For businesses in 2022, connecting with consumers to increase brand awareness and instill customer loyalty hinges on their ability to meet people where they are and create a community around their brand. For most companies, that means establishing a strong presence on the social media platforms where their target audiences prefer to spend their time online.
Some companies are better at community building than others, and marketers can glean a great deal of insight into how to inspire and engage their organizations’ followers by observing the work of brands that have mastered the art and science of it. Here, members of Forbes Agency Council explore eight brands that maintain thriving communities on social media and the reasons why they’ve found such success.
Forbes Agency Council members explore brands that have built thriving communities online.
Photos courtesy of the individual members.1. Scary Mommy
I have seen Scary Mommy blow up to 2.5 million Instagram followers. As a full-time working mom myself, I love that the brand is real and relatable. Scary Mommy is not scared to say what all of us parents are thinking, but it also gives so many amazing tools and tips that are attainable. I commend the brand and its marketing strategy across the board. - Jessica Kopach, The JKO Agency
2. Riot Games
Riot Games has created a thriving community on all social media platforms. The brand has been empowering content creators through its online community events and highly engaging festivals, encouraging a strong sense of loyalty and fellowship among the consumer base. - Kamaljit Singh, AMZ One Step
3. Duolingo
Duolingo has garnered 4.8 million followers on TikTok. Duolingo’s social team diligently stays on top of hashtag, sound effect and music trends to create timely and popular content. The brand has also become instantly recognizable via its mascot, Duo the green owl, and it consistently uses a specific brand voice in videos. - Tom Hileman, Hileman Group
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4. Gymshark
Gymshark has managed to build a $1 billion business with the help of influencer marketing and community building. By strategically partnering with creators, the company has managed to build a community of people who share similar goals, values and likes. This community has become tightly knit, and members see Gymshark as a representation of their fitness identity. - Anastasia Cecchetto, Ace Influencers
5. Jasper
The Jasper community on Facebook has been great to watch. Users of the AI writing tool truly love the product, and it’s very inspiring to see how they share their experience within the community. Any feedback, any issues they run into while using the tool—all of that probably gives the business leaders a ton of valuable insights. And that’s how they improve the product. - Solomon Thimothy, OneIMS
6. GoPro
GoPro has more than 19 million followers on Instagram, and for good reason. The brand shares its customers’ GoPro shots and tags them, making user-generated content a staple of the content they post. This equal exchange has helped the brand create a solid, tightknit community. The brand has been positioning itself as a camera for “creators,” and it is walking the walk via this built-in drive to share content— GoPro content! - Bernard May, National Positions
7. Mad Rabbit
Mad Rabbit has been building an incredible community across social media, specifically on Instagram. Its niche focus on tattoo culture, creativity and providing top-tier products for post-ink care coupled with a super-inclusive influencer strategy has clearly helped the brand build an engaged and passionate community and tap into the subculture around tattoos. - Michael Janiak, Pattern
8. Wendy’s On Twitter
The Wendy’s Twitter account has amassed a cult following for its relatable one-liners aimed at competitors’ food chains. With real-time reactions and tweets resembling a friendly chat more than a business account, the brand’s annual “Roast Day” garnered more user replies than every other brand mentioned on Twitter’s annual #BestOfTweets Brand Bracket combined. - Jonathan Schwartz, Bullseye Strategy
