Choosing to Get Involved

Online Communities

Online communities are some of the newest tools in the marketing arena and many successful companies are employing them.  There are several reasons why companies get involved in online community technology and management, but it most definitely should not be because everyone else is doing it.

What type of criteria should be used to determine if a company should participate in online communities? In other words, what are a company’s motivating factors in using online communities? This question needs to be clearly answered.  Using online communities gives a company a chance to really listen to the consumer and a deep understanding of the customer.  This focus shift from the usual outbound communication with consumers is very different since using this method moves the communication control to the hands of the consumer.

Does the company want to improve their product? Engaging in online communities allows the company to hear what their customers are saying about the company, the brand and the product.  This is a great way to get unmitigated first-hand information.  In cases mentioned in this week’s reading, we see that the consumer in many cases is more familiar with the product than the company’s own support team.   In addition, if the revenue model of the company includes releases of newer versions of an existing product, then who better to listen to than the consumer? Monitoring online communities for wish lists and other feature requests can be very helpful in creating a newer, better version for market.

Do you want to protect your brand? By monitoring “chatter” about the product/brand, a company is able to quickly pacify and hopefully easily persuade agitated consumers to aid in rectifying any problems or issues.  This also includes preempting product crises and dealing with negative users.

Where is your competition? One other factor in choosing to participate in online communities is if the competition has a significant presence in other online networks and communities.  This alone isn’t a determining factor.  However, it is important to be visible for the customers to be able to compare.

Budget! If a company decides to participate in online communities, whether it is on its own web space or through other community tools like Facebook, it will take money.  Make sure you have an available budget.  You will need moderators and managers to make sure your goals are focused and on track.  Planning and strategy are also essential and that too takes money.

Now that you have decided that involvement in online communities is necessary to the company’s success, how should they participate? It is first important to determine what the goals are.  Is it to gain product intelligence?  Is it to gain followers and loyalty? Find a way of measuring progress so one can determine if the efforts are making ground.  Next, listen and listen carefully.  This can be done by simple observation/monitoring or by searching (search.twitter.com, etc.) and see what people are saying.

Participation in the online community largely depends on the context and goals of the interaction.   For example, responses to product issues should be done quickly.  Devising a process of monitoring the communities daily or hourly could be very helpful in reaching this objective.  It may also be necessary to start conversations or re-energize them if they dwindle.  Also, be prepared to redirect conversations during community participation if there is a specific goal that needs attention (i.e. new product features).  It is always good practice to identify oneself , be authentic, and be organic when participating in the community.  Pay attention to the written rules of the community and also to the rules of the community not mentioned but understood by other members.  Be consistent with voice and tone when representing the company in community tools like twitter and Facebook.  Also, always adhere to the company’s own community policies and police it when violators are present.

Most importantly, be passionate about the product and remember no one can do it alone! Some of the necessary help will come from the participants of the community.  Focus energy on the evangelists and major participants of the online communities (both good and bad) and establish and keep these relationships healthy. Reward and encourage them to help in the growth of your online community.

Choosing to enter, create and participate in online communities for your consumer-facing company leaves a lot to be considered.  What is clear, from all the information and data in regard to this market strategy, is that there is no one way of approaching it–each community, each situation is different.  However, the overall guideline for the criteria and participation seems to be consistent; listen, be passionate and be authentic.