Looking to build a stronger connection with your customers? Brand communities can help you do just that.

A brand community isn’t just made up of any customer. It’s made up of those most loyal to your brand. The ones that have an emotional investment, talk about it with their close circle of friends and engage with your content. Look at LEGO. Its community helps design new sets and vote on favourites. When people feel heard, they stick around and bring others with them.

When you nurture a space like this, your community becomes your advocate. Done right, these people will help spread your brand’s message. You also get to know them better, earning honest feedback and stronger loyalty. But before you dive in and create a community, stop and ask yourself:

Why am I building this community?
Where does my audience already spend their time?
Can I offer something worth showing up for?
Am I ready to show up consistently?

Answering these questions will help you decide whether building a brand community is the right move for you. If you’re clear on the purpose, ready to invest time and offer real value, then you’re in a good position.

Discord
Discord isn’t just for gamers anymore. It’s now a hub for people with a shared interest to gather and chat. There are no ads, no distractions, just real conversations through voice, video or text.

Fashion brand Cider used its server to ask customers about its plus-size range and shape new products with that feedback. Jack in the Box hosted a virtual comic-con afterparty, complete with Q&As, giveaways and a live performance. This is what a strong community looks like. It’s not opening a discord and calling it done. It’s about meaningful interactions.

How to grow your Discord community:

Offer exclusives - Early access, sneak peeks and exclusive deals make people feel valued. 

Host events - Give people a reason to turn up regularly with Q&As, previews or watch parties.
Reward members - Use badges or roles to shout out your most active voice and encourage others to join in.

Remember, it’s not about how many members you have. A small, active community will always be stronger than a large, silent one.

Reddit 
Reddit is made up of hundreds of thousands active communities, called subreddits, each focused on a shared interest. People on the platform are not interested in being sold to, instead they want authenticity from your brand.

Brands that get it right listen first and talk second. This is important to keep at the forefront of your strategy for growing a community. Ubisoft nailed it by hosting an AMA (ask me anything) for their Assassin’s Creed Shadow game. They engaged, answered questions and built real hype.

How to grow your Reddit community:

Provide value -  Be informative first. Offer valuable insights and tips that genuinely help your audience.

Engage consistently - Answer questions and join discussion in both your own subreddit and related communities. 

Encourage participation - Host AMAs, ask for reviews and invite users to share their own stories. Communities are all about that two-way communication.

No matter what platform you choose, remember this: it’s not hard to start a community. The hard part is growing it and keeping it alive.

Show up. Give people value. Make it easy for them to connect and contribute. When you do that well, you'll build a strong community.