Project Person // Primer #2

Project Person #2 B.T. Harman is (in my very subjective but correct opinion) the best in the world at building digital communities. He did this at a corporate gig for over a decade and has since led personal projects and clients in the same.

His client South Downtown is a great example, as is Camino Made. 

I asked him how he consistently builds organic social followings communities, and he shared the following four principles. I’ve added examples from his accounts to bring each to life.  

→ Not interested in social media? I’d argue that you could follow the principles below to grow any sort of community where engagement is important.

1 // Build trust and authority. 

As Seth Godin says, “People like us do stuff like this.” 

Research your audience and speak to them thoughtfully. (As he begin to grow Camino Made, B.T. says he joined no less than 30 Facebook groups related to the Camino de Santiago. He constantly watches what people ask about and what they are looking for.)

With each post, bring a level of entertainment, delight, motivation, or activation. In short, add value. 

And, show up consistently.  Prove that you’re in it with them.

Here’s a great example.

2 // Give the people what they want.

Hint: this is not your corporate update. 

Currently on social, the people want humor and memes and short form videos. How can you take that trust and authority you’ve built and put it in a digestible form of content consistent with what they come to social media to find?

Here’s a meme and here’s a video example to get you thinking.

3 // Hook ‘em. 

…with the first thing out of your mouth. Mention the two things everyone should do or the one thing you wish you knew or the craziest thing you saw… 

Still stuck? Think of what made you click to watch a video or ad recently. How did they hook you enough to make you click “Read more” or “Watch”?

BUT, remember that spam sirens will go off if you don’t actually add value. You’ve got to actually believe in what you’re saying.

This example of a fairytale Camino town made me click along, and this example from B.T.’s work with South Downtown made me open and read each slide.

4 // Engage.

B.T. says the #1 thing that juices social growth is comments.

What can you say authentically in a post to get people to comment?

Then, encourage comments through personal, thoughtful responses. With a response, all of a sudden someone feels seen and appreciated and validated, and it encourages future engagement. 

Read this question prompt along with the comments and replies!

→ But what about other forms of content marketing, like email, blogs, and PR? Here’s a guide I put together with a primer on each.

Next week, we’ll meet the project person who inspired my current project. Stay tuned!