Building Brand Communities

A brand community serves its members and your organization.

A community is a group whose members share one or more mutual concerns. Some communities grow around specific brands. As the center of a brand community, a brand can be an organization of any size and for any purpose that offers value, including nonprofit, political, artistic and faith-based organizations, in addition to for-profit businesses. A brand community serves its members and its parent organization. Members wish to promote one another’s well-being, associate with an identity correlated to the brand’s purpose and participate in shared experiences.

All brand communities – regardless of size, goals or age – share common principles. Members understand the community’s values, identity and standards. They undergo an initiation, participate regularly and have relationships with one another – though not everyone who checks into the community will join. To convert visitors into members, offer the option to participate and connect, create conditions that foster relationships and camaraderie...