Building a Robust Online Community

Building a Robust Online Community
LISA BOWNAS Director of Strategic Services

Top independent digital marketing agency
Founded in 1981; 200+ associates
Clients include HP, P&G, The Limited Brands
Headquartered in Columbus, OH
Published two books
The Ten Demandments (2002)
The Open Brand (2008)
ABOUT RESOURCE INTERACTIVE

More than 25% of the search results on Google for the world’s 20 largest brands, are consumer generated content. — Nielsen Buzz Metrics The number of text messages sent and received each day exceed the population of Earth . — m-metrics, 2007 Mobile Commerce Landscape 77% of Internet users read online product reviews. — JupiterResearch, August 2007 412.3 years = Time it would take to view all of the material on YouTube. — Digital Ethnography, Kansas State University March 17th 2008 85.9 million social network users in the U.S. — eMarketer, 2008 1.4 blogs created every second of every day. — Technorati 2007 The average U.S. citizen will spend 5.4 years per lifetime online. --Nielsen Online Stats, 2007

community
a social, religious, occupational, or other group sharing common characteristics or interests and perceived or perceiving itself as distinct in some respect from the larger society within which it exists (usually prec. by the ): the business community; the community of scholars.
Source: dictionary.com

community

COMMUNITY EXAMPLES
Forums and discussion boards
Social tagging
Ratings and reviews
Blogs
Virtual worlds
Wikis
Photo sharing
Video sharing

COMMUNITIES AND O.P.E.N.

Five Reasons to Open Your Brand REVENUE ROI R&D RELATIONSHIPS RELEVANCE

… is for On-Demand Delivers accessible, self-directed and instantly gratifying experiences. … is for Personal Facilitates meaningful interaction with many markets of one. … is for Engaging Deepens attachment through relevant emotional experiences. … is for Networked Taps the exponential potential of individual consumers and online niche communities.
Efficiency
Ease
Control
Findability
Instantaneousness
Acknowledgement
Dialogue
Customization
Privilege
Popularity
Participation
Belonging
Immersion
Entertainment
Inspiration
Self-expression
Ego gratification
Portability
Community
Meaningful change
Defining Traits of OPEN

ON-DEMAND Do you make it fast and easy to subscribe or renew?

PERSONAL Do you listen to your consumers and personalize their experience?

ENGAGING Do you compel consumers to spend time with your publication online?

NETWORKED Do your consumers collectively influence the future of your publication?

EXAMPLES

SCOTTS MIRACLE-GRO REDESIGN Transforming the experience from product to consumer-centric

Personal profile: sharing and blogging

Communities, pic sharing and forums

Helpful articles, projects, advice

RESULTS
Recognized by media outlets such as New York Times for its approachable appeal
Thousands of registrations within first month and since launching, thousands of photos have been uploaded and product recommendations posted

USA TODAY Consumers shape and spread the news by commenting and sharing

USA TODAY Consumers can participate at all levels – read, recommend or comment

STYLE.COM LOOKBOOKS Consumers create, share and rate Style.com content in personal lookbooks

VS PINK Comprehensive Digital Millennial experience that bridges online, offline and mobile

VS PINK Dance video contest with voting

VS PINK Mobile app for picture sharing

PEOPLE’S CHOICE AWARDS
USER GENERATED POLLS
Centered community around influence
Allowed customers to write their own polls

HOW TO GET STARTED: POST
P eople
O bjective
S trategy
T echnology/Tactic
Source: Forrester Research

P eople
Consumer/customer wants/needs
Info gathering/research
Poll or survey
Age, interests, online activities

ICITIZENS Motivations to Create, Share, Influence Online “ I CONNECT” Connect and share with people who have similar interests 16% “ I AM” Improve companies or the experience of self and others 7% “ I MATTER” Seek recognition and some degree of fame/fortune 3% “ I CAN” Use digital tools for life management 74%

MUCH MORE THAN CONSUMING… Creating Resource Interactive iCitizen Motivational Study, 2007 Adult online population in the last month Created an online video Posted a rating/review Published my own blog Tagged web pages or other content Participated in a virtual world Created or revised a wiki page/entry Mashed up content 18-25 year olds in the last month

MUCH MORE THAN CONSUMING… Sharing and Influencing Resource Interactive iCitizen Motivational Study, 2007 Found something online and passed it along Commented on a blog Uploaded pictures/videos/audio Used a social networking site Participated in an online community/forum Chatted online with a customer service rep using IM Adult online population in the last month 18-25 year olds in the last month

DIGITAL MILLENNIALS RESEARCH
Defining Characteristics:
Perpetually connected
Multi-tasking and productive
Filtering for immediacy and control
Self-expressive yet assimilative
Optimistic and self-entitled
Digital diaries with Gen Y fuel insights for innovation, speed to market and brand relevance.

1: Keep it real 2: Hear me out 5: Entertain me WHAT DIGITAL MILLENNIALS NEED 3: Be original or don’t be 4: My way now

O bjective
Identify your key objective
Attract new subscribers?
Deepen engagement with existing subscribers?
Increase loyalty?

S trategy
Changing relationship with subscribers

T echnology/Tactic
Select the social technology/tactic

IDEAS Leverage existing communities

IDEAS
Use polls to start the dialogue

YOUR IDEAS

YOUR IDEAS
What else could Florida Trend do?

YOUR IDEAS

THANK YOU. LISA BOWNAS [email_address] 614.621.2888 www.resource.com

Building a Robust Online Community

by Resource Interactive on Aug 29, 2008

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