubt be welcomed by businesses, it’s vital they don’t regress to old habits and forget about nurturing those recently built-up digital followings too. In fact, with coronavirus accelerating the shift to e-commerce, virtual communities have never been more valuable for businesses when it comes to encouraging customer engagement, collaboration and support – here’s why:
Real-time feedback
Who doesn’t want to be a fly on the wall when it comes to the people most important to them? Virtual communities are one of the best tools for securing honest customer feedback on your products and services. People tend to be more open to giving their time and expressing themselves when not coerced, making the informal, conversational setting of a dedicated digital community the ideal setting.
An ideas hub
As the people most invested in your product/service, virtual communities also act as a way to canvass fresh and useful ideas from your customers that you might not have thought of. This might be indirect – such as an observation in a particular forum – or a more direct call to action. Being on top of these virtual conversations in real time - otherwise known as social listening – fosters benefits which include being quicker to market with product and service improvements.
Fostering influence
Consumers increasingly make decisions based on the reviews of their peers. Interaction, feedback and advice from people who share your specific goals and challenges is a big factor in driving purchasing decisions. Businesses tap into this mindset by creating environments where social validation can thrive with membership forums that you can actually own and monitor being a great place to start.
A chance to give back
Environments that encourage peer-to-peer interaction simultaneously encourage our natural human tendency to want to help others, so it’s common to see loyal customers offering support to other members.
This not only helps out your customers, but it also means businesses can save by spending more time moderating the community and rewarding the most active participants and influencers – creating a continuous, virtuous loop.
Own the conversation
A lot of businesses think that social media is the equivalent of a virtual community. But why put yourself at the mercy of another business and tech stack? By having complete control of their virtual communities and the data within them, businesses are better positioned to gather insights, foster followings and create better experiences for their customers.
How 4 Roads builds online communities.
First published on LinkedIn on 17 May 2021.
