The Importance of Building an Engaged Community Online When Launching a Business | GrowTraffic

Launching a business is overwhelming; there’s no hiding that. Not only do you have a product or service on your hands that needs perfecting before putting it out into the world, but you have a brand to define and a digital footprint to establish. Amidst all the noise, one thing often gets overlooked, arguably one of the most important things to support your newly launched business – building an engaged online community.

Your online presence is your shopfront, your pitch, your feedback platform, and your customer service desk, all rolled into one. And while your product or service might be incredible, it won’t matter if no one is talking about it.

In this blog, I aim to explore the importance of building an engaged community online when launching a business. Offering you resources on how to do it and sharing why it is so important, especially at the launch phase of your business journey. 

Why Building An Engaged Community Online Should Be Part of Your Launch Strategy

When you’re just starting out, visibility is crucial. People need to know who you are, what you do, and why they should care before they even consider investing in you and your brand. But, with that being said, we understand that in the launch phase of your business journey, budgets are tight and competition is around every corner, so traditional advertising might not get you very far. 

That’s where your online community comes in.

An online community isn’t just about racking up followers, it’s about creating a network of people who are invested in who you are and what you do. This kind of organic growth is more powerful (and cost-effective) in the early days than other, traditional marketing efforts.

Here’s why it matters:

1. Trust Builds Sales

People buy from people they trust. Developing an engaged community online in the starting stages of your business journey means you are more likely to generate sales and establish a loyal customer base later down the line.

2. Valuable Feedback 

Launching a business means trying, getting things wrong, and trying again. The importance of building an engaged community online when launching a business is that it can help you in the trial and error period, provide feedback, and shape the direction of your offering for the future.

3. You’ll Cut Through the Noise

We speak, often, on the GT blog about the saturated market that many businesses face in this ever changing digital age. Cutting through the noise is absolutely key in the launch phase, to start on solid ground in order to grow. In a crowded market, a loyal community helps you stand out. 

What Does Building an Engaged Community Online When Launching a Business Look Like?

It’s easy to think of a community in terms of numbers. But building an engaged community online when launching a business isn’t about how many people are listening, but instead, how well they’re engaging with your brand. Think of different areas online that can help build your community, whether it be social media or email marketing, cover all ground, engaging people from different angles.

An engaged community is one where:

• People comment, like, and share your content
• Followers ask questions, offer suggestions and leave feedback
• There’s a two-way conversation

This kind of engagement doesn’t happen overnight and needs long-term, sustainable marketing techniques in order to maintain. 

Our social media management services tie in with our SEO campaigns to ensure your organic growth across platforms adds to building an engaged community online.

Resources to Start Building Your Online Community

When building an engaged community online, it’s essentially about who you know, not what you know. As with anything in business, right?!

You need the right tools, a consistent strategy, and a bit of patience. 

Here’s what to prioritise:

1. Clear Brand Identity

Before people can connect with you, they need to understand who you are. That means:

• A well-defined tone of voice
• A recognisable visual brand
• A strong message 

Consistency with your brand builds familiarity, and familiarity builds trust.

2. Social Presence

Don’t try to be everywhere at once; your audience isn’t. Pick 1–2 platforms where your audience spends time and go full pelt. Do the research, understand where your target audience is hanging out, and go for it! For B2C startups, that might be Instagram. For B2B, perhaps LinkedIn.

3. An Email List 

Email marketing is still a crucial element in digital marketing. Start building your list early by offering something of value in exchange for email signups. This way, you are engaging your community from the off and giving them something in return for their engagement.

4. A Website 

This wouldn’t be a GT blog without sharing the importance of a good website and how it can do the heavy lifting for you. Building a community across social platforms and email lists is one thing, but why not invite them back to yours for a brew?

And I don’t mean that quite literally (although, you do you). Your website is your little plot of digital land that is all yours. Driving your community back there and having them engage with your content is a great way of creating a central hub for your online community to feel ‘at home’ with your brand.

5. Content That Connects

Use your content to show the human side of your business. Share your ‘why’, your journey, your reasons, as well as address your audience’s burning questions and offer resources on how to solve them.

Content helps develop trust and authority for your brand.

Strategies to Grow Your Community

Ok, this blog is about how to build an engaged community online when launching a business, but what about keeping them? 

Once you’ve got the basics in place, it’s time to grow and nurture your audience, as your business inevitably grows. 

Here’s how:

1. Start Conversations

The more you engage with them, the more they will engage with you and your brand. 

2. Collaborate with Others

Find other businesses or creators with similar values and audiences. Collaborations can bring new eyes to your brand.

3. Celebrate with Your Community

Before they are customers, they are your community, and it’s important to treat them that way in order to develop a long-standing relationship. Celebrate milestones with your community. Thank them. Make your audience feel seen and appreciated.

The Benefits of Building an Engaged Community Online When Launching a Business

Of course, we understand that it’s super tempting to focus only on sales in the early days, but building a community creates momentum that lasts over time. As your business grows, so does your reach, your credibility, and your customer base.

Building an engaged community online when launching a business offers so many long term benefits.

• Stronger SEO performance 
• Higher conversion rates 
• Easier launches 
• Greater resilience against competition

Building an Engaged Community Online When Launching a Business With GrowTraffic

You don’t need thousands of followers to make an impact. You just need the right people in your online community.

If you’re in the launch phase of your business, now is the perfect time to start building your online community. At GrowTraffic, we help many businesses launch their business with the right community behind them. We help startups grow online by building authentic, engaged communities that drive real results. 

If you’re in need of a helping hand in building an engaged community online when launching your business, reach out to the GrowTraffic team today!