Is your brand’s Facebook page a ‘community’? You sure?
Here are five reasons why your brand’s presence is more likely a marketing channel than a true community. The distinction may seem subtle, but it’s important to understand.
What are the defining characteristics of a community? It’s a topic I’ve been pondering lately. Is it about geography, common interests, socio-economic similarities, similar viewpoints, or other factors?
To get to this point, it becomes necessary to define what a community is. According to dictionary.com, a community is …
a social, religious, occupational, or other group sharing common characteristics or interests and perceived itself as distinct in some respect from the larger society within which it exists.
As community managers, it’s our job to manage a brand’s online (and offline) presence. It’s a difficult task that requires us to assume a leadership role, channel the company’s voice, create buzz, and drive engagement online and offline to achieve specific goals/outcomes.
It’s fairly natural to assume that as the leader, you are cultivating and expanding a “community.” After all, there’s X amount of “likers,” followers, subscribers, doers, doubters, troublemakers, and everything in between, who are communicating in the group. However with most brand pages, this environment is actually fostering a false sense of community.
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