Communities are groups of people who share a common interest and want to connect. To do this, they need to feel safe and comfortable sharing personal experiences, feelings, interests and opinions.
Community-building takes time and effort. It involves creating opportunities for people to engage in discussions about topics that matter to them, helping them feel like they belong by acknowledging their contributions, providing support when needed, especially during difficult times, recognizing individual achievements, offering networking opportunities, and so much more!
The relationships
The difference between an audience and a community is also evident in how people engage with each other online. Audiences often exist on a one-way street, where they consume content without engaging with it or sharing their thoughts or reactions. On the other hand, communities are two-way streets with back-and-forth communication between members who participate in discussions and offer feedback on posts they like or don’t like.
Direction of communication
Another critical difference between audiences and communities is the direction of communication within them. Audiences often follow a top-down approach where companies provide information about themselves through their websites, blogs or social media profiles. Still, they need to receive feedback on what kind of content users find useful or valuable from these sources. In contrast, communities tend to operate more like bottom-up networks where information flows freely from member to member rather than being directed from above by any single person or organization.
Equality of voices
In an audience, everyone has an equal share in the conversation; they can all speak their mind and air their grievances. A community is like a family, where individuals have different roles and responsibilities. Everyone has something to offer, but only some get to make all the decisions.
Relationship-building opportunities
A community is a place where people can build relationships with one another through discussion, sharing and collaboration. In an audience, members don’t necessarily know each other or interact on a personal level outside of their online comments or votes on content.
Goals and targets
An audience is a group of people with a common interest in your brand or business. They aim to engage with your content to learn more about your product or service.
A community is a group of people with shared interests whose goal is to explore these interests together through conversation. In other words, the members of an online community want to connect with other like-minded individuals rather than consume information about your products or services.
Communication channels
An audience is usually large and spread out over different communication channels. For example, a brand might have an email list of thousands of subscribers, but those people don’t necessarily interact with each other or with the brand itself; they’re just there to hear about new products and promotions.
On the other hand, a community is smaller in size but more connected through various platforms like Facebook groups or live events where they can interact with each other and the brand itself. Community members are often more interested in building relationships than just consuming information.
Conclusion
Targeting your content to a community is just as important as choosing the right platform. An audience would focus on getting your point across, while a community would focus more on them listening to and understanding you. If you think of your platform as a community, you will likely begin to create more helpful content that connects with that community and thus results in more engagement.
