How to Build a Strong Online Community in 2025: Tips from SocialEast Speakers

In digital marketing, and in real life, building a thriving community is one of the most important factors to brand and business survival. It’s no secret that a strong online community creates ambassadors, cements loyalty, and makes your brand feel authentic.

That’s the spirit behind SocialEast, part of the national SocialNext conference series and the largest marketing event in Atlantic Canada since 2019. As one of five regional conferences across the country, SocialEast brings together marketers from nonprofits, agencies, public institutions, and tech companies to share ideas, get tactical, and grow together as a community. It’s more than a conference. It’s a touchpoint in a national movement of marketers helping each other stay sharp, stay connected, and stay human.

To launch this year’s event in Halifax, we asked four featured speakers and partners to share their top (secret) tips for strengthening and sustaining a brand or business’s online community, the kind that drives engagement online and connection offline. Here’s what they told us.

1. MAKE IT EASY FOR YOUR COMMUNITY TO DO THE WORK FOR YOU

“In a survey from earlier this year, we learned that only 40% of SMMs were confident that their social media goals aligned with their business goals.” shares Lysle Hood, Product Marketing Manager at HeyOrca!, a social media management platform with built-in community management. How do you fix this? “Shift the conversation to community.” To do that, prioritize tools, strategies, and conversations that reach your users and customers easily and consistently. HeyOrca! says within teams that have shifted to community:

• 31.7% report higher engagement
• 29.7% report increased brand advocacy
• 24.8% report stronger customer relationships, and
• 13.7% report more user-generated content.

2. YOUR SOCIAL FEED ISN’T YOUR COMMUNITY; IT’S THE INVITATION TO ONE

“Stop thinking of social as the destination,” says Brooke Hahn, GM of social media aggregator Flockler. While your posts grab audience attention, “your product, service, and experience build the relationship.” Once your brand has established a following, “celebrate contributors, don’t just repost them. Most brands skip this step and it’s their biggest mistake.” Flockler believes co-creation is one of the most crucial aspects of sustaining an online community.

Earlier this year, for example, the My Starbucks Idea program turned customer feedback into consumer-created product innovation. “When you genuinely celebrate someone publicly, they become emotionally invested in your success. Celebrated customers become lifelong advocates, and the best communities don’t just consume content, they shape it.” Use collaborative posts, customer spotlights, and user-driven content to build your community. “Co-creation makes brands unstoppable.”

3. KEEP IT REAL

With growing caution and skepticism towards AI-generated content (Trump deep fakes, anyone?), audiences want to know that content in their feeds is real.

“We’re seeing a shift towards shorter, more authentic, and context-aware content,” says Differo’s Will Yang. Brands should be prioritizing content that feels conversational and less staged. And while AI shouldn’t be generating your content, exploring AI tools can “speed up mockups and help creators focus on strategy and storytelling.” Yang recommends that brands experiment with “pocket content” to remove barriers between an idea and the audience: “A quick video, a behind-the-scenes photo, or even a voice note can spark engagement.”

Remember, you’re marketing to people just like you, and authentic content online creates engaged communities IRL. “When you capture and share in the moment, it doesn’t need to be perfect – it needs to feel real, and that authenticity builds trust and connection.”

4. GIVE RESPECT = GET RESPECT

Building and sustaining your online community isn’t just viewers hitting that like and subscribe button, “It’s about building lasting relationships with audiences who feel valued, included, and secure,” says Geoffrey Blanc, General Manager of Cyberimpact. The powerful Quebec-based marketing software platform generates consumer trust and creates long-term consumer relationships by following these community principles:

1. Consistency – Maintain regular, predictable communication so members know when to expect you.
2. Value-First Approach – Share educational content, tips, or resources. Don’t just sell.
3. Interactive Strategies – Invite feedback, run Q&As, or highlight member success stories.
4. Trends – Embrace micro-personalization (speaking to niches inside your list) and leverage automation for community “touchpoints” that feel human.

Stay Community-Minded

As we launch into SocialEast today, keep these strategies in mind to build your community. Remember to keep it real both online and IRL. “Community creates shared identity,” Brooke Hahn says, “Social media opens the door; everything else keeps them coming back.”

To stay connected with the SocialNext community year-round, join the SocialNext Marketing Alliance, a national network of marketers sharing ideas, tools, and opportunities across Canada.

This piece is part of our ongoing coverage of SocialEast 2025, one of five national conferences produced by SocialNext, with live coverage of this event sponsored by Cyberimpact.

About Cyberimpact:
Cyberimpact is a Canadian email marketing platform built for SMBs and public sector organizations. We make it easy to create professional emails, automate campaigns, and stay fully compliant with Canada’s Anti-Spam Legislation (CASL). Trusted by thousands of Canadian organizations.