My guest today is the former Editor-in-Chief of Search Engine Journal. She’s the Brand and Community manager at Internet Marketing Ninjas and the founder of My Blog U. Welcome to DMR, Ann Smarty. You can find Ann over at MyBlogU.com.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pl9vDL5WtIU

On this episode of Digital Marketing Radio we discuss  how to build and manage your own online community, with topics including:

Why is it important for a business to manage its community?

Should every business try to foster its own online community?

What are some of the benefits to having your own online community?

What are some of the mistakes that businesses make when trying to build their online community?

How do you get started building a community?

What are some of the best platforms to build a community on?

How do you manage to encourage ambassadors to grow your community on your behalf?

[Tweet ""If you launch your product and you love it, it means you've launched too late!" @seosmarty"]

Software I couldn't live without

What software do you currently use in your business that if someone took away from you, it would significantly impact your marketing success?

Tweet Deck [Twitter management]

Cyfe [Online marketing dashboard]

What software don't you use, but you've heard good things about, and you've intended to try at some point in the near future?

Sprout Social [asfafasf]

oktopost [Social media analytics]

My number 1 takeaway

What's the single most important step from our discussion that our listeners need to take away and implement in their businesses?

Do it! So many people are waiting for something before they launch, or before they start building their community. They think that it's so complicated or even starting a site is such a huge task. People are always looking for a 'good time' to do it. You know what? There is no good time. I like the quote: "If you launch your product and you love it, it means you've launched too late." If you plan to do something, just do it.