how to build a community and get your name out there
As an entrepreneur, it is your dream to become the go-to in your area or industry for what you offer. Whether you want people to think of you as…
The real estate agent who helps their clients get the best prices for their homes
The marketing firm who gets excellent results for their clients
The photographer who captures their subjects in a beautiful and empowering yet natural way
Or something else, that can happen — but it all begins with building a community. Before we dive into the details of how you can gather a group of people who are huge fans of what you have to offer, it’s important to know why you need to get your name out into your local community.
why do you want people to know who you are?
Although you by no means need to become an A-list celebrity who gets stopped during your afternoon coffee runs by people who exclaim, “Oh my gosh, aren’t you so and so?!” (but wouldn’t that be great?), you at least want people to know who you are. Here’s why.
FREE WORD-OF-MOUTH MARKETING
The best compliments in business are referrals, and if people are constantly mentioning your name and your business’ name to others, that’s free word-of-mouth marketing for you. That means you can say goodbye to spending hundreds of dollars on ads and instead invest in the relationships of the people who are constantly sending you business.
IT BUILDS YOUR CREDIBILITY, THOUGHT LEADERSHIP, AND TRUST
If you are known by many people as being the expert in your industry, that’s an indication that you’ve established a level of credibility, thought leadership, and trust. People only do business with people that they know, like, and trust, so if your name is constantly associated with the type of work that you do, it shows that you’re the real deal.
Testimonials and personal endorsements also hold a lot of weight when it comes to people purchasing your products or investing in your services.
IT VALIDATES THE NEED FOR YOUR PRODUCT OR SERVICE
As a business owner, does your name get brought up over and over for recommendations? That means that the need for your product or service is validated because you have dozens of people who have worked with you, and now more people are looking to work with someone like you, too! Having a crew of people who strongly believe in what you sell helps to bring more customers, which ultimately, is what you want.
Are you now convinced that getting your name out there is the way to go? Keep reading to find out how you can now make that happen by building a community.
how can you build a community?
Building a community doesn’t mean that you have to do something huge and totally spectacular to get people to follow you. Instead, it just involves being consistent with your efforts and positioning yourself as a person that should be noticed by following the suggestions below.
SHARE FREE, VALUABLE CONTENT
Who doesn’t love getting something for free, especially when it simultaneously provides value? The best way to draw people in to what you have to offer is to create content that improves their life in some way, which often shows in the form of:
Tips
Stories
Advice
Trainings
And more. When people see how helpful your content is, they’ll want to keep coming back for more to ensure they don’t miss out any others, therefore automatically creating a community for you.
NETWORK, NETWORK, NETWORK
The best way to build a community is to network with your ideal audience and get seen in front of the people who would be likely to purchase your products or invest in your services. The more you speak to people, the more people will know you, therefore automatically spreading your name around and getting you more exposure.
When you network with someone, you’re also indirectly connecting to their network because they’ll more often than not share your name with people they know who could use it.
INVEST YOUR TIME (AND MONEY) IN MARKETING
Marketing is all about building awareness, so why not invest in it to grow a community? That’s exactly what marketing is for: reaching people who are in need of your products or services and keeping them engaged by consistently providing them with valuable content.
You can build a community by:
Creating a Facebook group
Starting an email list and encouraging people to join it
Posting to different social media platforms and engaging with users there
Launching a podcast
Filming videos on various topics
The more you create, the more people you’ll be able to connect with and provide value to.
Although taking these steps will lead you to creating a community, it’s important to remember that it will take some time for that to happen. Be patient, trust the process, and know that in no time, you will be surrounded by people who value you and all that you put out!