Areej AbuAli on Building an Engaging and Supportive Brand Community

"If you build it, they will come," right? Haha, no chance. Fostering a truly respectful, supportive, and helpful community full of brand advocates and topic experts is no mean feat—and even harder when you're entering a competitive arena or starting from scratch... but the results, both emotional and statistical, speak for themselves when you get it right.

We spoke to Women in Tech SEO's Areej AbuAli about her experience building her global community of passionate and supportive women, what drove her to get started, what lessons she's learned in the process, and what she's still learning today. This is a must-listen for anyone trying to build a community of any kind—Areej really is one of the foremost voices on the topic.

What you will learn in this episode:

• The many and varied benefits of building a community for a brand
• How to establish rules and guidelines—and the importance of doing so
• How to make a niche community appealing to all
• Which brands are doing a great job with their communities
• How to celebrate exceptional members of the community—and deal with problematic ones
• How best to approach community monetization, if at all
• And much more!

About Claire Carlile (Host)

Claire Carlile is a Chartered Marketer (MCIM) and is BrightLocal's Local Search Expert. Her work at Claire Carlile Marketing, where she helps businesses of all sizes make the most of the local search opportunity, allows her to provide real-world skills and expertise to what BrightLocal does.

About Areej AbuAli (Guest)

Areej AbuAli is the founder of Women in Tech SEO, a global digital marketing community. Founded in 2019, Women in Tech SEO has over 10,000 global members and 60,000 followers who connect through online groups and in-person conferences in the UK, Europe, and the USA. Areej is an international speaker, a Google Women Techmaker ambassador, and a UN Women UK delegate.

Resources from this episode:

• Women in Tech SEO Community: https://www.womenintechseo.com/
• "Community Building for Marketers" by Areej AbuAli - coming March 3rd, 2025: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Community-Building-Marketers-Connect-Engage/dp/1398616931/
• Buffer Community: https://buffer.com/community
• HubSpot Community: https://community.hubspot.com/
• Sanity.io Developer Community: https://www.sanity.io/exchange/community
• BrightLocal Local Pack: https://www.facebook.com/groups/thelocalpack/
• AD - Local Marketing Industry Survey: Agency Edition: https://www.brightlocal.com/research/local-marketing-industry-survey-agencies/

About Adventures in Local Marketing

Adventures in Local Marketing is *the* podcast for local marketers, hosted by industry expert and popular speaker, Claire Carlile*.

Claire chats to a smorgasbord of marketers from various different backgrounds, who each bring their unique insight into facets of the local marketing landscape.

*Sadly, this is the last episode of Adventures in Local Marketing hosted by Claire Carlile. We thank Claire for all her hard work picking the brains of experts in the industry, and wish her the best for the future. The BrightLocal Podcast will be back in the new year—watch this space!