The Importance of Belonging on Social Media

At the heart of every thriving social media presence is a feeling of belonging, and in this episode I’m breaking down why cultivating a sense of belonging isn’t just a nice extra, it’s a non-negotiable. Inspired by a stand-out Instagram reel and a real-life story of resilience, we’ll discuss helping your audience feel truly seen, heard, and part of something special, whether you’re a solo entrepreneur or a big brand. Plus, I’ll give you a simple assignment to start infusing that sense of belonging into your own content and a preview of what’s coming up next week, where we’ll dig even deeper.

In this episode we’ll be covering:

• Why belonging is crucial, especially during challenging times, and how to adapt the concept to your content.
• People want to connect with accounts and businesses that make them feel seen, heard, and accepted.
• How creating a sense of belonging can be achieved through your core values, vibe, and beliefs expressed online.
• The contrast between traditional advertising and community-focused marketing.

Links to reels in this episode:

• Reel: This is a trial reel
• Reel: Liking your regular life is the goal

Other episodes you might have missed:

• Episode 054: Is There Enough “You” In Your Content?
• Episode 058: Embrace the Content Creator Mindset
• Episode 064: POV: They’re hitting follow… Immediately.
• Episode 065: How to Start Using Trial Reels for Your Instagram Account

Join me in the Reels Lab!

Love this conversation? Make sure to follow and subscribe so you never miss an episode.

Connect with me on Instagram!

Transcript

Shannon McKinstrie:
I am your host, Shannon McKinstrie. Welcome to Good Content, the podcast where I remove the never ending content creation, guesswork and overwhelm so that you can actually enjoy being on social media again and growing your business with what has always worked. Good Content. Today we're going to talk the importance of belonging. And I actually saw a reel that I know is a trial reel because you'll see why in a second. That really drives home this point and why this is so powerful in social media marketing, especially in all marketing, but especially on social media, especially in times like these, where a lot of really heavy stuff going on, right? It's a lot we want to follow accounts, products, brands, people, businesses that make us feel like we belong there. Okay? We love to feel seen and heard.

Shannon McKinstrie:
I talk a lot about that here on the podcast. But the word belonging is something that you need to literally, like write down and have it wherever you create your content or somewhere in your phone. It's just somewhere to remind yourself when you're creating content. Am I making sure people understand that this is a place where they can belong, whether it's core values based or the vibe of your account or your beliefs, things like that. So Emily Heyward talks about this a lot in her book called Obsessed. Highly recommend. Like one of the best marketing books I've ever read. And it's interesting because she talks about how, and I know I've talked about this on the podcast before, but Airbnb, how, you know, when she and her marketing agency were working with them, they really, you know, their messaging was weak at first, right? And so what they did is they do what any good marketing agency does or marketer does is reach out to either current clients or their target market.

Shannon McKinstrie:
But so when they interviewed past customers and things like that, they said what was so cool about staying at an Airbnb property was the sense of belonging, right? Because you don't feel like you're staying in a hotel. You feel like you're a local, you are a part of the community. So we talk community a lot in social media marketing. It's literally my Instagram, my very first Instagram bio ever said, building a community around your brand, right? And I realized back then people really didn't know what that meant. Now I feel like now people kind of understand and, you know, get the gist of that. But really that's what it is. You're building a community where people belong. And that's the biggest shift, right? Because advertising doesn't really do that.

Shannon McKinstrie:
They're just saying, you know, buy this. And like my good friend Veronica, who's a brilliant marketer, Veronica Romney, make sure to follow her. Listen to her podcast. She coined this phrase of not buy this, but be this. And she actually even did an email and a post the other day about the Savannah Bananas, the baseball team, and how she cried at the game. And she kind of gave a breakdown of why it was such a powerful experience with her kids and her husband. And it kind of was like this sense of belonging to, like, they really make you feel like you belong here, right? It's almost like when you walk in a church, right? Like that's their whole thing. Like, you belong here.

Shannon McKinstrie:
When you walk in certain stores, it's like if they give you the right attention and they say the right things, you feel like, oh my gosh, I belong here. Like restaurants, coffee shops. But while this is online and on our phones and our hands, don't let that distract you. It's. You can create a sense of belonging without a physical, actual store, event, et cetera. Okay, here's a perfect example. So I'm scrolling on Instagram this morning and I come across this reel and it says, actually, wait, I kind of love this too. Actually, real quick, pause.

Shannon McKinstrie:
I just opened the app and there's a reel that shows a bunch of clips of this girl's like house activities she does. And it just says pov, liking your regular life is the goal. And that right there, it tells you if that's your vibe, you're like, I belong here. I should be following this person. Okay, all right, so, and again, this, even if you're not a one person shop and you're a company or whatever, this applies to you as well. So here we go. Let me read you what hers says. It's her just standing.

Shannon McKinstrie:
And it will be in the show notes. If you're watching on YouTube, you can see it. It's her just showing her little outfit, having her matcha, right? And smiling at the camera. And let's hear the audio. (audio plays) What a vibe. It's showing her whole vibe. She shows her hairstyle. She's got cute little things in her hair.

Shannon McKinstrie:
It looks a lot better than my hair today. Beach hair. What's up? And it says on the screen, 5 second B roll, cutesy audio, cute outfit with her matcha. You can tell right away, like what she does on her account is probably fashion, lifestyle, right? And it says, this is brilliant. I want you to do it. Ready? It says, this is a trial reel. So I know you aren't following me, but can you Swipe left and tell me your thoughts about my content. Brilliant.

Shannon McKinstrie:
Over 1500 likes, which we know. For trial reels, that's really good. No matter what you're following, as trial reels are really tricky, right? Until you figure out the one. I have a whole episode on this. Be sure to listen to that one about what's working on trial reels. Because a lot of people are like, sure, my trial reels aren't working. I'm like, that's because you're not doing these type of trials. So this is a brilliant trial reel.

Shannon McKinstrie:
Because what does well in trial reels is saying, this is the vibe of my account. Almost like you're advertising your own account. So when you swipe left, what happens? It goes right to her profile. And you can right away see what her bio says, where she lives. It says San Diego. Right away, it's very clear. She's got really good pinned posts. So again, right away you're like, okay, it's coastal living, it's outfits, it's lifestyle, et cetera, right? So what you could do, let's say.

Shannon McKinstrie:
Let's say you're a construction company, right? You guys build houses. You could say, this is a trial reel. So. So we know you aren't following us. Or you can say, so I know you aren't following me, but can you swipe left and tell me your thoughts on the houses you built? Right? Or just like she said about my content. It's a brilliant hook. Let me give her a shout out. Her name is Allie Knutson.

Shannon McKinstrie:
So anyway, like I said, she'll be in the show notes. Brilliant. So that's your assignment this week. You gotta make sure your B roll. The video also shows your vibe. So we'll be talking more belonging next week as well. Because again, even if you sell a product, let's say you sell stickers or candles, you're building a community. That's what social media is.

Shannon McKinstrie:
And when you. When they feel like they're part of your community, they're gonna show up. They're gonna actively search for you. And it's interesting. I watched the documentary on the Joplin tornado that hit over 10 years ago. I believe it's on Netflix. It's really good. You know, this person is saying how he couldn't wait to leave Joplin, like he didn't like it.

Shannon McKinstrie:
And after the tornado, he's like, I belong here. These are my people. And it unfortunately took a tragedy for him to really see how much he was loved in his own community. And now he never left he was like, he didn't feel accepted and he was like, I don't want to be here. I only want to live. You know, he even said stuff like that and he said, you know, after that tragedy struck and you know, he helped save lives and the community around him, just people just came around him, supported him, loved on him, and now he's never leaving. Social media works the same way. Okay, so there's your assignment.

Shannon McKinstrie:
And every time you're putting that piece of content out, whether it's something helpful, humorous, a behind the scenes of your life, some sort of happening, or if it's a her type of piece of content, just remember, ask yourself like, even if it is something helpful in the caption, what are you saying that makes them know, like, this is what you do here and this is they belong here, right? So next week I'll be talking all about that, how to make sure you're writing the right words, what that messaging is. But for now, just to get started, do that trial or do real similar of just showing, helping people understand you belong. So what to do between now and next week's episode? Interview current clients, customers, people you would love to be, your clients and customers, and just ask them straight up, why do you follow me? Right? And I even had someone join the reels lab and the first thing she wrote in the community space was she loved my enthusiasm for what I do. And it's funny because like I would tell someone, oh, I, I help people create better content and get sales and followers, right? That's surface. I guess what I do is make it fun and exciting and so that they actually want to create content, right? So that's what we need to get to and that's what the message we need to make sure we're getting from your people. So that's your assignment this week. I hope that helped. I love you, friend.

Shannon McKinstrie:
Have the best week and take care of yourself.