When your audience feels seen, heard, and valued, they’ll keep coming back.
We believe true connection comes from creating spaces where your community can gather, share, and support each other.
Whether you’re an artist or nonprofit, the goal is to foster relationships based on shared values. When you focus on connecting with people on a deeper level, you create lasting bonds that go beyond just engagement.
Instead of focusing solely on numbers or what you’re offering, make room for your audience to engage with each other (!!!) Build a space where conversations can flow, ideas can be shared, and new relationships can form.
Creating a community isn’t about one-way interactions… it’s about building a *real* sense of belonging.
There’s a reason we call our social media activity “community engagement.”
When your audience feels seen, heard, and valued, they’ll keep coming back, not because they have to, but because they want to. 😉
Let’s talk about how to build a community with your marketing.
- Encourage conversation: Instead of just broadcasting updates, ask questions, invite opinions, or create content designed for discussion.
- Spotlight your audience: Share user-generated content, feature testimonials, or highlight members of your community to make them feel valued.
- Facilitate connections: Host Q&As, go live, or create spaces (comments, DMs, Close Friends, groups) where people can interact naturally.
- Think beyond the algorithm: Engagement isn’t just likes and shares. It’s how people feel when they interact with your brand and whether they stick around.
Check out these examples from our clients!
Manhattan Birth
This post of comedian Ali Wong getting real about breastfeeding on Manhattan Birth’s social is a great example of storytelling that resonates deeply and gets people talking.
It has lots of shares, so we can assume conversations are happening in DMs!
Liz Lerman
Liz’s reflection after the Democratic National Convention was a personal, timely post.
It led to real conversations in comments and DMs… so much so that it even landed her an NPR interview on the topic!
Dance Education Laboratory (DEL)
DEL often shares meaningful quotes from their course participants’ exit surveys.
This is a great example of “user-generated content” that doesn’t require much effort from the “user” themselves. They already filled out the survey with their honest thoughts—you’re just sharing them out!
Jacob’s Pillow
An example of true user-generated content: we asked a dancer in The School at Jacob’s Pillow to take us through a day in the life!
Audiences love to go behind-the-scenes. It helps them feel close to your organization—included even from afar.
Dance/USA
When Dance/USA announced the finalists of their Fellowships to Artists program, the post got tons of uplifting engagement.
There were fifty finalists, so lots of people were celebrating each other by resharing the post and commenting!
Christopher Duggan Photography
By getting on camera and sharing the story of his twenty-two year career, Christopher Duggan created a moment of nostalgia that resonated deeply with his community.
His heartfelt reflection sparked an outpouring of love from clients and colleagues, who shared their appreciation for his work in the comments and DMs.