Online Communities: The Marketing Tool You're Probably Ignoring

Let me tell you something about online communities. Everyone's joining them. Everyone. And yet, some of you marketing people are still throwing money at traditional advertising like it's 1997. Have you seen what's happening online? People are finding their tribes, their groups, their whatever-you-want-to-call-it, and they're talking about your brand whether you're there or not.

You know what they used to call these things? Forums. Social networking groups. Digital communities. Brand tribes. It's social media that actually works, where people aren't just pretending to be interested in your inane posts about National Donut Day.

THE DISTURBING TRUTH ABOUT WHY COMMUNITIES MATTER

We're living in this bizarre era where everyone's desperate for connection. Desperate! And yet nobody wants to talk to their neighbors. No, instead we join these digital groups where we can find other weirdos who care about the same obscure things we do.

For brands, this is a gold mine. A gold mine! Apparently, 75% of internet users are in some form of online community. That means if you're not there, you're essentially standing outside a party where three-quarters of your customers are hanging out, and you're just... what? Hoping they'll come outside to chat? Good luck with that strategy.

IT'S NOT ABOUT YOUR CONTENT, NOBODY CARES ABOUT YOUR CONTENT

Here's what nobody wants to admit: nobody cares about your carefully crafted marketing messages. Nobody! They care about what other people like them are saying.

Take Peloton. You think people buy those ridiculous bikes because of their ads? No! They buy them because they want to be part of that community of sweaty, overly enthusiastic people high-fiving each other from their living rooms.

Or look at Sephora's Beauty Insider Community. Women are in there sharing makeup tips, reviewing products, giving advice. And Sephora just sits back and watches their sales go up. It's pretty, pretty, pretty good business strategy.

PR PEOPLE, YOU'RE MISSING EVERYTHING IMPORTANT

For you PR professionals, let me ask you this: Why are you still relying on those useless social listening tools? Everyone knows social media is completely fake! Nobody says what they really think on X or Instagram. It's all performance!

If you want to know what people actually think about your brand, you need to be in these communities. That's where the real conversations are happening. That's where someone is complaining about your product right now, and you don't even know it because you're too busy crafting the perfect Instagram caption.

And it's not just about lurking and watching. You have to participate. But here's the catch - you have to be genuine. People can spot a phony from a million miles away. Trust me, I know phonies. I've spent my entire life spotting them.

AUTHENTICITY: A CONCEPT MOST BRANDS CAN'T GRASP

Let's talk about authenticity for a second. Brands love to throw this word around, but most have no idea what it actually means. You can't just decide one day, "We're going to be authentic now!" and expect people to believe it.

Look at Patagonia. They've built this Action Works platform connecting environmental activists. They're not in there saying, "Hey, while you're saving the whales, how about buying one of our $400 jackets?" No! They're actually helping people solve environmental problems. That's authenticity. Most brands wouldn't recognize authenticity if it slapped them in the face.

WOMEN ARE RUNNING THIS SHOW, AND YOU SHOULD PAY ATTENTION

I've noticed something interesting about these online communities - women are absolutely crushing it in this space. Crushing it!

Look at some of these PR communities out there. PR professionals are in there sharing all their secrets, asking for advice, posting jobs. It's like a support group for people in PR, and they're getting real value from it. To not be part of this is just... it's madness!

There are these communities of women entrepreneurs popping up everywhere. Some of them are even offering PR services as part of the membership. PR services! Do you know how much PR agencies charge? And they're including it in a membership. It's brilliant!

And then there are these community strategists. They're basically the fairy godmothers of communities. You want to build a community? Call them. You want to learn how to build a community? Join their community. It's like community inception!

THE FUTURE IS COMMUNITIES, WHETHER YOU LIKE IT OR NOT

Look, technology is only going to make these communities more powerful. That's just a fact. And the brands that invest in them now are going to be way ahead of everyone else.

The ROI is obvious. You get deeper customer insights, increased loyalty, better leads, and a bunch of people who actually like your brand enough to tell others about it. When was the last time your billboard did that?

But more than all that, you create connection. Real connection! In a world where everyone's staring at their phones on the subway, pretending not to see each other, that connection is worth everything.

So whether you're in marketing, PR, or you're running a business, you need to be thinking about communities. Not tomorrow. Not next quarter. Now. Because I guarantee your competitors are already there, talking to your customers while you're reading this article.

Everyone knows real-life communities have always been important for business. But now that we have online communities too? The opportunities are massive. Massive!

Don't be the last one to the party. Nobody likes that person. Nobody.