More and more, we are finding that people are shaping parts of their identities by their interests and their passions, which are more often than not tied directly to what they consume. As such, the potential for brand loyalty (and all of the advantages that can bring to your business) is higher than ever. To capitalize on it, business owners should be thinking about how they can make their customers more than just customers. Here, we’re going to look at how you can bring them together as a community.

First of all, you have to make sure that you have built the business that your customers are going to be happy to come and gather themselves around. This means that you need to focus on building customer loyalty by making sure that each customer has the maximum chance of being satisfied. This might mean building great support structures within the business, taking the time to best understand your customer needs and how to fulfill them, as well as giving a little “extra” such as delivering surprise rewards or reaching out directly from time to time.

The easiest way to start getting actively and visibly engaged with your customers is through social media. You need to keep your finger on the pulse of your market, which means you have to stoke interest in talking about and around your brand and products or services, too. This can include running giveaways, asking for feedback publicly, and also running campaigns that encourage people to create content related to the brand. You have to whip up interest around the brand and stay involved and active in talking to those who are active on your brand’s social media pages to start forming those community bonds.

The first thing that you have to do is make sure that you’re not putting all of the heavy lifting on the part of the customers. If you’re starting to build a good buzz with the tips above, then you need to make that you’re the one who is making an effort to capitalize on it. As such, you should start by building the community within your own team. Make sure that your team is invested in and motivated by the idea of bettering the company and the relationship you have with your customers. Investing in them with good pay, perks, and development is a good way to make sure that happens, but they also have to be aligned in terms of objectives and culture. Then start looking at those that you can turn into brand ambassadors, who will put in the extra work of directly engaging that community.

It might not be the best solution for every type of business, but there are many who can benefit from creating their own community space. If you have a subset of fans who are interested in your products enough to talk about it on a regular basis, create and manage your community online so that they have a place to come. If your product or service is technical in any way, it can be a great place for them to find support as users, for instance. If it’s a lifestyle product, it can be a great place for them to show how they style it or maximize its value for them.

There is no point of building a brand community that you can decide that you are “done,” and you can simply leave them to continue building what you have started. You have to be there to foster your community environment. People greatly appreciate when the decision-makers behind the brands that they care about are as invested in their community and user base as they, the consumers, are. To that end, you can use tools like social media management apps to make sure that you’re always following the conversations in the community and that you never miss the opportunity to be heard when you need to and to keep that community thriving with your guidance.

A community that is built around your business is going to continue fostering interest and repeat purchases. It’s also going to be more able and willing to provide feedback that helps you maintain the core of your business while expanding. Lastly, it offers great social proof from those outside the community looking in. Take the time to see if you can build a community for your business.