We’re told that to have a successful online presence, we need to build an audience. Or is it a community? Believe it or not, there’s actually a difference between the two. An audience is people who follow you and see what you have to say. A community is a group of people who not only follow you and see what you have to say, but is connected on a deeper level, something you want to build a loyal connection with.
It’s easy to build an audience, but it’s harder to build a community.
First of all, where does one even start? You first need to figure out and craft your message. Each of us have our very own and there is no copy and paste answer. Well, you can, but then you won’t be any different from Bob XYZ. For example, who are you and what makes you, you? What do you offer and why is it awesome? This may seem like an easy answer, but it really isn’t.
Figuring out your message and what to communicate to people that comes across very simply, is the first step. Secondly, who are you targeting and how can you make them a bigger part of your overall mission? Say what you will about motivational speakers, but when it comes to understanding psychology, Tony Robbins has it down pretty damn good.
Out of the many different things Tony talks about, the 6 core needs are part of every human being.
They are certainty (security/comfort), uncertainty (need for adventure/challenges), significance (feeling important/wanted), love and connection, growth (emotionally/physically/spiritually), and contribution (giving beyond ourselves).
You can’t be everything to everyone, but you can integrate these core needs into your own business. Let’s start with certainty. It doesn’t really matter what products or services you offer, but chances are you provide some sort of certainty to people whether it’s through information, products, services, coaching, and so on.
Essentially, here’s what I got and here’s how it can make your life/business better.
This goes back to crafting your unique message and properly communicating that. With uncertainty, through providing high quality, free information, you can challenge people to become better at XYZ and better guide them to fulfilling their need. This also coincides with helping them grow.
Having to do with significance, you can show that you genuinely care by interacting with them and showing that you appreciate their thoughts. After all, you’ve got the tools right in front of you to facilitate communication in real-time. Now, you can’t show love like a significant other would, but you can create a feeling of connection by, again, showing that you care and also including them in discussions.
That’s how you go about building a community versus an audience. Building an audience is great and done effectively will lead you to a number of different possibilities, but building a community can last a lifetime. Even if you are to move on from your current path in the future, those people you’ve built true connections with will follow till the end.
What’s your message? What’s your mission?
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