EP 388: Community building as a brand marketing strategy with Mark Schaefer

Think about some of your favorite brands for just a moment. What aspects of those brands make you feel the most connected to them? Do you ever find yourself talking to your friends or family about a company you love so much because of what they stand for or how they connect with people? Enter community building as a marketing strategy — the next big thing in brand marketing, according to Mark Schaefer. This week, he will teach us why brands need to hop on this trend as quickly as possible and how agencies can join in on the fun, too.

As business leaders, the best way to reach our audience is to turn that audience into a community and connect with the people who are your biggest advocates. In this episode, we'll talk about the role of creating emotional connections to your brand, the difference between an audience and a community, how agencies can become leaders in community building for brands, and so much more. Mark will leave you thinking about how your agency can evolve into a thriving community while growing your brand organically.

A big thank you to our podcast's presenting sponsor, White Label IQ. They're an amazing resource for agencies who want to outsource their design, dev, or PPC work at wholesale prices. Check out their special offer (10 free hours!) for podcast listeners here.

• Mark's inspiration for writing his book on the next big brand marketing strategies
• The 3 trends that came together to bring community building to the forefront of brand marketing
• The importance of having an emotional connection with your community
• The major difference between audience and community
• How can agencies begin helping brands with community building?
• Nurturing organic advocacy for your brand
• Perfecting community building in both online and face-to-face interactions
• Some pitfalls to avoid when beginning to dabble in community building
• Can/should agencies create their own communities?