๐—–๐—ผ๐—บ๐—บ๐˜‚๐—ป๐—ถ๐˜๐˜† ๐—ถ๐˜€ ๐˜„๐—ต๐—ฎ๐˜ ๐—ฏ๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ฑ๐˜€ ๐˜†๐—ผ๐˜‚๐—ฟ ๐—บ๐—ฎ๐—ฟ๐—ธ๐—ฒ๐˜๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ด ๐˜๐—ผ๐—ด๐—ฒ๐˜๐—ต๐—ฒ๐—ฟโ€”๐—ฏ๐˜‚๐˜ ๐˜„๐—ต๐—ฎ๐˜ ๐—ฎ๐—ฐ๐˜๐˜‚๐—ฎ๐—น๐—น๐˜† ๐—ถ๐˜€ ๐—ถ๐˜?

The nature of engagement (a more refined way of thinking about your marketing) means you are operating within a community. Let me explainโ€ฆ

Now, what does community mean?

Well, most people think of it in terms of geography but the reality is: the geography is largely irrelevant particularly in the more global approach to business these days. You do not need to be limited by where you’re physically located.

Think about the idea of the old corner store. It doesn’t really exist anymore because that convenience factor is now taken up by internet shopping and by copious amounts of supermarkets that are located all over the place, not to mention your petrol stations that are doubling up in the same capacity.

People are no longer loyal as a general rule, just because you are located nearby. It is so easy to order or travel, price and quality play a much greater role these days.

A true community is not based on just one or two common interests. Just because we follow the same team, does not make us a community. We might share a passion, but there has to be more to it.

So if community is not simply about geography or a common interest, what is it?

It starts with a shared purpose. You then have to share values that govern the way you go about achieving your purpose. If you want to engage the ideal audience, this is critical.

If you don’t have a shared purpose in mind, then chances are you are not creating an emotional bond with your potential clients.

Emotion bonds are the key to successful engagement. Itโ€™s worth reminding here, 90% of our decision-making is emotional and the remaining 10% is justifying it.

Why is community important? Canโ€™t you just sell to anyone?

You can sell to anyone, but not only is it harder, but you also end up with a lot of clients you would in a perfect world say goodbye to.

What percentage of those are in your business right now?

When you belong to a community, people have a much greater reason to engage and ultimately buy. Community is also the key to business owner joy because by nature you are dealing with more of the people you love.

Think about the true communities you belong to and the depth of those emotional ties.

Are you sending the right messages out to engage with the community that will be the key to your success?