Not every brand has a community nor can every brand have one. You can’t build community without grasping fandom first. It lives where utility, emotion, and identity collide. The work isn’t to “build community.” That’s far too vague. Rather, it’s to understand your gravity, what truly pulls people in and what keeps them there. Social listening allows you to understand brand sentiment and act accordingly. This affinity diagram is the motivational terrain that explains why people gather around certain brands and not others. Marketing alone can’t create that pull. Affinity depends deeply on utility: a product that genuinely delivers…or at the very least feels like it does. Powerful online communities form when emotion, identity, and real utility line up, giving people a reason to stay involved. Duolingo’s social strategy proved it. Users bonded over the grind of learning, the pride of progress, and a shared meme culture - all without the brand intentionally trying to build a fandom. So where to start? Audience insight is the compass. It shows where you stand and what gravity you still need to earn. Steal my diagram from Hootsuite's LinkedIn: https://lnkd.in/gAe4Y4V9 #HootsuitePartner
Exactly You can’t engineer fandom you can only create the conditions where it naturally forms
This was exactly the conversation we had today at Bekir Capar's group this afternoon. My point was that sometimes all you need is something that delivers the right information quickly. As someone who is very square, I like to tie everything to conversion, and sometimes utility content brings that more than emotional content. But I do see how emotional content is needed if you want to build your brand long-term.
This is so on point, you can't just "build a community". There's a real power when it comes to social listening to look at your audience data and where the sentiment comes from. This diagram is key for marketers who need to know where their brand currently is, and to build a community from there! Thanks Zaria 👏
understand your gravity 🫶
This is such a helpful way to think about why some brands naturally attract a devoted base. Understanding where your ‘pull’ actually comes from feels like the real starting point for community building.
I love the visual relevance of "gathering around a brand". It feels like a coming together - by choice - because of all three of your fandom indicators.
Had to switch between the hootsuite version and your sketch, but now I get it. Very nice indeed.
As always, genius insights from Zaria. 💞
The goal isn't to "build community." That's too vague for a goal if you want to grow as a brand. Look for what pulls people in and keeps them there. Then build your marketing around that. Thanks for this, Zaria Parvez🤭❤️ I'm really learning from the best.