Earlier today, we shared an interesting article from our friends at Sprout Social about what a brand community is and how you can build one. We thought Sprout’s definition of a brand community was pretty spot-on:
Your brand community is people who follow all of your content on social media, who share your products/services and content with others, and who enjoy seeing everything your brand does.
More simply put, a brand community is a place where people who have an emotional connection to your brand can connect with each other and with your brand.
A brand community can be a powerful tool for your organization. But the process of building that emotional connection with your audience takes effort and skill.
Storytelling and your brand
As Sprout identified, creating a brand voice with personality is critical. Developing your voice is often where organizations experience challenges. It can be difficult to figure out what voice and personality mean for an organization.
Mario Toneguzzi talked about this issue in a blog post he wrote for us about why more Canadian companies need to harness the power of storytelling. Mario’s reporting is as relevant today as it was when we originally published his post:
“In my opinion, brand storytelling is the most valuable investment an organization can make,” says Tina Powell, a Toronto-based author and storyteller.
“Storytelling communicates brand differentiation, increases brand loyalty, and creates strong internal and external brand communities. It also can have a dramatic impact on revenue,” she says.
Powell points to a 2014 Waggener Edstrom report which found that brand storytelling through social media can result in a 257 percent boost in incremental revenue and 90 percent more consumer advocacy.
“Today’s consumer is both savvy and skeptical,” says Powell.
To ensure brand stories are authentic, she suggests they become part of an organization’s culture. “They should be sourced from employees, senior management, company founders, senior management and customers.”
Scientific storytelling
Stories permeate every facet of our lives. They are a fundamental way that we connect and communicate as human beings.
Making storytelling a cornerstone of how your organization operates will not only help you build a brand community. It will also strengthen your organization’s culture and connection.
Your organization’s stories are often all around you. It’s just that sometimes we need help recognizing them.
At Communicatto, we specialize in scientific-storytelling. It’s a strategy where we marry imagination and evidence to build powerful and persuasive tools.
Drop us a line to find out how we can work to develop your voice, tell your stories, and build a brand community that helps achieve your organizational goals!