Hi good people, hope 2019 has been kind so far.
In our series, Brands Vs Millennials, we delved into Millennial aspirations and
Real-fluencers. Today, we look at the communities formed by millennials online and how brands can leverage on them.
Next year, Brand2D will celebrate a decade of crafting Africa’s creative stories. We have grown from an initial team of three to a company of more than fifty people. We like to think of ourselves as a family. Speaking of families, today we’ll explore social families. Wondering what they are? Read on.
The drive to be part of a community arises from a deeper underlying need to belong. The need for human connection leads people to form or join communities. At the heart of these communities are families whose shared ideals form the bonds that connect them. These ideals range from blood and marriage to hobbies, experiences and beliefs.
Communities and families are held together by ties which are a sum of the amount of time, emotions and intimacy invested in the relationships. These ties can be strong, weak or absent. Strong ties demand a high investment of the three and arise from blood and marriage, while weak ties require less making them easier to maintain. Weak ties create social families from shared hobbies, experiences and beliefs.
The strength of weak ties; paradoxically, lies in their numbers. A large number of weak ties creates a pool with a higher combined value. A person looking for a job, for instance, is more likely to get help from a large number of weak ties on Facebook because of its wide network base.
Social Families and the Internet
The internet exists for two main reasons. Enabling human connections and disseminating information.
Michael Wu puts it this way,
“At the core of the internet, there are two central yearnings: the ability to navigate through information and the ability to connect with other people.”
Social families also exist on online platforms. Technology has risen above existing barriers to human interaction like distance, race, age and religion simplifying human connection.
Brands and Social Families.
Online communities are a great way for brands to engage consumers, resolve disputes and get unbiased feedback. They enable brands get opinions that improve the overall experience and direct attention to issues and complaints before they gain traction.
The right message at the right time to the right audience draws attention and information that flows seamlessly through social families spreading it even further.
When it comes to products and brands, consumers share information and enlighten each other online. An opinion easily becomes a movement through social families. Each family is different and requires a unique approach. A change of language, tone and visuals can draw attention and elicit conversations amongst the members.
Understanding how social families work enables brands to develop strategies to engage consumers in their communities through the channels they ’re in.
Examples of Social Families
Social Networking Sites are the easiest way of creating social families and communities. Simple examples of social families are groups on Facebook and WhatsApp. These groups bring together people with similar interests and passions. People create communities for those who love cars, sports, fashion and careers.
Brands also create social families of their own in form of Forums. These are solutions created by brands to enable consumers to interact with each other. They give consumers the opportunity to raise and resolve their own issues. On the other hand, brands get data on how consumers use their products and challenges they face which they can use in innovation. Microsoft and Apple forums enable customers to help other customers while others like Stack Overflow enables programmers to get answers to their questions.
How can brands create and engage existing social families to increase awareness, generate leads that increase conversion and sales you ask? Hit us up to find out.
The family as we know it keeps evolving. Your business communication needs to evolve with it if it is to reap the gains of social families.
