4 Types of Spaces You Can Build For Your Brand Community

Creating a brand community involves more than just making a group of people aware of your product or service. It means creating a place for people with similar interests to come together, share experiences, demonstrate common values, and connect on a deeper level. Whether they gather in person or online, it’s important for the community members to feel like they belong and have a common purpose.

As a brand, your goal is to create a space where your customers can connect with one another on a personal level and with your brand. By doing this, you build customer loyalty and strengthen your brand. A well-built brand community not only leads to increased sales but also a wider audience. People trust their peers more than advertising, so a positive referral from a loyal community member can greatly improve your brand's reputation. Building a space for your community members takes time and effort, but the reward is significant.

But what type of space should you build? Luckily, there are plenty of choices, including both physical and virtual options. In fact, combining different space types can ultimately build the strongest community.
Let’s take a closer look at the types of spaces you can build for your community members:

1. A Permanent Physical Space

Creating a dedicated physical space can foster community. For example, churches, schools, community centers, and parks all allow people to gather for shared purposes. Permanent physical spaces can provide opportunities for activities, education, or simply a place to gather and connect with others.

However, building a permanent physical space for your community may not be the right move. One major disadvantage is the expense. Building and maintaining a physical location requires a significant investment. This investment may not be worthwhile if the space is not fully utilized.

A fixed location also limits the community's reach to only those nearby, excluding potential customers who are too far to visit. Without a careful consideration of these factors, building a physical space could end up being a costly mistake.

2. In-Person Events

Bringing your brand community members together in a temporary physical space can produce an immersive and memorable experience. Hosting in-person events, like conferences or conventions, allows people from various backgrounds to come together, learn, and connect with one another. Creating a temporary physical gathering space allows people to interact and build relationships, which can have a long-term effect on both your community and brand. Meeting face-to-face with your brand community members can deepen the sense of belonging and elevate their brand loyalty.

While the excitement and energy of in-person events is undeniable, they do have drawbacks. Organizing an event can be costly, with expenses for venue rental, staff hiring, and logistics management. These costs can add up quickly, creating a significant financial investment.

Organizing an in-person event also takes a lot of time. From planning to execution, there are a lot of details to be sorted out. Before organizing an in-person event, it's crucial to consider the costs and benefits carefully. If your brand is looking to ease itself into community building, an in-person event may not be the best place to start.

3. Online Groups

Online groups provide an accessible platform for community members to engage with each other and with your brand. Tools like Facebook groups, Slack channels, Discord servers, and other platforms allow people to communicate at different times, making it easier to connect regardless of location or time zone differences. This flexibility encourages more meaningful exchanges among community members, fostering a sense of belonging and loyalty.

Digital spaces provide a wide range of tools for organizing content, participating in discussions, and sharing resources. These tools can be customized to meet the needs and interests of the community. Brands can use online groups to create a lively, interactive, and supportive community that improves customer engagement and strengthens brand identity.

However, creating and maintaining an online group for your community is not without its disadvantages. The most significant drawback is the considerable amount of time and effort required to manage these groups effectively. Managing discussions, creating interesting content, answering questions, enforcing the rules, and creating a positive environment can easily be a full-time job. This demand on time resources can be challenging for some businesses.

Also, there's a risk of conflicts between community members that can damage the brand's reputation if not dealt with quickly and properly. Misinformation and spam are other concerns that require constant vigilance to protect the integrity of the community. Online groups have advantages, but it's important to be cautious about the challenges they bring. Their negative effects should not be greater than their positive influences.

In addition, the challenge of amassing a substantial number of participants can be significant. A successful community launch needs engaged people who are truly interested in the brand and its values, not just numbers. Strategies to attract such members often involve extensive engagement efforts that can strain limited resources. Brands may want to explore other ways to build their community that need less time and still create strong connections among members.

4. Virtual Events

A simpler way for a brand to launch its community is through virtual events. These events provide an opportunity for people to connect with the brand and each other, creating a sense of belonging.
The essence of fostering a vibrant community through virtual events lies in their capacity to facilitate meaningful interactions between attendees. When people can have live discussions, take part in Q&A sessions, or join smaller groups, they can share ideas, express opinions, and contribute to the conversation in a more personal way. This interactivity serves as the foundation for new relationships, transforming attendees from passive participants to active members of a community.

These connections support the community's growth and keep people engaged, making sure the community stays lively and welcoming. By focusing on interaction in virtual events, brands can build a supportive community where members help each other, fostering a strong sense of camaraderie and respect.

Webinars have limitations when it comes to building a sense of community among participants due to their one-way communication structure. This format typically positions the presenter as the sole source of information, relegating attendees to a passive role. The lack of meaningful interaction can create a barrier to forming the connections that are essential for community building. The format is informative, but it lacks the ability to foster relationships and make members feel connected to the community's growth and success. The webinar's limited way of communicating misses the chance to create an interactive atmosphere that encourages participants to be active community members.

Virtual events are affordable and can reach a wide global audience, overcoming the limitations of physical events. Additionally, they can be recorded and repurposed as content, providing ongoing value.
Virtual events enable brands to understand what their community members like and want. They help brands gather feedback and learn about the interests and preferences of their community. This information can be used to improve future initiatives. As the community grows and develops, brands can invest in more interactive spaces for the community, both online and offline.

Hosting virtual events on a regular basis is crucial for building and maintaining a vibrant community around your brand. These events create a predictable rhythm that members can look forward to, helping to sustain their interest and engagement over time. Regular interactions build stronger connections within a community, allowing members to communicate, collaborate, and form relationships more easily. Consistent events help your brand to stay in people's minds and reinforce brand values and messaging in a dynamic and interactive way. When you launch your community with regular virtual events, you are setting the groundwork for a supportive and active community that will expand alongside your brand.

Brands that want to start a new community should consider beginning with virtual events because they are cost-effective and require less time commitment. This approach allows brands to incrementally grow their community, nurturing it from the ground up. Brands can start with regular virtual events to test the waters, understand their audience, and build a dedicated community. This sets the stage for future community-building initiatives.