Building and growing your online community

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.

Thank you!

Derek Ricederek@derekrice.com

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