My grandfather was one of the most brand loyal people I’ve ever met in my life. He had a well stocked pantry of brands such as Heinz, Downy, and Dial Soap and I never once saw him buy anything outside of the brands he knew and loved. To some extent I find myself the same with specific things like the airlines I fly (United/Star Alliance), the hair products I use (Aussie), and the toothpaste I always buy (Colgate).  I rarely go outside of the things I know and love, but I do it if there’s a sale or I’m curious about something else.

So, are we really loyal to anything anymore? There’s so much out there fighting for our attention, our money, and our time, and that’s where community comes into play.  We all choose how we spend our time, and who we spend it with.  If you join a community are you likely to stay loyal to it?  Would a competing community steal you away? Why do you participate in the groups that you do?

Well, when in doubt, there’s a #cmgrchat for that! Recently we discussed how community managers figure out their loyalty between members and company, and how some companies build loyalty really well. Read more to find out how we all manage it: