The secret to building a £100M+ brand in 2024? Community over clout. Would you rather have 100K engaged fans or 1M passive followers? As the owner of a talent agency, I can tell you the person with 100K is earning significantly more money than the person with 1M. Here's what smart business owners are doing when it comes to community: ★ REFY (Jess Hunt) ↳ Brand trips? They picked loyal customers over paid creators. ↳ REFY gained loads of press for doing so. ↳ Has open applications on their website for PR & events at REFY HQ. ★ Chris Donnelly: ↳ Built a massive personal brand and core community, in 18 months. ↳ Strategy: Share high value every time - and for FREE. ↳ He has created tools based on genuine audience needs. ↳ Has gone deep on community over just brand deals, with ventures like his Creator Accelerator. ★ Melissa's Wardrobe: ↳ Mel makes aspiration accessible, she is the people's princess. ↳ Brings followers behind the scenes with A-list clients like Stormzy. ↳ Turned a blueberry matcha obsession into and iconic Blank Street Partnership. ↳ Maximised community excitement with IRL events. ★ Trinny London (Trinny Woodall): ↳ Built complete trust on social with one sentence: "Only post what I love - no commercial deals". ↳ Built a beauty brand that serves an overlooked demographic. ↳ Hosts global masterclasses better serving that core community. ↳ Transparent about everything - from products to process. The Pattern? Build for your people, not for the algorithm. What I've Learned: ★ Community > Followers ★ Trust > Transactions ★ Long-term loyalty > Quick wins What communities are you part of at the moment? Who is doing it right? Let me know in the comments 👇 ------ ➕ Follow Aphra Kennedy Fletcher for more on creativity, media, and business. ♾️ Repost if this would be useful to your network.
A community of likeminded and motivated people will always be a huge asset. Thanks for sharing Aphra - love the examples and success stories here.
I’d take 10 real friends over 1M fake ones any day. The same is true for an engaged and trusted community. Quality > quantity.
Aphra You’ve brought some powerful insights here! The contrast between engaged fans and passive followers is so important. I love how Melissa’s Wardrobe showcases authenticity by bringing her community behind the scenes. That’s what people crave—a sense of belonging and insight into the brand's journey.
Such an inspiring post, Aphra Kennedy Fletcher! 🌟 Building a community over chasing follower counts is absolutely where sustainable growth lies. The examples you shared show that when brands invest in real relationships with their audiences, they create lasting loyalty that no algorithm tweak can shake.
Indeed. Prioritizing community over clout really shifts the focus to meaningful connections and genuine engagement. Aphra Kennedy
Absolutely love this perspective Aphra! Building a brand rooted in community truly makes all the difference.
Building a community is the long-term play with huge upside. The environment you’re building around your brand is the moat that keeps everyone coming back. Plus, it becomes part of your brand as well.
Building community is key, like how homepreneurs use personal chats to boost D2C brand sales, leveraging community power to lower customer acquisition costs.
4x Founder | Generalist | Goal - Inspire 1M everyday people to start their biz | Always building… having the most fun.
1moLong-term loyalty always trumps quick wins.