Organic Social is Dead. Long Live the IRL Community. 

It’s no secret that the traditional media landscape is more fragmented than ever. Where once you could broadcast your messages to a wide audience simply by landing the right TV, radio, or print outlet, today you must chase down your audience across a wide range of channels including streaming services, podcasts, social media platforms, newsletters, and via independent content creators.

Even the recent certainties of the online world no longer hold true. Having been tweaked by social platforms to prioritize revenue-generating content, organic algorithmic reach on social platforms has collapsed 85-95% since 2012. Social marketing is a shadow of its former self.

Where have digital audiences gone?

Meanwhile, audiences are retreating into private spaces such as Slack communities, Discord servers, subreddits, and private newsletters. The “town squares” of X, Instagram and the like, are being traded in for “dark social” sites, locked away from public view. It’s thought that around 84% of content shares now happen off the public grid. 

There are numerous reasons why this is happening. The toxicity of open platforms is one. Feed exhaustion another. But maybe most important is the obvious: people seek meaningful connection with like-minded individuals. Or to put it another way: people crave community. 

How should brands communicate with communities?

For anyone working in communications, this shift in audience behavior presents an opportunity to reach audiences in completely new ways. Sure, the old days of broadcasting messages en masse may have been simpler, but today’s fractured landscape means that we can connect with highly targeted audiences in new and powerful ways, and in places where they’re highly engaged. 

Where once we communicated to a passive audience of hundreds of thousands, now we must curate an audience of ~1,000 highly active people. In practice, that means bearing the following in mind:

1. Change how you measure success. Reach is becoming less important. What matters now is engagement. Campaigns should be measured in terms of posts, comments or member-to-member communications taking place in your community.
2. Content is king. OK, content has always been king. But in today’s world you can’t get away with pumping out promotional materials. Private communities will only engage with brands that offer them truly valuable content – ideally something that they can’t receive anywhere else. Think early access to new products or meetings with key insiders or thought leaders.
3. Give members control. Private spaces cannot be wholly owned by the brand. Give your members a stake in the direction of the community. You could, for instance, involve them in beta testing products, content ideation, or voting on future plans. It’s also important to make your audience feel loved. Highlight their achievements, and showcase their contributions. 
4. Go IRL. Real world events are back with a vengeance. With smaller communities comes the opportunity to meet up for dinner parties, drinks events, and other social engagements in an intimate and highly curated setting. These events can quickly turn your audience into superfans, who will organically amplify your messages through their broader channels and networks. 

How well is your brand prepared for today’s changing media ecosystem? Get in touch and we can chat about some upcoming event strategies to best communicate with your key communities.