Chances are, you already know that building a community has one of the biggest returns for your retention and lifetime value (LTV).
So, now that you’ve decided your e-commerce store needs a community, how do you actually build it?
And how do you get customers actively engaging with your Facebook Group—or wherever you’re hosting your community?
Here are three relatively easy steps to building an engaging community:
- Spread the word. Make sure every customer knows about your community. Advertise it in emails. Advertise it on package inserts. Post about it on social media. Make sure everyone knows about it!
- Incentivize joining. You can build a community on FOMO alone, but it may not be enough. How does the customer benefit from joining your community? Do they get first grabs at new product launches? Do they get an exclusive gift or discount?
- Create a cause. Is your brand focused on sustainable packaging? Then talk about it! Create initiatives around it. Chances are, your customers are also into that stuff if they’ve shopped at your store.
- Include them in upcoming launches. One of the best ways to get an engaged community is by letting them know about your next launches. Give them early access. Better yet, let them all vote on the product!
The most important thing to keep in mind? Be responsive.
When a new customer joins the group, greet them! When they post on your page, interact with them! Get them feeling like they’ve just made a whole lot of new friends.
Happy community building!