Why digital communities are key to success in the digital world

The opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not reflect the views of Rolling Stone’s editors or publishers.
Interaction through social networks is one of the phenomena that most attract the attention of those who analyze the behavior of digital communities, approaching the concept of netography. Netography, or virtual ethnography, uses this social studies methodology to understand how people interact with their communities on social media. From music to entertainment, celebrities are a great case for exploring how essential digital communities are to succeeding in the social media sphere.
Therefore, analyzing the strengths of digital conversation engines and performing analytics focused on specific communities allows for deeper results and metrics for those interested in understanding the behavior of each community.
As it happens, my company managed to dive into the secrets of how the most followed art and entertainment personalities on social media in 2021 interact to understand what keeps them relevant on a daily basis. Based on a ranking conducted by The Visual Capitalist from May 2021 and the brandwatch tool, we analyzed what is behind the conversations of influencers with the most followers on Instagram. Among them, Cristiano Ronaldo (517 million Instagram followers), Justin Bieber (455 million Instagram followers) and Ariana Grande (429 million Instagram followers) stand out.
Among the three of them, there is a similar trend regarding conversation on social networks: we found that their highest peak of mentions was reached when they were successful in their different fields or communicated milestones in their personal lives. In the case of Cristiano Ronaldo, it happened after his announcement at Manchester United. For Justin Bieber, it was after announcing his collaboration with WizKid in the “Essence” remix. Finally, in the case of Ariana Grande, the greatest number of comments was recorded after the announcement of her secret marriage to luxury real estate agent Dalton Gomez.
Other celebrities who topped the follower count are Tayler Swift (361 million Instagram followers). Her highest conversation peak was when she released the re-recorded version of her album Red. Within the list, the presence of Rihanna stands out (322 million followers on Twitter) with one of the highest peaks of mentions related to the support for protests generated by the new agricultural legislation in India.
This analysis reveals to what extent the concept of community is an essential support for digital success. Thus, the secret of the success of influencers, celebrities and brands in their social networks is linked to the creation of virtual communities able to interact with passion with the conversation of the brand and even to take it to other social networks. and the physical world. My main advice for success? Cultivate an active and loyal community.
Remember that entering a digital community requires understanding your brand’s needs and goals so that, based on these guidelines, you can select the appropriate digital platform in which – as a leader of brand – you can build a company that goes beyond a few likes or retweets. Regardless of the type of market, you should be able to create a universal community that speaks for your brand.
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Here are some key points for creating or rebuilding online communities:
• Create the profile of your ideal follower.
• Find something in common.
• Offer something of value.
• Listen to your community.
• Focus on solutions and speak humanly.
These steps can help create thriving digital communities that align with your brand’s purpose.
Remember what I shared before – the highest peak in celebrity mentions was usually achieved when they were successful in their various fields or communicated milestones in their personal lives. So how can brands replicate this kind of engagement with their digital communities?
Easily: Share your goals and achievements with your communities, celebrate them with your communities, communicate them and integrate them into your achievements. The most active online communities are not always the ones with the most followers, but the ones that share, receive and engage with the most quality content.
The important thing is to apply the basic principles. When a project or brand has an active community supporting it, it’s more likely to gain a foothold within its industry quickly.