Researches indicate that the most significant problem of Small businesses lays in the upper part of the funnel. Meaning generation quality traffic, Reach and Engagement. The existing solutions – social campaigns, google ads and organic marketing are less efficient in all relevant parameters:
- They show Shrinking audiences
- Low share of voice
- Decreased efficiency
- Rising CPM
In all issues related to Top of Funnel Marketing – small business are at a dead-end Crowded Market/ low budget/ low performance
There are 3 main vectors that will change the Marketing industry in the next years :
- AI technology creates content inflation (most of the content will be produced by machines). Content Distribution becomes the most Important parameter.
- SMB’s have difficulties in having effective reach and distributing their offers and content to relevant customers. Without that – they cannot establish a stable business.
- The Industry is in the stage of Horizontal Spread of content. users have more attention to content and recommendations that come from other businesses or users as an organic marketing compare to content and recommendations that come in a form of advertising.
So – how can Community Marketing work for SMB’s ?
Community marketing is a marketing strategy that focuses on building and nurturing a community of loyal partners that help each other and/or a platform that enables the brand to manage relations with its customers.
The best format of community marketing platform for SMB’s is an enabler format – a place that enables businesses to promote each other in a smart and friendly way. Community marketing approach also involves creating a sense of belonging and engagement among community members, encouraging them to help each other, to promote each other and to interact with. This approach goes beyond traditional marketing techniques and emphasizes relationship-building, trust, and long-term customer and partners loyalty. Community marketing can be particularly beneficial for small businesses looking to establish a strong presence and many to many marketing method that is much more effective than the on-to-many expensive vehicles. .
Here’s how community marketing works for small businesses:
- Identify your target community: Determine the specific group of people who are most likely to be interested in your products or services. This could be based on demographics, interests, location, or other factors.
- Identify your target partners cluster: Determine the specific partners who are most likely to promote your products and content on a cross promotion logic.
- Build an online presence within the relevant cluster/ community: Create a platform that enables you to implement your relations activity in the best way , It’s a digital space where your target community can come together. This space should be focused on relevant content , special offers and interests that are relevant to your partners and their users.
- Provide value: Offer valuable content, resources, and information that resonate with your community’s interests and needs. This can include educational content, product tutorials, industry insights, and more.
- Encourage engagement: identify engaged community members and reward them for being engaged partners / brand promoters .
- Listen, track and report : Actively engage with your community everyday by reporting about platform’s measurement , responding to comments, questions, and feedback. Show that they have full control on activities, benefits and results.
- Create a sense of belonging: Make your community members feel like they are part of something special. Acknowledge and appreciate their contributions, and create a positive and inclusive atmosphere. Let these SMB’s feel that they not alone.
- Offer exclusive benefits: Provide incentives and exclusive offers to your community members, such as discounts, early access to products, or access to premium content. This rewards their loyalty and engagement within the community.
- Build relationships: Over time, you’ll develop strong relationships with your community members. These relationships can lead to word-of-mouth recommendations, increased brand loyalty, and long-term customer retention.
- Measure and adapt: Monitor the volume of engagement of your community members and the cross benefits status. Track the impact on members business’s success. Use data and feedback to refine your community marketing strategy.
Community Marketing will replace the existing, expensive one to many Marketing methods. Platforms that will find the right way to include the 10 elements describe above – will change the Marketing Industry in a very profound way.