three ways that marketers can do to build an online community.

# 1 Listening Consumers most often engage with other consumers on sites or social networks, before they interact with your brand directly. Therefore, marketers can listen and learn a lot when users or consumers have conversations on social media. By listening to and listening to their conversations, marketers will learn more about what is important to users, what they like about your brand, what they don't like, what they need, what they want, and more.

Marketers can use this valuable information to change brand marketing, perhaps even core brand products and services. Marketers can engage users better if marketers are able to channel information effectively.

Marketers can also encourage users to share information by creating portals and contests. For example, Starbucks has a page on their site that allows people to share ideas for new products and others can share their opinions and discussions. Lego holds regular contests where people can share their ideas for new Lego sets and others to vote for them. Devices with the most votes have the opportunity to become a set for sale.

# 2 Emotionally involved Consumers will feel most involved when they feel emotionally connected. Therefore, when consumers read content on company blogs or social networks and the content can make them feel something, then they will feel more involved.

Supposedly, marketers need to think about how to make users feel emotionally connected. For example, by sharing inspirational posts about how your brand product or service can help them. Or that might mean sharing emotional stories in your brand marketing.

For example, if you offer financial consulting, you don't just want to talk about how you can help people. You want to ask people to share stories about financial struggles and how they finally succeeded. You want to share inspirational-to-riches stories that are inspirational. You want to talk about the American Dream and how policy affects it.

So, start with a conversation. Post interesting questions. Share personal stories. Ask people to share their stories. Create photo collages and video montages.

# 3 Education Many brands think that educating their customers or prospective customers means discussing the benefits of their products and services or how their offers can solve problems or provide solutions for customers. Unfortunately, this type of marketing doesn't build a lot of community.

Instead, marketers need to position themselves as resources. One way that can be done is to educate followers or followers. Marketers can make that strategy effective by educating users about your product or service without making direct sales.