We are inherently social creatures with a deep-seated desire to belong to groups, whether they are formed by shared interests, values, or cultural ties. This biological programming dates back to our hunter-gatherer ancestors who relied on working together within a tribe to survive. To this day, our fundamental need to be part of a community shapes our behaviour and decisions.
When we identify with a group, we often adopt its norms and practices, not just to fit in, but because there is comfort and security in alignment. The influence of belonging can be so powerful that it sways our opinions and actions, compelling us to harmonise our behaviours with those of the group. Thus, understanding this dynamic is crucial, as it underpins many of the persuasive tactics used in everything from marketing campaigns to organisational management.
In this article, we’re continuing our series exploring emotional appeals as a form of persuasion. It has been common knowledge for millennia that emotions have the power to persuade, however, few people truly understand what appealing to emotion means. This article will focus on why fostering a sense of belonging can be persuasive and how to use it in your own digital communication.
If you haven’t done so already, be sure to check out the previous article in this series on the topic of appealing to personal values.
What Fostering A Sense Of Belonging Involves
As a tactic for persuasion, fostering a sense of belonging involves constructing a shared identity or community that audience members can feel a part of. This is usually achieved by highlighting shared values, goals, or interests.
Nike takes this approach through its community-oriented initiatives like the Nike Run Club and Nike Training Club. While these platforms are designed to assist users with their fitness goals (and promote Nike products), they also create a community around active lifestyles, connecting individuals around the globe who are passionate about fitness and health.
This sense of belonging is cultivated through Nike’s strategic use of language, imagery, and digital media that emphasise inclusivity and communal achievement. For example, their apps and social media channels encourage users to share their progress and celebrate each other’s achievements. They create a virtual community where everyone can feel part of a supportive and motivating group, enhancing loyalty, and encouraging adoption of the group’s behaviours.
Similarly, Duolingo leverages a sense of belonging by transforming individual language learning into a communal experience. Through its gamified approach, users join a global community of learners. Features like leaderboards and public challenges encourage interaction among users. Users can link accounts with friends and family, celebrate each other’s learning milestones, and work together on challenges for added motivation.
Why A Sense Of Belonging Is Powerful
A desire to belong originates from a fundamental human need for connection and emotional safety, which are critical components of psychological well-being. Psychological research underscores that when individuals feel they are part of a group, they experience significant boosts in self-esteem and personal value. According to Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, belonging is a pivotal need that precedes esteem and self-actualisation, highlighting its importance in motivating behaviour (Maslow, 1943).
Moreover, studies in social psychology suggest that once individuals identify with a group, they are more likely to engage in behaviours that are congruent with that group’s norms and values. This phenomenon, known as ‘behavioural congruence,’ is driven by the desire to maintain one’s status within the group and to fulfil group expectations, which enhances personal and group identity (Tajfel & Turner, 1979). This alignment not only strengthens individual commitment to the group but also amplifies the group’s overall cohesiveness and influence.
Therefore, by creating environments where audiences feel a genuine sense of belonging, organisations can harness this powerful psychological lever. Once your audience feels part of a group, one not only benefits from enhanced loyalty but can motivate the members to take actions that are congruent with the community.
How To Use The Technique Yourself
Now let’s review a structured approach for using this tactic in your digital communication. It’s important to note that fostering a sense of belonging is a long-term persuasion strategy. While it may take months to see the results of your efforts, the rewards are significant.
1 – Select your community or movement
Your first objective is to pinpoint a community or movement that matches your audience’s interests and personal values, it goes without saying that this should also align with your business mission.
For instance, a sustainable fashion brand might target eco-conscious consumers passionate about reducing waste. Alternatively, a start-up that creates educational apps for software coding might build a community of self-proclaimed “tech geeks”.
2 – Tailor your language
Language is crucial, so take the time to craft a compelling call to action that embodies the spirit of the community. Inspired by successful examples like Obama’s “Be a voter” or Nike’s “Be a runner,” you could use slogans like “Wear the change” for a sustainable fashion line, or “Code the future” for an educational platform. These calls to action are designed to inspire participation and reinforce the community’s core values.
3 – Use Digital Messaging To Address your audience as a community
Regular newsletters, social media posts, and other digital content should consistently reflect the community’s ethos and remind members of their shared values and goals. This reinforces their identity as part of the group and strengthens their commitment to the community.
Imagine a fitness trainer called Alex. She might send out a regular email newsletter showcasing individual achievements, a quick workout tip of the week, and an invitation to the next group challenge event, all designed to reinforce community ties and shared fitness goals. On Instagram, she might post a video of a group training session with the caption “Stronger together! #TeamAlex”, she might also highlight a client’s progress story and share motivational quotes. On her blog, Alex writes a post discussing the benefits of group support in achieving personal goals and encourages readers to join his online fitness community for regular tips and collective challenges.
4 – Find ways to make the community real
To deepen the sense of belonging, organise virtual or physical spaces where community members can interact and share their experiences. These could be online forums, live webinars, or local meetups.
For the sustainable fashion brand example, they might host clothing swap events or workshops on sustainable living. The educational tech community might organise online study groups, forums, or knowledge-sharing sessions.
Once the community feels established, you can start encouraging actions that align with community values. The sustainable brand might start a challenge to wear their recycled clothes for certain events and post it online. The educational tech community might be encouraged to participate in premium training lessons facilitated by the platform.
Conclusion
To conclude, by creating a sense of belonging you take advantage of an innate human desire for connection and community, along with a compulsion to act in accordance with the expected behaviour of that group. This technique works best as a long-term strategic approach. While it’s certainly possible to leverage existing communities—like tapping into the fervour of sports team fans— it’s the deliberate creation of a new group that offers the most control and potential for influence. When a brand builds their own community, it doesn’t just piggyback on existing loyalties; it establishes new ones placing itself at centre stage. From this position, the most engaged audience members are susceptive to persuasion and influence.