A thriving online community isn’t a vanity metric. It isn’t follower count or a one-off post that blows up. It’s not the inbox full of cold DMs or the carousel that gets shared without context. A real community is measured in relationships, resonance, and the willingness of your audience to engage even when you’re not selling them anything. It’s what separates a business that survives from a brand that thrives.
But most businesses? They’re yelling into the void. They treat content like a checklist and community like an afterthought. They blast promotions on every platform, hoping repetition will do the heavy lifting of connection. They post memes that don’t relate, write captions that don’t matter, and chase algorithms like they’re gospel, leaning into the ever-changing guidelines even if it compromises their message.
Meanwhile, the brands that build real communities do something else entirely. They make people feel something. They build warmth and authority in the same breath. Their social presence feels like a rooftop dinner or an after-hours text from a friend who knows your life and your business. And the best part? It doesn’t feel hard. Because it’s aligned.
Define Your Values - For Real, Not for Optics
If you want people to gather around your brand like it’s a firepit, you need to start with what fuels the fire. Your values aren’t there to look good on a slide deck. They’re the through-line between every word you post and every person you attract.
Ask yourself:
- What does my business believe, even if it’s unpopular?
- What kind of energy do I want my brand to radiate online?
- Who is this space for – and who is it explicitly not for?
- What makes my brand different beyond visuals and offers?
For me, I believe in the power of words to build connection, and despite what you see on some platforms today, I believe people want value in content, not just buzzwords. And if you saw some of my client’s engagement and conversion statistics, you’d agree. I like trending content too, but trends are short. What lasts is the value you bring to potential clients.
Some common values for you to include are creativity, sustainability, inclusivity, empowerment, health, adventure, connection, and knowledge. But unless those are tied to actionable choices in how you operate, they’re just words.
If you value sustainability and run a travel brand, show how you minimize environmental impact. Share your process. Partner with tour companies that align with that value. Educate your audience on sustainable travel – and not just with pretty graphics. With actual tips that reflect your on-the-ground decisions.
Write this down:
Grab a pen. List five values that feel true to your brand. Then next to each, jot down one way that value shows up in what you post, how you serve, or how you engage. This isn’t fluff. This is your brand’s compass.
Create Content That Sparks a Two-Way Dialogue
Content is not a megaphone. It’s a conversation. The point isn’t to broadcast – it’s to invite people to a discussion. The best community-building content invites your audience to step in, respond, relate, or reflect. That means you need to think beyond what looks good and start thinking about what opens doors.
Let’s go beyond “engaging.” Let’s make it magnetic.
- Ask questions that go somewhere. “How’s your day?” is filler. “What do you wish more people in your industry would talk about?” leads to story. You want questions that pull out the kind of answers that inspire your next offer – or your next post.
- Use polls for both business intel and personality. Thinking of launching something? Use a poll to ask what they actually want. Want to humanize your brand? Run a “which character would you be in a heist movie” poll. Strategy and fun can coexist. And both build connection.
- Go behind the scenes – without the curated filter. Tell them how long it took you to write a blog post. Mention the three false starts. Show your workspace, even if it’s not a sun-drenched white marble desk. For example: I spent two hours on this post (and that’s just up until this point!). I researched keywords. I mapped out structure. I picked apart each paragraph line by line. And yes, I drank a frankly alarming amount of coffee in the process (My cardiologist does not need to know that part!).
- Tell real stories. Not just origin stories. Not just the highlight reel. Tell the one where things fell apart, then came together. Tell the one where you made the wrong call, learned from it, and still don’t have it perfect. Tell the one where your audience will see themselves in the tension.
- Share user content. Ask for it. Feature it. Respond to it with context and care. No one wants to be alone in the boat. Show them your boat is full – and that there’s room at the table. Then turn that boat into a damn yacht party. (I feel like that metaphor got away from me a bit…)
- Teach. Specifically. You don’t have to be an expert to educate – you have to be experienced. If you’re a pet care brand, teach me how to train my dog not to eat the spider he just found under the couch. (Yes, that happened. Yes, I panicked.) If you’re in real estate, teach me why I shouldn’t buy a new car right before closing on a house. (Every realtor out there knows what I’m talking about!)
Do This Now:
List three content pillars – topics you come back to regularly. For each one, write:
- A question to ask your community
- A tip to share
- A personal story
- A poll idea
- A piece of user-generated content you could showcase
- A behind-the-scenes angle
- A story you’ve never told publicly
That’s 21 content pieces – without chasing a single trend. If you post one thing a day, that’s three weeks of content!
Leverage Spaces Outside Your Feed
Community doesn’t happen in a vacuum. And it doesn’t always happen on your own turf. You need to go where your audience is already talking. Facebook groups. Subreddits. LinkedIn threads. Instagram comment sections. The replies under someone else’s viral post. Engage there.
But do it with intention. You’re not there to pitch. You’re there to contribute. You’re there to offer clarity, spark new angles, and connect like a human – not a funnel. Be the person who adds. Be the person who listens. That’s what gets remembered.
Write this down:
List three places your audience already shows up. One on your primary platform. One in a complementary space. One in real life. Now schedule ten minutes a day to show up there without an agenda. DO NOT promote your business – your expertise will show in your comments.
Engage Like It Matters - Because It Does
A community is not an audience that claps when you speak. It’s a network of people who feel seen when you listen. And that means you have to listen out loud.
Respond to comments. Reply to messages. Do not phone this in. Engagement isn’t a reward you hand out to your top commenters. It’s a responsibility you earn every time someone chooses to talk to you instead of scrolling past.
Write this in your calendar:
Fifteen minutes. Daily. Every brand. Even weekends. No exceptions.
Building a community that actually sticks isn’t a sprint. It’s not a post that hits. It’s not a launch that converts.
It’s the consistency of showing up. It’s the clarity of your message. It’s the care with which you respond, ask, share, and teach.
That’s what turns passive followers into lifelong clients. That’s what turns a personal brand into a movement. That’s how you go from zero to legacy.
You don’t need followers. You need community.
If you’re ready to stop shouting into the void and start cultivating community that converts with depth and direction, schedule a consultation.
We’ll talk structure. We’ll talk values. We’ll talk about how to make sure your voice is heard - for the right reasons, by the right people, for the long haul.
Book Here