Secrets to Online Community & Social Media Success Steve Murthey Director, Social Media Strategic Consulting Group Mzinga [email_address]

Agenda Introductions & Overview 7 Components for Successful Community Featured Case Studies Q & A Discussion

About Me Steve Murthey Director, Social Media Strategic Consulting Group at Mzinga Over 20 years of strategic planning, organizational development, management, and consulting experience with Fortune 500 corporations Previous Experience: Director of Solutions Engineering at O’Reilly Media Managed multiple consulting & sales solutions organizations Six Sigma green belt Certified Professional of Human Resources (PHR) BS in Communications from Northern Illinois University

Steve Murthey

Director, Social Media Strategic Consulting Group at Mzinga

Over 20 years of strategic planning, organizational development, management, and consulting experience with Fortune 500 corporations

Previous Experience:

Director of Solutions Engineering at O’Reilly Media

Managed multiple consulting & sales solutions organizations

Six Sigma green belt

Certified Professional of Human Resources (PHR)

BS in Communications from Northern Illinois University

What Does Not Make a Successful Community? “ Build it, and they will come” approach Tools-focused approach Solid strategy, but limited plan for execution Failing to nurture on an ongoing basis Not listening to your membership Focusing on quantitative ROI over “customer franchise value”

“ Build it, and they will come” approach

Tools-focused approach

Solid strategy, but limited plan for execution

Failing to nurture on an ongoing basis

Not listening to your membership

Focusing on quantitative ROI over “customer franchise value”

7 Components of a Successful Community Community Membership Acquisition & Retention Plan Strategy & Defined Business Objectives Ongoing Community Management Membership Communication Moderation Content & Programming Tools & Rollout

Membership Acquisition & Retention Criteria to consider: Who is your community targeting? Why should they care about it? What is your desired target interaction with your audience? What’s in it for them? How can you compete with other similar communities? How will you retain them after they have become members? Component

Criteria to consider:

Who is your community targeting?

Why should they care about it?

What is your desired target interaction with your audience?

What’s in it for them?

How can you compete with other similar communities?

How will you retain them after they have become members?

Membership Acquisition & Retention Featured Success: Think Big, Start Small Clear membership acquisition plan Began with employees, then created an advisory panel of experts Invited a small group of their most vocal customers Expanded outreach to their entire domestic list Active member recognition Recently expanded to international audience

Featured Success: Think Big, Start Small

Clear membership acquisition plan

Began with employees, then created an advisory panel of experts

Invited a small group of their most vocal customers

Expanded outreach to their entire domestic list

Active member recognition

Recently expanded to international audience

Defined Strategy & Business Objectives Criteria to consider: What are your trying to accomplish with your community? How will you measure success? Who is the primary community “owner”? What policies and processes do you need to put in place? What are the roles and responsibilities associated with your community? Component

Criteria to consider:

What are your trying to accomplish with your community?

How will you measure success?

Who is the primary community “owner”?

What policies and processes do you need to put in place?

What are the roles and responsibilities associated with your community?

Defined Strategy & Business Objectives Best Practices Community for Financial Firm Goal: Enable target audience (CFOs) to share best practices with each other, and learn from cross-sharing expertise. Featured Lesson Learned: Lack of Alignment Inhibits Community Success Community strategy was inconsistent with company business environment Target audience (CFOs) generally aren’t tech-savvy, aren’t interested in sharing, and couldn’t see the value. The company culture didn’t foster sharing, so getting internal buy-in and participation was difficult Result: Stale content, poor communication and low traffic

Best Practices Community for Financial Firm Goal: Enable target audience (CFOs) to share best practices with each other, and learn from cross-sharing expertise.

Featured Lesson Learned: Lack of Alignment Inhibits Community Success

Community strategy was inconsistent with company business environment

Target audience (CFOs) generally aren’t tech-savvy, aren’t interested in sharing, and couldn’t see the value.

The company culture didn’t foster sharing, so getting internal buy-in and participation was difficult

Result: Stale content, poor communication and low traffic

Ongoing Community Management Criteria to consider: Who will manage day-to-day community interactions? What are the standards for doing so? Who is the voice of the community to your company? Who will engage and develop your community? Who will coordinate with community moderators? Component

Criteria to consider:

Who will manage day-to-day community interactions?

What are the standards for doing so?

Who is the voice of the community to your company?

Who will engage and develop your community?

Who will coordinate with community moderators?

Membership Acquisition & Retention Featured Success: Amass Critical Knowledge Recognized that seeding, facilitating, answering questions was important for their "Workspaces" product community Initial launch in English enabled a referenceable knowledgebase for future International sites Established significant escalation paths so additional questions could be forwarded to the right people in a timely fashion

Featured Success: Amass Critical Knowledge

Recognized that seeding, facilitating, answering questions was important for their "Workspaces" product community

Initial launch in English enabled a referenceable knowledgebase for future International sites

Established significant escalation paths so additional questions could be forwarded to the right people in a timely fashion

Community Moderation Criteria to consider: What are acceptable practices for user-generated content within your community? How will you define your standards for member behavior? How will you monitor user comments and posts on a daily basis? Will you use a proactive or reactive approach? Will you allow members to report violations, and if so, how? Component

Criteria to consider:

What are acceptable practices for user-generated content within your community?

How will you define your standards for member behavior?

How will you monitor user comments and posts on a daily basis?

Will you use a proactive or reactive approach?

Will you allow members to report violations, and if so, how?

Moderation API Developer Network for Software Company Goal: Allow internal and external developers to share information and collaborate online Featured Success: Open Conversation Has Value Originally, the company did not intend to allow any negative comments to posted to the live site They later realized that it hindered the benefits of the community: Immediate identification of bugs, Vision into the conversations Ability to more immediately address concerns and issues Result: They changed their policy, and allowed open discussion.

API Developer Network for Software Company Goal: Allow internal and external developers to share information and collaborate online

Featured Success: Open Conversation Has Value

Originally, the company did not intend to allow any negative comments to posted to the live site

They later realized that it hindered the benefits of the community:

Immediate identification of bugs,

Vision into the conversations

Ability to more immediately address concerns and issues

Result: They changed their policy, and allowed open discussion.

Member Communications Criteria to consider: How will you initially communicate with members? What are you communicating? How will that communication differ in later stages? How will communication differ depending on the type of member? Who else needs to be involved in creating / approving member communications? Component

Criteria to consider:

How will you initially communicate with members?

What are you communicating?

How will that communication differ in later stages?

How will communication differ depending on the type of member?

Who else needs to be involved in creating / approving member communications?

Member Communication Featured Success: Clear Communication Consistent, proactive outreach Weekly newsletter communication Weight loss challenges Focused on relevant, pertinent information— not selling Consistent, but not overwhelming, communication

Featured Success: Clear Communication

Consistent, proactive outreach

Weekly newsletter communication

Weight loss challenges

Focused on relevant, pertinent information— not selling

Consistent, but not overwhelming, communication

Community Content & Programming Criteria to consider: What types of content does the membership want? Who will be responsible for providing the content for your community? Will you create new content, or use existing material—or both? What portion will be expert-driven and what portion will be user-generated? What is the schedule for refreshing content? What mix of static and event-based content will you use? Component

Criteria to consider:

What types of content does the membership want?

Who will be responsible for providing the content for your community?

Will you create new content, or use existing material—or both?

What portion will be expert-driven and what portion will be user-generated?

What is the schedule for refreshing content?

What mix of static and event-based content will you use?

Community Content & Programming Featured Lesson Learned: Solid Strategy, Weak Execution Community strategy called for 50% of a full-time employee to manage community and aggregate content Company allowed one person to spend less than 1 hour per week on the initiative Result: Community adoption floundered and never met intended potential Best Practices Community for Financial Services Firm Goal: Enable target audience (CFOs) to share best practices with each other, and learn from cross-sharing expertise.

Featured Lesson Learned: Solid Strategy, Weak Execution

Community strategy called for 50% of a full-time employee to manage community and aggregate content

Company allowed one person to spend less than 1 hour per week on the initiative

Result: Community adoption floundered and never met intended potential

Best Practices Community for Financial Services Firm Goal: Enable target audience (CFOs) to share best practices with each other, and learn from cross-sharing expertise.

Community Tools & Rollout Criteria to consider: What infrastructure and integration needs do you have? Which social applications are best suited to support your community goals? Would a phased implementation approach allow for a better community experience for you and your members? Who will manage your community technology? What future needs will you have, and will your selected solution support them? Component

Criteria to consider:

What infrastructure and integration needs do you have?

Which social applications are best suited to support your community goals?

Would a phased implementation approach allow for a better community experience for you and your members?

Who will manage your community technology?

What future needs will you have, and will your selected solution support them?

Community Tools & Rollout Online International News Site Goal: Increase online readership and engagement Featured Success: Deploy Tools For the Sake of Community Originally, organization intended to roll out blogs and discussions to every vertical. Instead, they chose to deploy features first to the areas where they have the most content, and areas where they felt it garner the most interest. This approach will allow them to more effectively manage content and conversations.

Online International News Site Goal: Increase online readership and engagement

Featured Success: Deploy Tools For the Sake of Community

Originally, organization intended to roll out blogs and discussions to every vertical.

Instead, they chose to deploy features first to the areas where they have the most content, and areas where they felt it garner the most interest.

This approach will allow them to more effectively manage content and conversations.

Final Thoughts

Questions & Answers

Additional Resources Additional questions? Contact Steve Murthey [email_address] l (781) 328-2840 l www.mzinga.com/blogs www.mzinga.com Amazon.com Blogs www.mzinga.com/blogs Steve Murthey, Isaac Hazard, Heather Strout White Papers - www.mzinga.com (Resource Center) Articles - www.mzinga.com (News & Press)

Blogs

www.mzinga.com/blogs

Steve Murthey, Isaac Hazard, Heather Strout

White Papers

- www.mzinga.com (Resource Center)

Articles

- www.mzinga.com (News & Press)