capturing community: how to build, manage and market your online community
DESCRIPTION
Capturing Community: How to Build, Manage and Market Your Online Community Based on a new book by Duo Consulting CEO Michael Silverman Since the dawn of the web, tribal clusters have formed organically online. They evolved into today’s online communities—interest-based groups that empower marketers with a central place to reach their audiences. Online communities break through the media clutter and engage your target market on a personal level. Marketers, managers, and entrepreneurs can use them to drive user-generated content and create long-term value online. When aligned with your organization, online communities create a venue for audience interaction that becomes a tangible business asset. In Capturing Community, Duo Consulting CEO Michael Silverman gives you the tools and techniques required to create powerful online communities. Drawing from his years of experience and the wisdom of leading social media marketers, this presentation covers: - How your organization can benefit from creating or participating in online communities. - Best practices—sourced from today’s most successful community managers—for developing a sticky, engaging online community. - Stories about different communities—some of which include thousands of loyal members—and how they achieved success. - What it takes to effectively manage the community, from technology to promotional channels. Hear from more than a dozen community management and marketing professionals, including David Meerman Scott (WebInkNow), Meghan Peters (Mashable) and Mike Samson (Crowdspring).TRANSCRIPT
Capturing CommunityMarketing/Sales
CAPTURING COMMUNITYHow to Build, Manage and Market Your Online Community
Online communities break through the media clutter and engage
your target market on a personal level. Marketers, managers, and
entrepreneurs can use them to drive user-generated content and
create long-term value online. When aligned with your organization,
online communities create a venue for audience interaction that
becomes a tangible business asset.
By Michael SilvermanFounder & CEO Duo Consulting
CA
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In Capturing Community, Duo Consulting CEO Michael Silverman
gives you the tools and techniques required to create powerful
online communities. Drawing from his years of experience and the
wisdom of leading social media marketers, Michael shows you: in online communities.
online community.
success.
the community, from technology to promotional channels.
How to build, manage and market your community online
by Michael SilvermanCEO Duo [email protected]
About.me.com
Blog
Social Network
Facebook continues to fall flat in encouraging business-to-business communication and professional growth.
CommunityCommunities connect around a common interest
Participants offer opinions, insights, and passions
Bridging social capital is “making friends with a stranger.”
Social vs. Community
More community vs. individual-focus
Less “noise” in the community
And more opportunities to meet others in your field
Associations
People united around a common purpose
A place to continue the conversation, promote in-person events, build helpful content for members.
Opportunities for entrepreneurs
Community Types
Location
Activity-based
Demographic
Goal-oriented
Brand-sponsored
Demographics
Goal Oriented
Amex Open Forum
Purpose
Accurately reflect your identity
Be inspirational - engage your audience
Provide a venue for influencers
Build relationships
Built In Chicago is a resource for ‘digital professionals' working to build great web and mobile businesses.
Our mission is to connect, educate and promote the growing digital community in Chicago.
Brand
Define a purpose for your community
Reflect that purpose through your brand
Understand your audience
Go narrow - Stay focused
Stand for something
Authenticity
Nobody wants to interact with a personality-less corporate drone - they join for real, personal interaction
Demonstrate the value for members who take part in the conversation
Introduce topics and incentives that engage the community
Community Platform
Tech Support
User-Communites that provide tech support can be of tremendous benefit to companies
Symantec Connect
Start Me Up
Seed your community with members and content
Seeding revolves around people, like everything else that makes a community successful
Viewpoints
Get People TalkingConversations are central to an online community
Goal is to facilitate member communication
Easy to share
Incentivize Interaction
First you understand your member’s motivations
Then provide incentives and create barriers to entry
Publications
Trade rags have traditionally focused on creating editorial content is the number one job
For community managers, it should never take precedence over the conversation
SEO
Come for the content, stay for the community
Create high-value, compelling content
Put interests of the community above that of editorial
End with questions to open the discussion
Audience
The people that power the website.
Spectators
Critics
Creators
Social GraphCentral location for personal information
Simplify use - provide a “test run”
Company profiles = Fan Pages
Find your social connections (social graph).
Login with Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn
Incentive Systems
Getting Started
Your job is to act as a catalyst
Encourage engagement, recruit members and organize groups
Shape your community - but let it define itself
Stand back and listen - Get people talking
Catalysts
Catalysts are ‘action' elements that encourage interaction from members.
Catalysts benefit the community as a whole.
Create an enticing environment makes members want to come back for more.
Focus on what members want. Your homepage should include the freshest, most up-to-date content.
Photos and video are strong elements of engagement for your community.
Encourage visitors to sign up for an account in stages
Best Practices
Monitization
Advertising, Sponsorships & Partnerships
Premium Content & Merchandise
Brokering & Commissions
Personal Opportunities
Take-Aways
Someone’s gonna do it - might as well be you
Facilitate the conversation to make it happen
Know your audience & build relationships
Let the community define itself
