A guest post by Julio Ricardo Varela of LatinoLit.
Most marketers get it wrong. The moment they create an online social media presence, they are quick to think that an audience has been eagerly waiting for their arrival. Post a few links, send a few invites, make a few friends, and their brand will grow instantly. No more work is needed, no more effort is required.
The problem is this: With so many people using social media each day, unless you can employ a unique way to gain attention online, no one will really care about your profile. After your family and friends join, the attraction stops, and you are left to wonder: How can I get a stronger and more authentic following?
This is where the hard work begins. I am convinced that the “niche community”—a small yet loyal network of followers that anticipate your every post, tweet, or blog post—is the more effective way to nurture your network, one person at a time.
When I started to post parts of Franky Benítez, my online novel, I had two central questions in mind:
- How do I get people to follow it?
- But more importantly, how do I get the right people to follow the novel?
That is when I decided to start tweeting about #LatinoLit and made a simple request: If you are a Latino author, writer, poet, agent, publisher, or book marketer, drop me a line on Twitter, and I will add you to a new #LatinoLit directory on my blog. The directory would be shouted out to others on Twitter (and eventually on Facebook), and our goal would be to share and promote the literary talents of so many online Latinos.
Within two weeks, we had grown the list to 50+, and it included award-winning authors, such as Esmeralda Santiago, Cristina García, and Luis Alberto Urrea. Each day, I make it a point to share these and several other authors with my social networks, but I also actively look for links related to the members of #LatinoLit.
I know what you are thinking: 50 isn’t a big number. You think that it’s all about numbers. I will argue the opposite: When you are online and actively participating on social media, quality always trumps quantity. Being an authentic and real profile that tries to share its network to others will lead to more cross-links and sharing of content.
So I ask you, who are the 50 most influential people in your industry or interest area? What would you to make sure they follow you? Would you just talk about yourself? No, because (and I don’t mean to be harsh) the online world doesn’t care if you are just streaming noise and not engaging other profiles.
Start small. Create a “niche community” and work that community with passion and consistency. That is the “secret” to social media and it surprises me that the majority of social media profiles don’t practice this very simple (although time-consuming) approach.
Go create your “niche community.” You won’t be disappointed.
A graduate of Harvard, Julio Ricardo Varela is an editorial director at Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Company. When he isn’t busy developing content for schools, Julio blogs about social media and writes his novel at JulioRVarela.com.
Tags: Blogging, Social Media, Social networking, Twitter
Thank you so much for the opportunity to blog on your site today. It made my day!
The key to getting involved with social media is to provide interesting content on a regular basis. Like any other marketing strategy, you should go in with a plan and a strategy and stick to it. Just creating a page isn’t going to do you any good. I agree that quality is important, and that takes time.
Great job son!
One of my pet peeves in SM is getting attacked by so many people pushing something that they are selling with no concern what so ever for anyone.
Is the old story of ” Can you at least kiss me while you are trying to …”
You have to care about everyone else first. How can you help them? How sincere are you in fact? How willing are you to promote everyone else first instead of JUST YOU?
I like your suggestion of getting just 50 of the most influential people in your interest and/or area of expertise and help promoting them thus creating a niche your market of quality people, not just quantity.
Always in peace…papijulio
Thanks, Papi. Love you!
I did not realize that Esmeralda Santiago was part of LatinoLit I guess that demonstrates what you did well and a great approach.
On the other side I think that is where a lot of people lose out including myself. It becomes difficult sometimes to find that niche like you did.
Great job!
Raul, you have your niche which is Puerto Ricans in social media. No one I know has fully embraced it and has done as great a job as you. Keep attacking it, hermano.
Julio:
I just wanted to drop you a line and tell you how spot ON I think you have the whole social media brouhaha. If more people would focus on quality vs. quantity, depth vs. breadth – I believe they would see more social “ROI.”
But they don’t. In my current area (higher ed), it’s all about growing the community so, get this, we can start asking them to donate money when our capital campaign goes public. It pains me to have brought this community (nearly 8,000) this far on relationships and good-will and re-connecting.
Nonetheless, I’m starting a niche-oriented, online business that launches in the next few days. I eagerly anticipate building and acknowledging (like you do) the tribe that will be serve as my brand ambassadors. I like to think I have the right idea…let’s hope I’m right.
Again – great job to you.
Leah S.
That is awesome, Leah! I think you are right one in your approach. You are already successful with social media and I know you will continue to be.
Julio, great post my friend! You’re right. No one is out there waiting with baited breath to hear any of our Tweets, or updates, or whatever we might be sending. In fact, they will forget us if we don’t stay the course, continue to focus on our target markets, understand we’re there to do interact and take care of others. As I often say, Twitter is a contact sport…in a good way, of course. If we aren’t willing to make contact with the people we want and need to know, we might as well not be there at all. Nice work Julio.
So true, Nancy.
Nice post! We are a non-profit museum and while we have lots of followers, we are currently trying to grow email lists organically where it is one topic only and people who want to hear only about that one topic, say summer camps, signs up with just their email address – simple and quick and then we email them only when we have relevant news to the subject and the lists grow each day and the open and click rates out perform any of the more traditional “e-blasts” that we do.
I think the next step is creating more sub-communities where we can have two way dialogue with these groups who have selected a specific area of interest.
Chris, that is a smart strategy. I have no doubt that you will have success with it.
[...] How Niche Communities Build Brand Awareness | MarketingProfs Daily … [...]
Julio, if it’s true for new product launches, it must, of course, be true for each of us! Well done!
Exactly. Focus on what is the true essence of your brand and attack that.
Excellent article.
You address a problem that is common to all self published authors and unsinged bands and musicians.
One of the key words in your article is”hard work”.
I wrote a blog on marketing and unsigned bands and ironically go no repsonses and very view viewings of my posts.
I now have hope because of your tips.
Thank you!
Go for it, Frank. Yes, combine great content and hard work and people will come. The right people.
[...] and beyond. This week, we appeared on their blog as a guest blogger and wrote the following post: How Niche Communities Build Brand Awareness. We were thrilled to be featured, especially since we got a chance to talk about [...]
Love the idea of niche communities – creates true organic quality followings.