Building an Online Community: Strategy, Launch, Engagement, GrowthPresentation Transcript
Building an Online Community –from Strategy, Planning and Launch to Effective Engagement and Adoption Catherine Shinners
Our Conversation Today• Why communities matter-A macro economic perspective• Community principles and dynamics• Four stages of community Inception • Strategy and Planning • Business strategy alignment • Community business model • Community architecture • Critical success factors Establishment Growth Maturity• Case Study
Asset value transition Changing asset base Over two decades, intangible assets became key drive of economy 3
Networked Organization Market Share Gains Operating Margins Market LeadershipCloser customer relationships Collaboration with partnersCustomer support Agile decision-makingProduct development Empowered teams The rise of the networked enterprise: Web 2.0 finds its payday, McKinsey report No. 22, Spring 2011 4
Communities – exploiting the long tail The Long Tail: Why the Future of Business is Selling Less of More, Anderson, C. , 2006 5
Community Principles Communities have a lifecycle Communities have a unique set of dynamics
Community dynamics Transparency participants see each other’s Collective Participation contributions created & value is expanded from achieved wide through contributions participation Emergence value emerges Independent Persistence from collective engagement contributions interactions anytime, captured for anyplace, at sharing, will viewing The Social Organization: How to use social media to tap the collective genius of customer and employee Bradley, A., , McDonald, M., Harvard Business Press, 2011
Community Lifecycle Inception Establishment Growth Maturity•High value content •Growing sense of • Higher levels of • Community more sparks engagement community interaction , self-sustaining engagement• Comm. Mgr. direct •Regular • Community sense • Subgroup, affinity outreach, initiates communications of shared history, group formation discussions, prompts achievements • Social media channel •Reformation of response, relationship • Volunteer-led purpose building, seeks engagement activities interaction to content •Recruit volunteers • Advancement in• Program of online UX, platform, •Survey, poll members events – forums, metrics, analytics expert bloggers, •Recognition programs original content •Promote community •Advanced analytics A life-cycle perspective on online community success, Iriberri, A ., Leroy, G., ACM Computing Surveys, Volume 41 Issue 2, February 2009
Stage 1: Inception•Engage and education stakeholders•Identify strategic business alignment•Plan for inception & establishment•Determine critical success factors and KPIs for early phases•Lay groundwork & infrastructure for growth and maturity phases
Business Strategy Alignment InceptionExternal Facing Internal Facing• Customer engagement and loyalty • Productivity – Obtain feedback and – Increase quality of knowledge information on customer needs & advice & requirements – Increase idea creation – Improve customer service – Enhance problem solving – Accelerate new business and product innovation• Visibility and reputation – Save time during information – Improve or enhance reputation seeking and sharing – Increase access to expert knowledge • Employee communication & trust – Exchange information with – Better understanding & credible sources alignment across organizations – Increase level of trust 10
Community Business Model Inception Being involved in this community is important to me because… Value Proposition Customers or prospects, partners or employees. Market Market Segment segment(s), targeted level (CXO, leaders, end users etc) Expert curation > original content > topical forums > showcase Value Chain customer leadership > demonstrates commitment to customer Enhance customer loyalty, accelerate opportunity with partners, Revenue Impact give access to expertise, value to product or support. Position in value Identify how the community is aligned with business initiatives or network strategic engagements or programs Differentiation, customer loyalty, satisfaction, underserved Competitive Strategy segment, disruptive potential, product insight
Community Architecture Inception Community Management Facilitates, stewards daily interactions Manages volunteers Face of community, promotes community Monitor, measure, report Evangelizes , recruits internal , external advocates Define, refine strategy, outcomes Social Media, Platform, UX Content & Events Marketing, Analytics , Programming Communications Operations •Compelling, evolving UX •Original content • Social media engagement & promotion •KPIs, Benchmarks •Expert curation • Regular member •Identify, manage tools •Regular, online events communications • Marketing strategy •Educating stakeholders •Targeted discussions (online, partners) • Metrics reports for •Promoting trending topics humans Governance Terms & Conditions Company Policies Executive Sponsor Legal, IT, HR
Critical Success Factors Inception • Effective education of stakeholders • Identify executive sponsor • Resourced for lifecycle and business strategy success – Community manager, social media manager, content specialists, analytics talent – Content and programs: Plans and budgets for events, content development, content curation, recognition programs – Communications and marketing plan in place – Metrics: tools, services to analyze effective performance • Governance model alignment with larger organization • Technology and user experience attuned to targeted community 13
Stage 2: Establishment• Cultivate, facilitate along spectrum of engagement• Identify leaders, influencers• Recognition, volunteer programs• Regular cadence of events, programs, communications• Refine resource requirements for growth• Internal and external advocacy• Partnerships in place• Active cycle of engagement• Analytics, metrics aligned with purpose, relevant to management• Benchmarking, active listening 14
Cycle of Engagement Establishment Community Management, Content, UX , Original Programming Social Media, Communications Custom content research = Unique Featured leadership voices + topics of news & resource discovery the day = people like me Ongoing content refresh = Increased New interactive technologies = site traffic + Newsworthy SM modeling collaboration & SM use activities Promotions, SM communications,= Social media interactivity = Additional stimulated community content discovery + credible voice engagement + new members
Stage 3: Growth• Shared sense of history, ownership in community• Community management, content and events program still strong• Varied, tiered volunteer program – empowered leaders• Affinity group formation• UX and analytic evolves with sophistication of community engagement 16
MaturityStage 4: • Robust level of subgroup, affinity group formation • Increasingly self-sustaining interaction • Evaluate purpose-mission – tune or repurpose 17
Inception Case Study • Business benefit - visibility and reputation • Segment – education leaders and innovators • Purpose – foster peer-to-peer leadership dialogue – education innovation • Expert curation, original content, events, featured luminaries • Recognition program • Customer UX oriented at education leader segmentPublic Service of Cisco
Know Your Leaders Inception
Using Social Media for Establishment Public Service of Cisco
A Focus on Community Building Establishment Awareness and global reach – new members Engage with and facilitate leader conversations Drive participation and community engagement Advance sense of connection for leaders Better understand community needs – active listening
EstablishmentAwareness, Reach Recruitment • LinkedIn Group – Promoting events, content – Bring content to relevant discussion groups Awareness – Email through LI - campaigns to bring in your Global Reach members • Twitter Engage new members – Targeted, focused outreach to influencers, leaders, innovators – Meet and greet – call to action to join • Facebook – Targeted ads to leaders with geo expansion – Global content, commentary
EstablishmentCommunity ConnectionEngagement • LinkedIn – Listen & participate in relevant domain groups – Monitor expert discussions – Calls to action to community eventsParticipation programming • TwitterActivelistening – Monitor domain #hashtags for trending topics – Participate in #hashtag live chatsAuthenticvoice – Promotion of community events, content • YouTube – Great, original content featuring peer leaders
EstablishmentCommunity EngagementBe an • Focus, target outreach at members level,authentic, quality engagement peer-to-peeractiveparticipant in • Actively participate in conversations, bringthe great content, cultivate authentic stanceconversation • Bring new experiences – help them become more adept • Innovate, experiment, display leadershipYou have tobe engagedto getengagement
GrowthValue Metrics for Community • KPIs – Audience Engagement – Share of Voice – Advocate InfluenceA New – Idea ImpactFramework forMeasuring – Sentiment RatioResults inSocial Media • BenchmarkingJeremiah Owyang &John Lovett, TheAltimeter Group, 2010 • Test-experiment with tools, frameworks
Catherine Shinners Social Business Strategic Consulting and Enterprise 2.0 Services Palo Alto, CA and Cambridge, MA +1-650-704-3889 catherineshinners@mercedgroup.com blog: www.collaboration-incontext.com www.mercedgroup.com PresidentMerced Group www.linkedin.com/catherineshinners @catshinners Skype: CatherinePaloAlto
