Building Community: Part 5

Today is Day 5 of a special series this week on the broadcast — covering ways Your story Builds Community.

So far this week, we’ve talked about how to humanize your brand, how to bridge the gap between you and your audience, how to use your story to establish you as the expert, and how to engage in conversation with your audience.

The FINAL tip I have for you to be Consistent. This is THE MOST IMPORTANT tip and goes at the very tippy top of the list, because consistency wins the game every time — yet so many people — suck at it! I say this with love. 

They’ll show up with their message here and there, but there’s no real long-term strategy and intention behind being consistent.

Here’s why being consistent is so important to helping you build Community: Over time, showing up builds trust. Your audience will see you as someone who is reliable and consistent. When you engage with them, they feel your presence. People just want to feel like they are being seen & heard, and they want to spend time with people who are willing to engage with them. They need to feel you are in it for the long haul.  

Remember— investing is a two-way street…. You have to invest time & energy in showing up with your message, strategizing ways to share your story with impact, spending time on social media to connect deeper with your audience.

And likewise, your audience invests in you — they spend time checking out your website, learning more about your services & products, consuming your content to get a feel for your ability to guide them and help them with whatever it is they are seeking.

This takes time……… so, in order for the seeds of your labor to sprout - they need time to germinate. You showing up consistently, staying steady with your message and influence is a critical piece to building community.

Just this month, I welcomed the 900th person into my private group on Facebook, the LIGHTbeamers Community  It was a cool moment when I really stepped back and thought about the journey that’s brought me here. I started the group just over 3 years ago. Clearly, I did not reach 900 members overnight. It’s taken time, energy, and a whole lotta love from me to get to 900 members.

I would have never been able to celebrate this milestone had I not been consistent. My group is one of the most highly engaged groups on Facebook — this would not be happening if I wasn't showing up consistently. I’m in there almost every single day chatting with my audience and taking some time to get to know them better. I invest in them, and they invest in me.

It’s been the SINGLE MOST IMPORTANT investment I’ve made in my business. Why?— because 99% of my clients come from that group! It’s not about the Facebook group — it’s about the COMMUNITY we've built inside of it. The conversations, the support, the connection, the trust, the brand recognition — it’s all part of it.

They’ve learn to trust me, get to know me, and they see I’m in this for the long haul. I’m not in it for a quick buck. I truly care about helping them get their stories out into the world.

Yet this is the biggest boat people miss..... showing up consistently.  

Show up, and don’t stop talking about your subject matter. Put it on repeat and make it a priority to get up every day and find a way to talk to your people. 

In today’s digital age, you have no excuse. You can use email, you can use live-streaming, you can use private messaging, you can use in-person meetings, you can use Zoom conferencing, you can use LinkedIn, YouTube, Facebook, Instagram stories, you can go door to door in your neighborhood, you can talk to people at your church, you can reach out to fellow leaders in your local community.

But in order to do any of this, you have to first show up…. and do it consistently…. and share your message.

It’s just that simple…. yet far too many people make it extremely complicated.

I’m on a soapbox today because this is the thing I really want you to here. Your message is good enough as it is right now. Don’t wait another second for it to be perfect and for you to have it all figured out.

Just get out there and start talking. Use your story to build that community. Show Up, and Don’t Quit. It’s that simple.

Okay, I’m stepping down now… I really hope you’ve found all the tips I’ve shared this week helpful— and you have a deeper understanding of how powerful your story is, and how to use it to build community with your audience.

While you're here:  I’d love to hear from you! On the sidebar of this page, there is an Orange Button: click it and leave me a quick message!
Tell me what your biggest takeaway was from this Building Community series. Which tip are you going to start implementing? I really love hearing from you! 

If you want to catch up on the entire series from this week, each post is listed below. 

Building Community Part 1
Building Community Part 2
Building Community Part 3
Building Community Part 4