The Importance of Building an Engaged Community on Social

Building your brand in a digital space means content is your weapon to building and connecting with your community. It’s how we put the social back in social media.

A stronger connection with your community leads to higher engagement by the numbers, monetizing your audience through digital products and services, brand partnerships, and truly building out your business.

Who Exactly Am I Building Connection With?

Before you start thinking about how to optimize your content to build those epic connections…you have to know who you’re speaking to:

• Start with demographics, then dig deeper and ask: what’s their lifestyle like?
• What are things that bring them joy? Bring them frustration?
• What transformation are they looking for?
• With what part of their personal or professional journey can you support?
• What are some of their values? Priorities?

Once that person is clearly identified, let’s jump into the journey they’ll walk through as part of your community: moving from know, to like, to trust.

KNOW: The Surface Level Stuff

They follow you and know your name, what you focus on, your brand is recognizable to them, and they are picking up more as they continue to consume your content. They know who you are and are curious to learn more. If you have a cohesive “look & sound” to your digital presence, they’re recognizing you every time you show up on their feed. 

Content Thought Starters: introduce yourself, tell your community fun facts about you or your business journey, play “two truths & a lie” to get them to know you while having fun guessing

LIKE: I Can Relate to That

They’ve been around long enough to connect with you in some way. They enjoy your content and frequently engage. You are bringing your emotional commodity to the table to make them connect deeper, and they’re interested in what you have to offer.

You move someone to this phase when you lean into your personal story & the “you” in your personal brand. Incorporate that into your content in a way that feels natural.

Content Thought Starters: Behind-the-Scenes, Relatable Stories, Vulnerability, A Learning Moment, Milestone Stories, Something Challenging You Overcame, “Am I the Only One Who…”

TRUST: I’m Invested & Ready for the Invitation!

They are the first to engage, DM, share your work, and celebrate you. You’re their go-to expert and resource within your niche or area of expertise. And it’s because you are consistent and congruent with your mission and purpose, and you are providing value in alignment with this.

Essentially, you move people to this phase by being someone they can count on. Whether it’s to feel seen & heard or have a problem solved.

Content Thought Starters: freebies & resources, Q&A via LIVE, 3 Myths, 5 Things to Know, The Biggest Mistake to Avoid, What I Wish I Knew, How I Did/Built This, Testimonials & Results

Bringing it to Life

By understanding this journey, you can now start to produce more optimized content that’s taking your community from one phase to another — all while continuing to attract more people into your community with your work.

And all along the way, remember that it’s important to give the engagement you want to receive. Connection & community is a two-way street.

To learn more, connect with me on @lissettecalv.

Author Bio

Lissette is a Latina digital entrepreneur living in New York City as an influencer marketing consultant to Fortune 500 brands, social media content creator, and business coach for influencers & personal brands.

She is the founder of Influence With Impact™, a consultancy that supports influencers & personal brands in turning their social presence into a profitable business with community impact. She supports her clients through 1:1 coaching, workshops, and a signature 12-week group coaching mastermind.

Lissette was previously Director of Influencer Marketing at Ogilvy and has more than 9 years of experience in PR & social media, and as an established influencer and content creator.

She was recently named a Top 10 Social Media Coach by Yahoo!, and received a Shorty Award for her influencer campaign work.