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August 2, 2021 Content Chat Recap: How To Build A Thriving Multi-Platform Community Around Your Content

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How can marketers best engage and delight their community online? And how should this strategy change if the community spans multiple social media channels?

In this #ContentChat, we’re joined by Neil Parekh (@NeilParekh), VP of events and communications for Digimentors, to discuss how to build a thriving multi-platform community around your content. Neil shares lessons from his work on the #NYTReadalong as he and the community explain how to build an engaged community on Twitter and Facebook, plus ways to use email marketing, live video, and more to nurture your relationships.

Q1: What common mistakes do you see brands or individuals make when trying to build a multi-platform community? How can we avoid these mistakes?

Deliver tailored content on each of your social media channels. Do not simply copy/paste the same content at the same time across channels. There are two reasons for this. 1.) Each of your social media communities is unique, and you should approach them as such. 2.) Each channel has exclusive settings or features that you should explore, and common features like hashtags may perform differently based on the channel.

Start with just one or two channels where your audience is already engaged. Do not launch a full multi-platform strategy if you are just getting started. It will take a considerable amount of resources to launch and maintain any individual channel. Put your full effort into the places you know you can make an impact, instead of trying to be everywhere to little effect.

If you claim handles and usernames/create accounts on channels that you cannot invest in yet, pin a post to the top of that page to explain where your brand is currently active.

Create and share content that aligns with your brand mission and audience needs. Do not create and share content to jump on a bandwagon or trending topic. It can be tempting to join the “What’s happening” conversations on Twitter, but it can come across as inauthentic or, at worst, offensive and alienating to your community if your brand joins conversations for the sake of being relevant.

Q2: How can marketers build a thriving community on Twitter? What are your lesser-known tips and tricks?

Neil recommends using non-Twitter channels including DM groups, WhatsApp, email, and (potentially) other social channels to encourage people to join the conversation on Twitter.

Actively join conversations about topics of relevance to your community, and invest in the individuals that make up your community.

Use Twitter Lists to narrow your feed and focus on specific groups or personas within a channel.

And if you’re hosting a conference, create a Twitter list of all the speakers so that your attendees can easily connect with them.

Speaking of conferences, use conference hashtags to live-tweet the event and connect with other attendees.

A persistent conference hashtag can help strengthen your community.

Use tools like Chirpty to understand who you most often engage with on Twitter (and should probably connect with them across channels).

Join (or host!) a Twitter Chat to connect with other pros interested in similar topics. If you plan to start a new Twitter Chat, though, ensure you have an engaged following that is interested in joining a new Twitter Chat. Without an existing community, it will be much more difficult (if not impossible) to build that community.

Christian reinforces the main ways to be successful on Twitter: Engage with your community, help them overcome their challenges, start conversations, and be authentic.

Although Karl’s approach can work well, too, depending on your brand.

Q3: Twitter threads have become increasingly popular and shareable. How should content marketers create and structure threads to drive engagement?

Neil creates insanely popular Twitter threads for the #NYTReadalong. He recommends you number your tweets, serve a different purpose in each tweet, use images and tag up to 10 accounts, and use retweet with comment to maximize your results.

Christine views Twitter threads as food for thought and conversation starters. Build threads around topics that your community will want to talk about. She also recommends you use photos, GIFs, or short videos to keep people engaged.

And pin your thread so it’s the first thing people see when they go to your page.

Share your experience and lessons learned, or break down strategies or case studies of what has worked. For both, you need to explain why you’re an expert on the topic.

Use a hashtag to brand your thread.

And don’t forget to include a call to action.

Q4: What are some unique ways to use live stream video content to reach community members across channels?

Neil and his team at Digimentors use StreamYard to stream to multiple channels simultaneously.

Per Christine, if you’re looking to build one specific platform’s following, though, stream just to that channel and promote the stream across your other channels.

Christine also notes that live video is no longer novel. You need to encourage your community to join in on the live stream, make them feel like part of the broadcast, and reward their participation. She recommends asking for community questions, insights, and contributions in advance.

In Neil’s case, the #NYTReadalong participants are excited to see their name and face on the live stream feed that displays questions and answers from the chat.

Consider a daily video content cadence to create consistency for your community. It’s OK if these videos are short, simple, or informal, as long as they are on brand and provide value to your community in some way.

Actively ask your community about what topics they’d like to learn more about through a live video. At a minimum, you can host an open Q&A on a specific topic.

Q5: Many marketers are doubling down on email marketing to nurture their communities. How can you drive engagement through email?

Email marketing can be an incredibly effective way to reach your community. However, a necessary disclaimer anytime we discuss email marketing: Do not buy your email lists or opt people into your list without their permission.

Use email marketing to complement your other communications channels. Provide a unique value through email that your community cannot get from your other channels.

Get personal and openly discuss the challenges that your team or your customers have faced and the best solutions to these challenges. Or, provide a behind-the-scenes look at your brand.

Segment your email list so that you can deliver the best content to your readers based on their needs and preferred ways to consume content. Improve your strategy by directly asking your subscribers what they want, and monitor for click-throughs to see what content they enjoy most.

One final email marketing tip: Send your emails from a real human. Your readers need a way to reply to and actually reach your team.

You can learn more ways to improve your email marketing strategy with these #ContentChat recaps on how to build a loyal community around your email newsletter with Josh Spector and email marketing hacks that drive results with Nancy Harhut.

Q6: How can marketers use Facebook for content marketing and community development?

Two Facebook features are particularly effective for content marketing: Facebook Groups and events.

Facebook Groups can be a great space to share valuable resources—which can involve brand content, alongside third-party resources and other content—and drive meaningful conversation.

Remember that Facebook Groups can be used for internal and external audiences.

But your success with Facebook Groups will depend on how much time you can dedicate to the community. If you are unable to actively share resources, monitor for and spark conversation, and otherwise address your community needs, your Group will likely not succeed.

As with any online community, we strongly recommend you create community guidelines for a Facebook Group.

Q7: What are some examples of brands that have been successful in building a multi-platform community? Are there learnings you can share from communities you’ve created or been a part of?

Neil and the #ContentChat community share their favorite brands, organizations, and individuals with a multi-platform community. Did we miss your favorites? Let us know in the comments.

About Alek Irvin

Alek Irvin is a content marketing professional with a rich history in social media management, executive thought leadership development, and media relations. As a consultant at Erika Heald Marketing Consulting, he creates human-focused content and thought leadership platforms that help brand leaders connect and engage with their communities. Alek has worked with a range of startups and Fortune 500 companies across the B2B technology and consumer spaces, including IBM, Dell Technologies, Hitch Works, Emtrain, Integrate, and Frameable. Connect with him on Twitter @AlekIrvin.

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