ICYMI: Are Brands Invited to the Group Chat?
14 examples of brand-led communities
Hello 👋🏼 Today’s ICYMI has all the social marketing news and trends you need but also an exploration of brand-led communities. I’ve been talking about this for a while and saw a recent LinkedIn post from marketer Cristina Lopez on the same subject. So I asked her to collab on a recap looking at which brands are embracing the shift from public to private spaces. If you like it, I usually do these deep dives as an exclusive for paid newsletter subscribers!
⏰ 1-SECOND SUMMARY
14 examples of brand-led communities
3 B2B community tips for fostering meaningful connections
TikTok’s testing 30-minute video uploads
Barbie’s new book cover is social-first design at its best
LTK Report: 71% of Gen Z and Millennials are more likely to try a brand or product after seeing a Creator post
Poll: Should brands on LinkedIn use more memes?
💻 ROADMAP
📲 Meta Updates
Adam Mosseri announced Instagram is testing Notes prompts as “a new way for people to create a note that prompts others to respond.”
Instagram is testing a new feature called Flipside. It's a private, friends-only feed that’s been spotted in the wild.
I wrote a mini tutorial for turning OFF Instagram Read Receipts because settings aren’t consistent and it took me forever to figure out how to do it on my account: Step by step here!
Threads may be close to launching draft-saving for posts. Or at the very least Mosseri wants you to polish those drafts and “share better stuff.”
📲 TikTok Updates
TikTok launched dynamic text size options as part of their accessibility efforts. Settings —> Accessibility —> Text Size.
A screenshot revealed TikTok is testing 30 minute video uploads. While it’s not widely available yet, it could be an interesting option for creators or publishers with a library of long-form content to be repurposed.
But here’s why I think it’s not likely to disrupt YouTube any time soon: for something to work on a platform you need buy-in from audiences who want to watch; creators who want to produce content; brands who will advertise against the format; and full platform support and promotion. Unless TikTok commits to a rev share model with creators, there’s no incentive for long-form creators to prioritize TikTok over YouTube.
Despite the recent headlines, TikTok’s auto scroll option it still in test mode and not widely available.
📲 LinkedIn Updates
LinkedIn announced new guidelines for multi-image posts going into effect February 1st. Click here for examples of layout formats. And no this won’t impact uploading PDF documents, unless they’re individually uploaded as images.
📲 AI Updates
I don’t know that I’ll incorporate this as a breakout every week but there were a few interesting updates for social marketers:
Byte Dance is working on text-to-video generation with a project called MagicVideo-V2. It’s in beta but examples are on GitHub.
Google revealed its video editing and generation project, Lumiere. It’s in beta but demos are on Github.
Google released Art Selfie 2 — generative AI that turns your selfies into stylized photos based on famous artists or art movements.
Are Brands Invited to the Group Chat?
In 2024, it’s all about private spaces over public feeds.
Instagram head Adam Mosseri’s been pointing out this behavioral shift from posting to the Feed to sharing in Stories and DMs for months. And there’s no shortage of other experts pointing out the benefits of group chats and community forums to develop more supportive and authentic connections.
By and large, these collaborative spaces are being created and curated by individuals — creators or influencers looking for a direct line to friends or followers who share a connection.
Of course, as the digital trend accelerates, brands have wanted to jump on board. But there are some extra considerations when you're launching a brand-led, private community.
Some of the challenges brands face: Can a company host a successful private community; spark authentic two-way connections; and show up as more than just a corporate logo?
After all, we’re aiming for positive community engagement, not luring members into a sales pitch they can’t escape.
Let’s dig into the brands that seem to have cracked the community code:
Community as a loyalty program:
Rachel Karten tackled the topic in a recent newsletter featuring Topicals Spottie Sphere on Try Your Best (TYB). At 9,500 members strong, the community ranges from self-described brand enthusiasts to official brand ambassadors and skincare industry pros. Described as “friends with benefits,” members participate in engagement challenges and are rewarded with early access to product launches, discounts, exclusive access to events, and more perks.
Takeaway: Be clear about your expectations for the group. You really need to decide on the direction you want the community conversation to take. Will it focus entirely around your product or service (this is easier if you’re a cult or niche brand), or is it tied to shared goals and interests? Your choice of platform can also help reinforce the conversation you want to host. For example, TYB markets itself as a community platform for brands and fans, versus social networks like Discord, Reddit or WhatsApp which might encourage more freewheeling discussion.
Community for the B2B crowd:
Aspire, an influencer marketing platform, hosts a Slack channel called The Coffee Shop run by consultant and community enthusiast Ryan Gutierrez. The group offers connection and conversation for 2500+ professionals in the influencer marketing space. Gutierrez is something of an expert in communities, having just launched another Slack channel for tvScientific called TVRoom for performance marketers looking to talk about performance CTV trends with peers. (More tips from Ryan below!)
Takeaway: Make it easy for people to join. There’s something to be said for choosing a platform that you as the group admin and potential members are already familiar with. After all, it’s likely marketers looking to expand their network and grow their capabilities are already participating and engaging on Slack during business hours. “These Slack spaces serve as an educational channel that caters to individuals like me, who thrive on collaborative project work and value real-time, actionable insights,” says Gutierrez.
Community linked by common interests:
The Official Peloton Mom Group on Facebook is an official brand group but this community has gone off the rails in the best possible way. While the brand keeps the group up to date on Peloton announcements and features, it takes a hands-off approach to the day-to-day conversation. Member posts range from vacation destinations and home renovations to family drama and life advice. “Off topic” posts are the main topic of conversation for members with a shared value system.
Takeaway: Encourage genuine member connections — with guardrails. Sparking conversation between community members is the dream. A true community is not a passive audience, waiting for you to post. It’s a group of people who are connected together over a shared purpose or set of challenges. But even the most hands-off brands need to establish some guardrails. The Peloton Mom Group has guidelines — enforced by moderators — to foster a supportive, positive and safe experience for everyone, no matter what they’re posting about.
Community as an organic extension of brand fandom:
Brands might not need to create something new if they can tap into already existing communities on platforms like Fortnite, Roblox or Reddit. We’re seeing L’Oreal stream their fashion shows on Roblox (no need for a passport). Starbucks employees and fans trade coffee talk in the unofficial SBUX Hub Discord server with a gated area for verified staffers. There’s even a Taco Bell Reddit community (not owned by the brand, just run by fans) called Living Mas boasting 41K fans sharing about their favorite fast food joint.
Takeaway: Tap into pre-existing communities. You don't necessarily need to start from scratch. If a supportive community already exists, join in. The brand’s involvement can range from observational — this is an amazing chance to get into the mindset of your customers and potential customer — to active member. If your involvement seems welcome, this is your chance to collaborate on projects with people invested in the success of this community.
Community that’s creator or founder-led:
In the same vein, a founder-led community or hub makes sense if you’ve got a highly visible person at the helm that people naturally gravitate toward. Look at Selena Gomez with Rare Beauty; Emma Chamberlain with Chamberlain Coffee; Kirbie Johnson and Sara Tan, who have a Facebook group for their podcast Gloss Angeles; and actress Ally Maki who created Asian American Girl Club, an online space for Asian American women.
Takeaway: A notable founder can significantly boost interest in a community. But the real work comes after people have opted into a private group. It's about building upon real connections between the audience and the brand; understanding members’ likes, needs, and dislikes; and making people feel seen and heard. Everyone wants to feel special. This two-way interaction not only adds value, but helps produce a responsive, engaged community.
👀 More Brand Communities to Watch:
Rare Beauty recently debuted the Comfort Club, a digital oasis dedicated to self-care, in addition to their TYB community. Their “comfort” hub aims to provide exclusive content to the community
Coachella has a Discord server for attendees to come together and discuss/plan for the upcoming festival, and take part in exclusive events like artist AMAs
The Leaf Rakers Society is an exclusive Facebook group created by Starbucks, made for the PSL and autumn enthusiasts
Wendy's has mastered the art of engaging Gen Z and Alpha on Discord. Their chatbot is interactive and downright hilarious, sparking conversations and keeping the room lively and fun
Canva runs a Facebook group for over 375K members who love “anything and everything” about the brand. It includes updates from the Canva team and design support from the community.
Do you lead a private brand community or know a company that’s crushing it? Leave their name in the comments below!
⚡️ 🧠 Ryan Gutierrez’s B2B Community Pro Tips
Ryan Gutierrez, who calls himself Chief Sharing Officer, acts as a community steward. As he sees it, his role is creating networking and growth opportunities for members in his groups. Here are some more mindset tips Gutierrez suggests for fostering meaningful connections:
Community gives professionals a safe space to learn from peers. We aim to support learning one new thing and meeting one new person at minimum.
Before launching a community, we engage in testing and learning to understand members' wants and needs, evolving the space to tailor it for valuable community exchanges.
As a member of the community, you just have to be willing to participate with vulnerability and give, give, give, without any expectation for return.
📚 Want to dig even deeper? Read more:
Tired of Trolls? Here's Why Creators and Businesses Are Doubling Down on Private Online Communities -Entrepreneur
Read This Before Starting a Brand Community -Link In Bio
Getting Brand Communities Right -Harvard Business Review
- Lia Haberman and Cristina Lopez
📊 POLL: LINKEDIN LOL
As part of the social predictions I shared with Buffer’s Tamilore Oladipo, I wrote about how we’re seeing brands show up on LinkedIn in ways that are funnier, more conversational and less corporate than before. People on that platform seemed universally in favor of LinkedIn LOLs but I’m curious what you think?
📸 RESPECT THE FLAT LAY
Let’s pause for a second to appreciate how the cover of Barbie: The World Tour book from Rizzoli is a stellar example of social-first design. I see a lot of people talking about video being social-first, but even short-form vertical video can get it wrong if it’s shot legacy media style.
The format of this book cover (and its social post) is clearly an homage to flat lays — an image of arranged items shot from above. It’s a particularly popular way to share food and fashion photography on Instagram.
The way Barbie and Rizzoli released the book cover as a three-way collab on Instagram (with the BarbieStyle account) that simultaneously honors the brand’s embrace of fashion with a method of expression that’s truly authentic to fashion creators and also manages to capture how a doll would naturally lie flat… The whole thing is perfection.
🎙️ QUOTE OF THE WEEK
"A crisis will percolate and explode in a TikTok world. I tell my clients, do not respond where the algorithm is. Go someplace else"
-Crisis communications expert Molly McPherson quoted in Axios on why TikTok was not the best place for Kyte Baby CEO Ying Liu to offer an apology after a major blunder
👀 IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
TikTok is now the second most popular source of entertainment for Gen Z, close behind Netflix, according to a YPulse Survey -YPulse
Following layoffs at YouTube, Twitch, Discord and Instagram, now it’s TikTok’s turn -NPR
A leaked email from YouTube to Shorts creators reveals stricter rules for its invite-only support program -Business Insider
BeReal is now onboarding “RealBrands” and celebs as “RealPeople,” -TechCrunch
Find me on the memories page of The Brand Yearbook from Sara Wilson and Michelle Goad where I share my most under-appreciated brand moment of 2023 — plus see the brands most likely to have impact on Gen-Z in 2024 -The Brand Yearbook
MrBeast is in talks for a $100M reality-competition show with Amazon‘s Prime Video (it’s possible he manifested this last June) -Variety
MrBeast made $250,000 off the video he uploaded to Twitter and later tweeted he would give the money away. Journalist Ryan Brodrick explains why you probably won’t see the same results -Garbage Day
MrBeast is now going after the Chinese market, posting on BiliBili -TubeFilter
[Yes, it’s a lot of MrBeast today but he’s like the canary in the creator coal mine so it’s always interesting to see what could impact others in the future.]
Amazon is back at it — offering creators $500 for 100 videos. Yeah, that’s not a typo -@thekachetlife, Threads
Florida House passes bill banning children under 16 from social media -AOL
President Biden’s reelection campaign is hiring a director of digital partnerships to work with creators to “amplify Joe Biden’s message and reach key voting blocs” -The Information
Can an influencer make it in Hollywood — and why bother? *with a quote from me -KCRW
“How ‘the Andy Cohen of the 9-month cruise’ took over TikTok” My quote made the title of this WaPo piece -The Washington Post
70% of Gen Z and Millenials report a higher likelihood of exploring brands or products after engaging with creator content -LTK Creator Journey 2024 Shopping Trends Report
Thanks for reading! And thank you to ICYMI community members Lindsay Calabrese, Danielle Wiley, AJ Feuerman, Andrew Curry and Nick Cicero for your input this week!