Cultivating A Heart-Core Community

How are you focusing on cultivating community around the your work and passion projects?

As a community builder and manager, it is important to me to focus on showing up for my community. That may include showing the good, the not-so-good and the growing pains. Recently I joined a great group of live-broadcasters to shares ways we are cultivating community and creating a heart-core following through our live-streaming channel on Periscope.

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Showing Up For Your Community

In order to create a heart-core community, you must have sincerity. If you’re selling or saying something because you want to get sales or followers, your community will know.

Watch the original Periscope broadcast here

Talk about what THEY want to hear. Often as content creators, we create editorial calendars and have a game plan in place for our outlets. However, it is important to stay in touch with your community and provide them with the information that they need. It is essential that you are showing up for them, engaging them and cultivating relationships.

Show up consistently. As you show up, your community will grow. You will gain confidence and be able to hone in your messaging.

Support your followers. Show up for them as you would like for them to show up for you – especially if you’re building a community on a social media platform.

Connecting With Your Audience

Connecting with your audience is key. If you are live streaming, it is important to converse with your audience and respond to their questions and inquiries. Sometimes you need to set aside time constraints and pre-planned topics and go with the flow.

Watch Nena Mahlum’s original Periscope broadcast here

Get involved with a community to assist and support you with your business goals. For example, the women of The PeriGirls community are committed to helping others share their voice on Periscope and other live-streaming communities. This, also, allows you to extend your reach via social media by tapping into the community of your community.

It’s, also, important to be passionate about what you’re bringing to your community. If you are absolutely in love with what you do, it will come across in your words and actions. Being genuinely interested in helping others is a key component of building a heart-core community.

Content Deepens Your Connection

Content is key. Typically your content will consist of the things that have happened in your life that helped you to grow and stretch. Sharing this with your community allows you to connect with them on a deeper level and develop a trust factor with them.

Watch Dorissa E.M. Carnell’s original Periscope broadcast here

Be open for correction within your community. As your community builds trust in you, they will feel confident with letting you know when you have dropped the ball – and that’s okay. Knowing when to accept that correction and owning up to your mistakes will deepen the connection you have with your community.

Connect with your tribe regularly to show that you care. Once you set a schedule, stick to it. Your heart-core community will know when to expect you and anticipate you showing up for them.

Cultivating Community Helps You Find Your Voice

You have to be yourself and find your voice. Your community does not want to hear you regurgitating what others say. They want and need you to be true to yourself, authentic, vulnerable and transparent. Even as a business owner that’s focused on increasing sales, it’s important to have your community connect with you, the person.

Watch Heather Weber’s original Periscope broadcast here

Engage with your audience – talk and connect with them. That is how you authentically grow your community. Hands down, it is important to share from your heart and be there for your community when focused on creating a heart-core following.