From Viral to Valuable: Why Micro-Communities Matter

One of the great advantages of modern content marketing is the ability for marketers to reach large and diverse audiences, as well as smaller, more niché audience segments, through the savvy use of social media. In many cases, the more specific, targeted, and granular the marketing efforts are, the more loyal and devoted the targeted audience will be. We’ll refer to these very small and concentrated audience segments as ‘micro communities.’ No matter what the size of your brand is, or your marketing budget, understanding micro communities and responding to their needs is vitally important. In this article, we’ll be exploring micro communities in greater detail, explaining the benefits of targeting them, and outlining what marketing techniques and formats they are most responsive to. Read on to learn more.

What Are Micro Communities?

In layman’s terms, a micro-community is a small and very focused group of people who have rallied around a specific hobby, interest, subculture, or location. The more narrow the interest, and the more heavily gatekept by the community, the more relevant it is to this discussion. These communities can meet either in person or online, through emails, social posts, online forums (such as Reddit), chat-based platforms (such as discord), or even just the comments sections of specific influencers, brands, or content creators. They might be highly structured, with internal hierarchies, or they might be extremely loose and egalitarian in nature. The crucial difference here between a micro-community, and communities in general, is that micro-communities are typically composed of around 10-100 people. This small scale means that these communities can often boast a few key traits.

To wit:

They are tight-knit and difficult to penetrate.
They have a degree of expertise in their narrow field.
They boast their own (often obtuse) history of in-jokes, terms of reference, and even slang.

Bearing in mind that such communities are composed of such small numbers of participants, a more skeptical marketer might ask themselves if it is worth the effort to attract these people in the first place. However, the fact of the matter is that there are a few very enticing benefits that come with engaging micro communities.

Benefits of Engaging Micro Communities

So, what are the main benefits of attempting to engage micro communities?

Consumer Loyalty

Members of micro communities tend to be more devoted to their area of interest than your average person, and due to their specialised knowledge, very few brands or companies can match their expertise. Because of this, when a brand does do the hard work of genuinely matching their interest and knowledge in their field, these micro community members will form a closer attachment to the brand as a form of gratitude. By nurturing these deeper, more intense relationships, marketers can easily identify and target a loyal base of brand advocates who will act as loyal brand ambassadors.

Higher Engagement Rates and Better Sales

By the same token, micro-communities are more likely to boast higher engagement rates and higher-quality sales, compared to members of wider communities with more generalised interests. Say, for example, that your brand specializes in 3D-modelling, and you want to attract a micro-community of model-making hobbyists. Perhaps these hobbyists are only interested in model tractors, for instance, and no other vehicles or buildings. In catering to members of this specific community, and focusing on their niche interests, your brand can almost guarantee long-term sales (as well as higher volumes of sales and more extensive purchases) because your brand will be the one best catering to this previously-unmet need.

Stronger Trust and Customer Feedback

In addition to the above, members of microcommunities (who tend to care more about their chosen subject) are more likely than the general public to share their feelings about it at length. Further, their relative expertise in their field means that their feedback and commentary tends to be more detailed and specific than the general public’s. This means that brands who listen to micro communities might find it easier to iterate and improve the quality of their goods or services based on these critiques. And, of course, by listening to this feedback and responding to it in kind, marketers will have established a clear and empathetic dialogue between brand and consumer: thus deepening trust in the brand even more.

How to Effectively Market to Micro Communities

With all this in mind, how can marketers effectively target these micro communities? Well, if your brand is active in micro-communities, it is best to focus on sharing content that is truly relevant and valuable to the group members. Generalised marketing messages — which you might otherwise share on your company’s various social platforms — are not going to cut it with these grounds. The audiences within micro communities are usually turned off by overtly salesy or “spammy” tactics, and don’t respond well to brands that try to sell goods and services without first proving their value. With this in mind, it’s best to first focus on establishing clear thought leadership and expertise, and in opening clear and transparent channels of communication with these groups after first conducting thorough research on their personas. Use social media listening tools to track the conversations that micro communities are having to gain insight into their wants, issues, and preferences. Prioritise the sharing of content that is genuinely relevant and unique, and leverage the help of micro influencers who might hold sway over these groups if your brand currently lacks the in-depth knowledge to establish your authority. Further, continue to engage with the micro community by soliciting feedback and commentary, and triggering the generation of user-created content as well as providing your own. And because your target audience within these communities is comparatively small, you should focus on personalising your content output as much as you possibly can to increase the chances of it striking a chord with members of your micro community.

Collaborate with CopyHouse to Superior Community Marketing

Here at CopyHouse, our agency has a wealth of experience in helping brands to establish a firm foothold with high quality leads through micro community marketing. We will work hard to understand the nuances and complexities of your industry or field, and then craft compelling content that will successfully resonate with any audience, no matter how small. So, if you’d like to find out more about how we can help your marketing campaigns and content, then please contact us now.