It’s true to say that word-of-mouth is the most powerful form of advertising. And, this is exactly what Nextdoor is all about. Did you know that as many as 93% of consumers make purchasing decisions from online reviews? Nowadays, people deem online reviews to be just as credible as recommendations from their friends or family. Even more so, if this review is from someone that we share a common interest or quality with.
What is Nextdoor?
We all know about the top players like Instagram and Facebook, where you can connect with people anywhere and at any time. But, what about connecting with those that are close to you? Nextdoor is a social platform that allows users to connect with their neighbors and their local community through its app. Of course, it’s possible to find these communities through groups on Facebook, for example. But, with this not being the primary purpose of these other platforms, it’s what makes Nextdoor so special.
There’s a whole array of content available on the Nextdoor app. Think: missing pets, recommendations for local gardeners, fitness classes in the park across the street, childcare requests, and more. By verifying your address when setting up your account, the app then allows users within the same geographical location to communicate with each other and share important and interesting information.
Nextdoor was founded in the U.S., in 2011. Since then, the app has been increasingly growing across the country. In 2016, they began their global expansion strategy into the UK and some European countries. The platform has been growing 100% year on year and is now covering more than 75% of all U.S. neighbourhoods. Why not check out the platform yourself, to see what’s going on where you are!
How to use next door
So, you might be wondering how to use Nextdoor. As a user, you can simply scroll your neighborhoods’ feed to discover news, information, and interesting new posts from those nearby. It’s a great way for you to get to know your neighbors, whilst finding out about what’s going on in the community. You can join groups that are of interest to you, for example a ‘babysitting’ group to find childcare, a ‘handyman services’ group to find nearby trade services, a ‘lost and found’ group to help find missing pets or belongings, and many more.
But, what about how to post on Nextdoor. Well, this is pretty straightforward. The app is like a discussion board, for people to create a post and have others start a conversation within the comments. To post on your neighborhood, simply:
- Tap the ‘create’ icon, at the top right of your screen.
- Select an option from post, video, poll, or urgent alert.
- Select a category that the post falls under, such as for sale, safety, general, lost and found, or recommendations.
- Create a subject line for your post, and write your text below.
- Choose a location within your community.
- Decide who the post will be visible to.
Additionally, you can update your profile information for others to get to know you. Consider including a little description about yourself, when you joined the neighborhood, your interests, and anything that you are happy to help your neighbors with.
How are marketers using Nextdoor?
Nextdoor is a small business’ dream app. As a startup or young business trying to get on their feet, the best way is to begin connecting with people nearby that are most likely to use your service. For example, a new restaurant may have future growth aspirations, but for the time being are opening in one location. Well, it’s no use marketing towards people that won’t be able to visit your restaurant because they are nowhere near. Instead, targeting those that are within close proximity will maximize chances of getting off to a good start.
We know that many consumers are beginning to take sustainability into consideration when making purchases. People are really taking a liking towards buying locally and supporting their local businesses. This has been fully strengthened throughout the last year of the pandemic.
With Nextdoor, businesses are able to create a verified account, with all the relevant information about their products and/or services being provided. By posting on the app, you can raise awareness for your business with those that are most easily accessible to you. As mentioned, word of mouth is an extremely powerful tool for marketing. When businesses use Nextdoor, all it takes is for one person to recommend the business to one of their neighbors, and next thing you know - the whole community knows about it!
Within the app, businesses are able to keep track of who’s talking about them. It’s easy to view and reply to comments about your business, to see who is recommending your business through a map, and to constantly keep track of your reputation. Members of the community can tap a heart icon on your page, which can be viewed by others as a total number of ‘recommendations’ for your business.
What about influencer marketing?
So, with businesses making use of this social platform, surely that means there’s a place for influencers, right? Always!
It’s not news that small businesses are well acquainted with nano and micro influencers within niche communities. Although these influencers are quickly becoming the most popular with bigger brands too, due to their positive engagement and authenticity rates, their location will always be a big winner for small businesses. Influencers are trusted by consumers for product recommendations, almost as much as those from their friends or family. When following an influencer, we believe that we get to know them and begin to view them as a trusted source of information. More so, if this influencer is a member of your local community, we feel as if we have a connection with them, we are much closer to them - literally!
Nextdoor is no stranger to influencer marketing. Although, you may be less likely to see this kind of content here than on Instagram, it is definitely there, just in a different way. Small businesses should consider searching for social media influencers in their area to connect with. This way, people in the community can view recommendations about your business from not just a trusted influencer, but one that is potentially their neighbor too.
As a business, you could use a platform like Heepsy to find local nano and micro influencers nearby. Why not ask them to try your product or service and post a recommendation on their Nextdoor community group? This is a great way to raise brand awareness!
Conclusion
Nextdoor isn’t exactly new on the social scene, yet it is likely to be a fresh platform for many. There’s many benefits to using Nextdoor, as a business or as a consumer. As influencer marketing continues to grow, businesses will constantly be looking for new places to get their name in front of people. We have an article about new social media platforms to check out this year, where you may find something else useful for your business too!
