building and growing your online community
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Building and growing your online community
@derekjriceSocial Media Breakfast Maine
28 October 2011#SMBME
What are we talking about?
Online communities are bodies of people joined together by a common interest.
- Jeremiah Owyang
The evolution of online communities
In the beginning …Today…
Common building blocks
Why do you need one?
Build trust, which helps build brand recognition, loyalty and affinity
Obtain a deeper understanding of your audience’s needs and wants
Create personal, one-to-one relationships with potential customers
People want and expect it
Who influences you?
Your opportunity
Build relationships and trust with your target audience
They can be your best allies, sharing your information with others who trust them
Social media allows them to pass that along to hundreds more people
Draw up a plan
Goals
What do you hope to accomplish? (Think concrete, tangible and quantifiable)
How will you measure results against your goals?
What benchmarks will define success? Be prepared for these to evolve and
change.
A few things that matter …
Number/percentage of members who participate regularly
How many discussions are started by members
Amount of growth that is member-driven
Quality of ideas and feedback the community generates
… and not so much
Number of members Page views Ad clicks
Have a purpose
What matters to the people you’re trying to reach?
Find it, don’t force it Build your community around
something your target audience cares about
Why people join communities
For entertainment or enjoyment To connect with others To fix something To improve themselves
How can you satisfy one of these desires?
A business-centric approach
Restrains communities to benefit your business
Puts your interests ahead of your audience’s interests
Kills participation and growth
If you’re only interested in moving product, an online community won’t work for you.
Complete this sentence:
“People will join and participate in my community because ______.”
(The more specific, the better)
Identify your community manager(s)
If no one is responsible for management, then no one is responsible for a lack of management.
Besides, someone has to take on all this work.
Your community manager is:
The party host An active and high-profile community
member Community advocate Brand evangelist The “voice” of your brand
He or she should be:
Friendly Smart Patient Creative Proactive Funny Articulate An excellent writer Knowledgeable about your brand
Lay a strong foundation
Research and discover
Audience Relevant topics and issues Influencers Technologies and platforms Interests Motivations Personalities
Tools
Google Alerts Twitter Search TweetBeep Socialmention Google+ Technorati LinkedIn Answers and Groups WeFollow Google Keywords and Insights
Where is your audience?
Social media Blogs Forums Video Photos Review sites
Find them. Follow them.
Listen to them.
Listen carefully
What topics generate the most discussion?
Use this information to shape your messaging strategy
Why listening matters
They may be interested in your company, product or industry (your target audience)
Helps define and refine your target audience
They may not be who you expected
Influencers Recognizable Greater than average reach or impact
through word of mouth Their opinions matter to others Engaged in conversations with
hundreds or thousands of people
Why do you need influencers? When they talk, people listen They may talk about – or to – you More people will be aware of you More people will join your community
Celebrity not required
Industry bloggers Trade publications Local personalities
Identifying influencers
Where do you find information that’s relevant to your industry or niche?
These are some of your influencers
They’re talking to your influencers.
They’re talking about your influencers.
Your messaging toolbox
Key words Key messages Protocol
Engaging Responding Escalating
What is good content? Speaks to audience’s interests Is community driven Fills a need Sparks discussion Establishes you as an expert in your field Positions you as a valuable resource Tells a story
Content delivery
What’s a good content strategy? Focus on the goals of your audience and
your company Find a unique angle Don’t try to be everything to everyone Drive traffic to other pages and channels Mix it up Less about you, more about your
audience
Ask yourself:
What value does this bring to my community?
Why would my community members care?
What kind of conversation could this generate?
Seed initial content
No one wants to be first We all want to be part of something
bigger than ourselves People don’t come back to an empty
party twice
Welcome to the party!
Pre-launch checklist
Goals and metrics to measure Purpose Manager Target audience Influencers Relevant topics and issues Messaging strategy/voice Set up social media and other
necessary accounts Seed initial content
Let ‘em in
Launch
“Officially” activate channels Reach out to and interact with your
target audience and influencers Invite them to join your community
Remember:
A polite, effective invitation doesn’t include a sales pitch
Engagement matters
Promote community and attract new members
Attract people with shared interests
Foster honest conversation
Wallflowers need not apply
Ask open-ended, thought-provoking questions
Conduct polls Offer incentives Join in others’ conversations Become a trusted friend
Responding and interacting
Communication is a two-way street People want to know they matter Immediacy is key: respond quickly to
complaints, endorsements or any kind of mentions.
A response, especially a fast response, will build or strengthen trust
Response/escalation protocol
When responding…
Be positive Be transparent Be honest Be timely Be helpful When in doubt, revert to real life
Negative feedback
Balance between moderating (reactive) and managing (proactive)
Often the best course of action is no action
Know when (if ever) to delete a post ALWAYS save a screenshot before deleting
a post Never get defensive
The hardest word to say
If you make a mistake, own up to it Swallow your pride Be helpful Make it right
Maintaining and expanding
Trial and error
Who your audience is What content resonates with your
audience When and how often to share and
interact Where your audience hangs out Response time Escalation (as necessary)
Change happens
Tools, services and networks are constantly evolving, which means your community will evolve too
Expect and be prepared for change, especially community-driven change
If something isn’t working, don’t be afraid to ask the community what they’d like to see
If you remember nothing else …
Be respectful Be genuine Be helpful Step outside your comfort zone Don’t fear funny Take risks (within reason) Give up control Be human
talking about yourself
any preconceived notions
with the changes.
