Due to the increasing relevance of social media and recent developments (such as the "cookie apocalypse," expensive social ads, rising customer acquisition costs, and Apple's targeting restrictions), the relationship between companies and their customers is becoming more important than ever. For brands, having a loyal community behind them is more crucial than ever. However, the way companies should approach community management is changing. At Mawave, we explain how to succeed in modern community communication, what requirements brands must now meet, and how they can engage their community through specific channels.
Community Management 2.0 – what does it mean?
In principle, the term "community" can mean something different for every company. Therefore, it is important to always define individually what you mean by the term. However, as an e-commerce brand, you should never neglect this topic. According to the 2020 “The State of Community Management” report, building and nurturing a loyal community increases customer retention by 67 percent! At the same time, a community increases the repeat purchase rate and the average order value (AOV) because customers feel closely connected to the brand and are therefore more likely to spend more money on products. Furthermore, an active community in forums or comment sections can even support customer service – which in turn can be used for lead generation: With their knowledge of the brand and its products, members or moderators can assist other members with tips. This positive experience is linked to the brand and leads to conversions or referrals.
There are, therefore, several advantages to community management. However, it is becoming increasingly important for brands to be proactive. Instead of just relying on their own channels and reacting to what happens there with replies and messages, companies must adapt their communication strategy and be present wherever their own community is active.
By the way, the general rule is: Community management is essentially a job that is relevant 24/7, 365 days a year, and requires a lot of time and commitment. After all, no brand builds a strong community overnight. To establish a connection to the brand, companies must analyze which search terms and hashtags are relevant to the target audience, what people are interested in, what they are talking about, and which trends are currently emerging. Then, it is a matter of addressing exactly those topics that are currently relevant in the pop-cultural discourse.
Increasing visibility with a viral comment strategy
A trend that is currently generating an incredible amount of reach on TikTok is brand comments under posts – especially those that go viral. In the best-case scenario, this strategy ensures enormous brand visibility. After all, featured videos in the "Discover" section already have high reach. If a company's comment appears among the top results, it significantly increases visibility. This comment strategy has now gone so far that a comment suddenly carries as much weight and potential as an asset, and the comment sections on TikTok and other platforms function like a kind of arena between the brand and the community.
For a comment strategy to be successful, it is important that the communication from brands is as native as possible. It must match the language of the respective community and platform and be used in the right context. However, companies should feel free to be bolder: On social media, self-irony, provocation, and Gen Z wording work particularly well. In this context, it makes perfect sense to define community guidelines and a tone of voice.
Deutsche Bahn and Slim Jim are on the road to success with a viral comment strategy
Example: Deutsche Bahn
A German company that has virtually perfected community management on TikTok is Deutsche Bahn. For brand beefs, i.e., public disses with other companies, Deutsche Bahn regularly earns the approval of the community and even establishes insider jokes and running gags.
These brand beefs have become so established that companies now tag each other under their own posts and actively demand a diss. For example, at the beginning of the year, Deutsche Bahn posted a photo collage on TikTok showing a DB train heading to "Beef Hbf" (Beef Central Station). Aldi Süd, Telekom, and Flixtrain have already "finished them off" – which is why they are looking for new brands to diss.
Many large brands like Oatsome, Bautz'ner, Check24, or arte are seizing the opportunity to jump on the beef bandwagon and fire back at Deutsche Bahn under the post – with a fitting counter-diss from the Bahn, of course. The “Beef-TikTok” is definitely a best practice with 2.8 million views, over 190,000 likes, and 11,000 comments, and it is very well received by users.
And the comments pay off twice over: Companies reach their own community and, at the same time, fans of other companies they might not have reached otherwise. At the same time, the comments can also be ideally recycled. Deutsche Bahn, for example, repurposes the beef with other brands in their own videos or posts the screenshots on Instagram and elsewhere, thereby generating reach and strengthening the community.
Example: Slim Jim
The comment strategy works not only in beefs with other brands but also with user posts. Slim Jim, an American snack brand, uses comments on TikTok to generate as much interaction with their community as possible. To do this, Slim Jim comments under as many user videos as possible and actively encourages the community to tag the company.
This concept is definitely worth it: The hashtag #slimjim now reaches over 1.6 billion views, and users post new videos daily in which they, for example, play the violin with Slim Jim sausages. In this way, the company has built a community of over 4.4 million followers on TikTok since February 2022.
By the way: The potential for such viral comments could become even greater in the future. This is because other platforms are also adjusting their algorithms and showing algorithmic recommendations in the For You feed.
Special channels for community management
Beyond classic social media platforms, there are, of course, other ways to reach your community. We would like to introduce three examples that can intensify community management and help brands build a truly personal relationship with their customers. It is important, however, that companies have already established a community on their own platforms and use these new channels to strengthen that connection and gain even more valuable insights.
Discord
Discord was originally created as a platform for the gaming community. According to Cloudwards statistics, about 150 million users per month now use the app, with 78 percent using it for things that have nothing to do with gaming. It offers the ability to hold private and group chats, send voice and video messages, and transfer images, videos, and files – reasons why Discord became particularly popular for education during the peak of the pandemic and remote learning.
But major international companies are also present on Discord. Skittles or Samsung, for example, use the platform for exclusive discount codes, announcements, or as a kind of buying guide – measures that definitely strengthen the relationship with customers.
A presence on Discord is also worthwhile for German brands: KICKZ, a retailer for basketball and NBA products as well as sneakers and lifestyle goods, also uses Discord for community management – primarily to engage a young target group alongside retro fans. This is because the largest share of Discord users is between 18 and 24 years old.
Shortly after launching on the platform, KICKZ reached 2,300 followers. Compared to other channels, this number might seem small, but the added value is all the greater! On Discord, brands are in very close contact with the most loyal members of the community and receive honest feedback as a result. This is a huge advantage, because when companies know the community's needs, they can better develop new products, improve existing ones, or better plan how to roll out campaigns.
Another effective and, above all, personal option for community management is WhatsApp. An exciting case in this context: Every x charles. The frozen food start-up used the app, for example, to build an active community around Veganuary and establish an even more personal connection than via email
Via a charles opt-in, Every customers could sign up for the WhatsApp newsletter and subsequently receive information and tips for a healthy diet. By using this special channel, the brand was able to extremely activate its community, collected 850 phone numbers within one month, and conducted over ten thousand WhatsApp conversations!
Offline events
Brands can only reach their community even more personally in real life. An exclusive community event, for example, which only a limited number of guests can attend, deliberately creates space for personal exchange and makes brands seem incredibly approachable. Of course, it is important to always interact with the community online as well – but offline events act as a connection boost between brands and customers.
Summary: 3 tips for Community Management 2.0
1. Don't just sweep in front of your own platform's doorstep! Be proactive and use the pop-cultural discourse to your advantage.
2. Communicate like your target group. Flex with Gen Z wording, don't be stiff, and be bold!
3. Check out which new channels you can use to reach your community. Discord, WhatsApp, or live events are incredibly personal and connective.
A strong community could become the decisive difference for brands in 2023
Conclusion
We believe that Community Management 2.0 holds incredible potential that brands should definitely leverage for their own business. Especially because brand loyalty is continuously declining, and proper, modern community management is more important than ever to increase retention and customer lifetime value.
