Defining Next for your Community

Dawn Lacallade Community Manager, SolarWinds

@DawnL and #solarwinds

Picture: http://www.flickr.com/photos/haagsuitburo

Photo Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/mckaysavage/3016006648/

• Less understanding of the medium • More politics• More shiny objects

Critical not to just take the shiny object as the next step without analysis.

Crossroads

http://www.flickr.com/photos/kh-67/3339157498/

Photo Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/saxcubano/440777294/

Evaluate Existing Community

Participation levels» Watchers and creators.

» Depth

» Return Rate

Type of participation» Feedback

» Ask or answer

» Develop content

» Recommend

» Critique

» Collaborate

How are you growing» Leverage existing

participants» Grow participants- how?

Sentiment and Loyalty

Existing company performance/ participation

Crossroads

http://www.flickr.com/photos/kh-67/3339157498/

Determine what you need

- Slide 7 -

Customer/Community

Needs

BusinessNeeds

http://www.flickr.com/photos/kimandshannon/3806011383/

Defining CURRENT Business Needs

1. Start with the current business goals/ challenges and identify where community can help.

2. Make the stakeholders aware of what community can offer (list on next page)

3. Find the blend of quick hits and long term value.

- Slide 8 -

Narrow Thinking

- Slide 9 -http://www.flickr.com/photos/chough/87501689/

Explain what is possible! Website

» Grow traffic

» SEO

» Content creation- marketing

» Product recommendations

Brand» Crisis Management

» Case studies

» Direct communication with customers

» Find brand advocates

» Personalize the company

» Corporate or Exec branding

Support» Content creation- support

» Content creation- learning

» Questions and answers

R&D» Idea generation» Prioritization» Beta testing/ Focus Groups» Strategic partnering» Content Creation- software

Sales» Product recommendations» Use cases» Impulse buy» Question & Answer- pre-sales» Word of mouth marketing

Internal Community» Communication» Knowledge sharing» R&D» New employee education

- Slide 10 -

Customer/Community Needs

Define customer sets (segments)» What types of customers come to your sites?» What do you know about these groups?

Identify what they need and when» When do they engage with the company and what are their

goals?» How important are each of these areas to the user?

Score how we are delivering on these needs today. Use this information to find the areas of greatest need/

opportunity from the Customer’s perspective. Evaluate impact of new projects to existing members

***ask customers***

- Slide 11 -

Crossroads

http://www.flickr.com/photos/kh-67/3339157498/

Plot the shortest path

Finding the right projects Tweak existing or start fresh? Brainstorm projects that will deliver to the goals Balance longer term with quick wins

Communicate clearly (set expectations)

Stakeholders + involved Elevator level

Project manage the delivery

http://www.flickr.com/photos/flyzipper/

Prove it Continue to measure

community health metrics » Activity » Growth

Project level success measures

» As you mature, this becomes more important

» Must be in terms that match the business need

Getting to ROI that makes sense to your executives

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mr_beaver/3486761520/

- Slide 15 -

Caution:

Be Realistic(What is reasonable to expect from your users)

Understand Community (What it is and is not good for)

Be True to your Brand

Crossroads

http://www.flickr.com/photos/kh-67/3339157498/

Thank You!

Questions?