community-led vs. product-led content
should your tiktok marketing team focus on product-driven or community-driven content?
It’s not uncommon for brands to dive into tiktok & believe that their role is to promote and talk about their product or service 24/7... because that’s what we do, right? We promote & sell through social media. ✋Wep, hold your horses. The moment we remove that mentality that our social media needs to be a sales stream right off the rip, is the moment where it will become a lot less stressful. Newsflash: there is another alternative & we’re going to break it down.
SO the million dollar question: how do you know if your team should be focusing on product-driven or community-driven content– AND is it possible to do both? In case you’re wondering, we’re talking about organic social media – not paid media.
Product-led content:
What is it: Product-led content is when you create posts explaining or promoting your offer.
When to use: If you already have an engaged audience, please make sure you’re creating product-driven content. If your business is struggling to differentiate itself from your competitors or you need to create content to give people CLARITY on what your offer is, then great! Let’s crank out some strong product-led content & pin them to profiles, but keep in mind this is likely not going to help you BUILD an audience.
Community-led:
What it is: Community-led content involves keeping your audience’s likes, interests & pain points in the forefront of your narrative. It involves creating content around your niche to bring your ideal customers closer together.
When to use: If you are starting your account or if you simply don’t have an engaged audience, it’s time to start building your community. Keep in mind that consumers want a brand that just gets it. You will have to put in the time and effort to research what that “it” means for your target audience.
What do you need to do to sell on socials?
Let’s start with this, what do you need to successfully sell your products or services on social media? The one thing that everyone needs regardless of their niche or industry…? YUP, you guessed it. The answer is an audience, but to get even more specific… an ENGAGED audience. (We’ve all seen those brands with millions of followers but no engagement – no good to try to sell to people that aren’t even seeing your posts.)
So first and foremost, you need to determine… Do we already have an audience to sell to? If the answer is yes, knock yourself out and sprinkle product-driven content throughout your calendar. If the answer is no… well it’s time we get into community building – but don’t stress! This is the fun part. 👍🏼
Community-building content in 4 quick steps:
The tea is, you need to get people to TRUST your brand BEFORE you start selling.
Step 1: Who are you speaking to? Define your ideal customer for your product or services.
Step 2: How can you help them with your products or services? What is their pain point?
Step 3: What are some topics they might be interested in? Niche down to serve their pain point.
Step 4: Create content where you are providing value for them (whether it’s educational, aspirational, entertainment or any other way you can bring value into their world.)
The most valuable thing you can find in a community is engagement. You want to create a sense of belonging. We have all been there, we love brands that make us feel special & what we love even more is to be a part of something. –– Look at a community as an added bonus to your product or service!
Check out our VCM Tiktok Guide! This is the exact template we use with our agency clients to achieve an engaging, structured, and thoughtful online presence. We hope it helps.
Can you do both?
In an ideal world, there would be a balance of both. Your brand would be selling to an engaged audience WHILE creating content that caters to your community. We want to have the best of BOTH worlds – but there’s two big 🚩red flags to be mindful of:
Trying to sell to a disinterested audience
Building an engaged audience that doesn’t care or know about your offer.
Conclusion:
While all of this information is very useful, there is one very important thing to keep in mind. These are just general tips, marketing strategies are NOT a one-size-fits all. 🙅🏼♀️We do however, want to give you the best info so you can provide some insight for your marketing team.
Key takeaway: If you don't have an engaged audience, the answer is community build. If you already have an engaged audience, go ahead and start selling what you think would serve them. Tread lightly!
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