Workaround to Get Branded Content on Social Media Communities

Social media communities have sprung up in nearly every interest niche that can be imagined. From knitting & crochet to Brazilian punk rock, there is a social media community for nearly any interest.

These niche communities are being utilized by not just like-minded individuals, but also savvy marketers looking to promoting relevant products and services. However, social network platforms have anticipated this interest from marketers and have put up a few roadblocks to avoid abuse.

While a brand can maintain it’s own page and write it’s own posts, branded profiles cannot do so on third-party interest communities. The only way that a brand can comment on a community is if the brand is the owner of the interest community.

When marketing to social media communities, there two clear options on the table: Promote branded content on a third-party community from an employee profile or create your own branded community.

Promote Branded Content

While marketers might frown at the fact that brands cannot make comments on communities, a far greater impact is possible by distributing branded content on relevant niche interest communities. This content is most likely owned media in the form of blog posts or content resources. Regular blogging is the most consistent way to maintain a helpful brand voice on third party communities. Whether you strategize & create the blog content yourself or utilize a blog development agency, a regular content development regiment is required for this strategy to be successful.

Promote branded blog content on niche interest communities with unique & relevant comments. Automating community posts is the fastest way to annoy community members and will eventually get your brand booted from the conversation. Put thoughtful consideration into how each blog post is relevant and helpful to each specific community. An ‘always be helping’ approach should be the core value when promoting branded content on social media communities.

Create Your Own Branded Community

This is an attractive option since your brand has free-reign to post any content. However, building a genuine niche interest community is hard work that requires close management. A constant stream of relevant & helpful content and conversation responses from a community manager are typically part of most successful branded niche interest communities.

Social media users are also naturally averse to most branded communities since most users simply want to discuss and interact with like-minded people and avoid advertising messages. However, if your brand is willing and able to manage a helpful and informative content then it is possible to build a branded niche interest community.

It All Starts with Branded Content

Regardless of the option that you choose, a strong branded content development program is at the core of social media community marketing. Use existing examples of success to gain buy-in from your marketing executives to start developing branded content on a regular basis and drive members of your target audience to your brand from social media communities.