Building communities = steady paychecks for writers

Make $1,500-$5,000 a month when you help your clients better connect with their customers [The Writer’ s Life]( April 25, 2023 "The biggest communities in which young people now reside are online communities." – Howard Gardner Hi {NAME}, If you spend any time each week on social media, of course you're not alone … 😊 4.74 billion people across the world use social media now. More than half the world's population! That's why more than 90% of companies in the U.S. include social media in their marketing efforts … Their prospects and customers are there … researching, finding solutions, and making buying decisions. In fact, more and more people are making PURCHASES within the apps … creating a "new economy" that will put writers at the center of a $2 trillion boom about to be unleashed around the world! [>> More on that story here.]( But it's not just about "selling" … Prospects on social media are looking for community … for connection … for companies to be actively listening to them. And all of these developments mean companies need more help than ever before. Because it's no longer enough to just "write and post" content on social media … There needs to be more of a rhyme or reason to it all … a sound strategy. One that grabs attention, holds it, and ultimately generates more leads and sales. THIS is what companies are now desperate for … Be that strategist, that visionary planner and community builder, and you could be getting retainer checks of $1,500 … $3,000 … $5,000 or more per month, per client … working from anywhere! And the best part? You can be up and running as a well-paid Social Media Strategist in just five short weeks … [>> Click here to find out how.]( Any serious company that wants to STAY in business in the near future will HAVE to adapt and learn how to do social media the "right" way … So to bring you up to speed on this shift to community-driven social media, Mari Smith is here today to dive deeper into this topic. Mari has her finger on the pulse of what's happening online. She's the "Queen" of Facebook, renowned for her 16 years of social media expertise. She's [certainly the one to learn from]( when it comes to trends and Social Media Strategy! To your success, Rebecca Matter President AWAI CLOSING: Now Accepting New Members Your new life as a well-paid and in-demand writer is just one click away … A life that offers freedom, lots of fun, no more money worries, and so many unique, high-paying writing opportunities. But the clock is ticking … The discounted new-member pricing disappears in a matter of hours! [Get it before midnight tonight!]( We Long to Belong — Why Community Is the Last Great Marketing Strategy By Mari Smith [Happy young diverse friends looking on social media on laptops] There's no question that technology continues to move at warp speed, especially most recently in the area of artificial intelligence, as we all know. This is enough to make most marketers' heads spin. It's really not humanly possible to try and 'keep up' with the rapid evolution, although some marketers will go crazy trying! But what about the consumer? Where are they in this dizzying world of lightning-fast technological changes? Although tech is moving at warp speed, fundamentally human beings have not changed all that much. When it comes to relationships between companies and customers, we as consumers want to know that we matter. We never want to be treated like 'just a number on a list.' We want to feel important and valued by the brand, and like they genuinely care about us. Yet social media, and now AI, is making us more disconnected than ever before in history. What can marketers do to leapfrog the competition in this whirlwind world? The answer is simple: strive to authentically incorporate community-driven marketing into your marketing strategy at every opportunity. Community Is Queen One of the quotes I'm most known for in the world of social media for well over a decade now is, "Content is King but engagement is Queen and she rules the house." However, in the past six months or so, I've changed my tune. You see, with not only organic reach declining, engagement rates are now declining too across most of the major social platforms. Sure, there will always be outliers who manage to achieve wonderfully 'viral hits' with some posts. But, on average, engagement rates are declining. So, what's more important than trying to woo your followers to engage with your every social media post is building a solid community that people feel compelled to join. Hence, I've adjusted my popular quote to the following: "Content is King but community is Queen and she rules the house." [Content Is King Community Is Queen Mari Smith Tweet] Hone These All-Important Soft Skills Hone your soft skills — and those of your entire team — and lean into building community like never before. Soft skills are vital in today's world. Soft skills include deep listening, compassion, empathy, and reading between the lines. Plus, making people's day by using their first name, going the extra mile, solving their problem, and/or paying them an authentic compliment. When you and your team clearly value your customers, prospects, and audience at large, it shows in all that you do online. Add the Personal Touch People don't do business with an office building, a logo, or a company sign. I've always said whether you're in the B2B or B2C sector, it's all P2P: People-to-People. Brands wanting to adopt a community-first strategy should look to humanize, personalize, and customize the interactions with their customers, whether that happens in a private or public forum. Make sure you have real people representing your brand. For example, Canva does a great job with this in Canva Design Community, the company's popular private Facebook group with 300,000 members. Several of the group moderators have their own public Page (not personal profile) in their name, such as 'Charmaine from Canva' and 'Ed from Canva.' These team members are so personable and even post helpful and welcoming videos of themselves on camera in the group. When engaging in public or private social chats, always use people's first names when interacting with your online community. A person's first name is the sweetest-sounding word in their entire vocabulary. It feels more informal and even intimate, in a way, to address people by their first name. Equally, ensure your community managers and moderators also sign off posts and comments with their first name. I see some brands' social media pages where community managers sign off with their initials, but I feel that's very impersonal. Signing off with your first name goes a long way to bridging the digital connection gap and building virtual rapport. Social Media Examiner does a good job with this on their Facebook Page; you always know who's posting and who's commenting from their team. Remember, social media managers and community managers are often the very first point of contact for public-facing communications. Any time you're engaging with someone online, you're the voice, the face, and the name of your brand, even if there are dozens of people on your team. That's where the soft skills of deep listening, compassion, empathy, and understanding come in — people will remember your brand when you use those skills to shape the way you interact with them online. Create a Movement We especially love to belong to communities where our fellow members and the brand have shared values. And, ideally, where the business is making a difference on the planet and pursuing a sustainable mission, if possible. Brands can build long-lasting relationships with customers when there is a single, mission-driven focus where people feel compelled to join. Ideally, you want your prospective community member to say, "There are so many people here that are just like me, I feel like I belong here!" A wonderful example of this is Daybreaker, an organization founded in 2013 by Radha Agrawal that brings people together in iconic locations around the world for morning dance parties (no alcohol is ever served). In 2018, Radha became the bestselling author of Belong: Find Your People, Create Community, and Live a More Connected Life. On a similar note, my longtime friend and colleague Mark W. Schaefer recently published his tenth book, Belonging to the Brand: Why Community is the Last Great Marketing Strategy. Schaefer states, "Every trend is aligning to make NOW the time for a community-based business model that provides both economic and social benefits." And, "Community is good for companies, and it's good for customers. A mountain of research shows how belonging to a brand community enhances a person's self-esteem, self-identity, and pride." Public vs. Private Communities We can think of communities in two categories. There are public communities, such as all the people you engage with publicly on your Facebook business page, Instagram, Twitter, etc. There are no 'walls' around this community and anyone can observe or join in the conversations. Then we have private communities such as closed Facebook groups or LinkedIn groups. Private communities can also easily be housed on third-party platforms that solely focus on all the most powerful community features. These include Mighty Networks (my personal favorite), Tribe, Circle, Hivebrite, Disciple, and many more. We're also seeing a growth in group chat applications. Facebook is really pushing its Community Chat feature inside of groups which is for group members who want to go deeper with certain topic discussions. I would caution against using this feature too liberally, though. Other private community chat forums include Telegram, Discord, or WhatsApp. Lasting Benefits In summary, community-driven marketing can help deepen brand loyalty and trust, which then increases customer retention and customer lifetime value. It can also build word-of-mouth; the happier people are with you and your product, the more likely they are to share their experience with others. Even if a customer is having trouble or something goes wrong, they'll remember the support they received from your company as a valued community member. I believe so passionately in the power of community, I've dedicated an entire module to this topic in my upcoming [Social Media Strategist Certification]( program in partnership with the AWAI. Session #7 of the 10 LIVE sessions will be on how to build a thriving community of people who love you and love to buy from you! Spend just 35 days training with me, and you can be up and running as a well-paid Social Media Strategist, with the skills to be making $1,500 … $3,000 … even $5,000 a month from every client you take on. [Check out ALL the details on my new live training program here.]( I'm totally looking forward to this! What's Hot at AWAI … 💰 [Become a CERTIFIED social media expert with this program!]( 👀 Mark your calendar for a free LIVE training event tomorrow at 3 p.m.: Making Money Writing for Social Media in 2023 (and Beyond!) … Watch this Inside AWAI webinar [here](. 🤓 [Do writers need a social media presence?]( 👉 [How B2B companies use social media and how you can help them do it better.]( 🤩 [Former pastor finds freedom as a copywriter.]( First cold pitch … [Social media post about getting an immediate response to first pitch] Wow! An immediate response on your first pitch … that is indeed a win. Keep us updated on your progress, Brooke! Have your own story to share? Email us at mysuccess@awai.com, or [post it over in the Facebook group](, so we can celebrate your win too! Free Training: Making Money Writing for Social Media in 2023 (and Beyond!) Wednesday, April 26 at 3 p.m. ET 👇 [Access Instructions Here]( Full Access for Just $1!!! This free blueprint shows you how to make $2,500 to $8,000 a month as a writer. And for just a buck, you'll gain access to every resource you'll need to execute that blueprint. All the roadmaps … All the articles … All the how-to videos … All the training webinars … The member forum, the job board, the tutorials, the tools … All of it! [Check It Out Now]( Featured Jobs You can find these jobs and thousands more on [WritersWanted.com](: --------------------------------------------------------------- Freelance Social Media Copywriter — Socialfly Contract, Remote You will be responsible for drafting copy for content across different platforms and channels on social media. The primary focus will be creating copy for social media and social media advertising, contributing to brainstorms, and helping achieve client objectives with great creative work. --------------------------------------------------------------- UX Writer — MyFitnessPal Contract, Remote MyFitnessPal is looking for a UX Writer (Contractor) to join our creative, fast-moving, super-fun Product Design team. Your words will empower people everywhere to engage with our product, content, and community — and feel confident that they, too, can live a happier, healthier life. --------------------------------------------------------------- Digital Marketing Content Writer — Guardian Life Full-time, New York, NY Regularly produce various digital content types; ensuring consistent messaging across all campaign channels (paid media, email, social, content, pre-sales) and audience segmentations. --------------------------------------------------------------- Trouble viewing this email? [View in your browser, here](. For questions or requests: [contact us online](. --------------------------------------------------------------- ©2023 American Writers & Artists Institute Do you know of someone who would benefit from reading The Writer's Life? 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