It’s a Marathon Not A Sprint – How to Build a Community on Social Media

Runners don't just hit the pavement, they hit the pulse of an unseen community. From a first-time 5K runner seeking advice to a seasoned marathon runner sharing their training insights, tips and advice, to a trail runner looking for the best routes, social media allows us to create and participate in a global running community.

Building a community takes time, excuse the pun - but it's a marathon not a sprint.

One that requires patience, commitment, and a shared passion and understanding of your communities wants and needs!

Brands can help create a platform for runners to connect, share, and inspire each other, whether you’re a running events company, running apparel brand or nutrition. Social media presents us with a tool to create and nurture these communities.

But what actually does it take to build a community on social media?

Authentic engagement with your audience

Social media acts like a conversation, it is a two-way stream, it's imperative to respond to your community. If your followers feel like they're only being spoken at and not engaged with your community won’t begin to thrive.

Story Telling

Get to know your followers share their stories and experiences, the more stories you share the more people will want to engage and tell theirs!

UGC

As well as telling your audiences stories, share their images, videos, reels. By resharing on your channels you are further engaging with them and making them feel involved.

Use analytics for learning and understanding

Use analytics to understand what your audience is engaging with the most, these tools will help you establish a content calendar and provide your audience with content which you know is resonating.

Hashtags

Another great way to build your community organically is by using hashtags in posts. Hashtags are a great way to expose your content to new audiences. If your content is compelling and engaging, people searching on your posts’ hashtags may be inspired to follow you for more.