Online Communities: How brands are edging their way into the heart of the conversation

Be heard. The heart of the conversation: challenges brands face edging their way into this sacred space

Take off your marketing, PR, advertising, sales, market research… hat for a moment Source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/expressmonorail/2416243832/

What do we mean by online communities?

people Source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/belljar/18171527/sizes/m/

interest Source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/11164709@N06/4387457002/sizes/o/

purpose Source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/jesuscm/3944482796/sizes/l/

technology

8 Community Types   Corporate Voice Community   User‐Generated Content/ Micro Site Campaign   Enthusiasts Community   Associa>ons/ Subscribers Community   Loyalty Community   Innova>on Community   Peer Support Community   Event Community Source: Awareness

Why are online communities interesting to brands?

That’s where people are Reason#1 hanging out

People are sharing what Reason#2 is important to them

People are listening to Reason#3 what others are saying

People expect brands to Reason#4 listen, learn & contribute

First mover advantage Reason#5

And inﬂuence oﬀ course!

Brands be aware

Source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/belljar/18171527/sizes/m/

It’s not a place where you win awards for beau>ful adver>sements

.. but rather to build social capital Source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/st-stev/153582206/

You win the hearts and minds of people based on how well you listen, contribute and react

Snapshot of Market   1,700,000,000 people online   500+ million people in social networks   Over 2,000 social networking plaYorms   Over 80 million online communi>es   US$60 billion is spent online to reach consumers   80% of companies are using LinkedIn as their primary tool to ﬁnd employees

Genuine Metrics used to measure the success of social media ini>a>ves according to B2B and B2C companies in North America (September 2009)

Time spent in social networks is increasing 150% year‐on‐year

4.4% 27.8% +

Decrease in search. Increase in community.

Average age across social networks

For the next 2 hours, we’ll explore…   Evolu>on of online communi>es   Approaches brands have taken to engage with online communi>es   Opportuni>es and challenges brands face when engaging with online communi>es   Building an engagement campaign

Evolution of online communities   Adapted from presentation given by Trebor Scholz | Department of Media Study

1970’s-80’s: CompuServe CompuServe allowed members to share files and access news and events. But it also offered something few had ever experienced – true interaction. Those forums proved tremendously popular and paved the way for the modern iterations we know today.

1974: Universities + Governments

1978: Crisis Support

1980’s: Health

1987: Gaming

1980’s-90’s: BBS BBSes were often run by hobbyists who carefully nurtured the social aspects and interest-specific nature of their projects – which, more often than not in those early days of computers, was technology-related.

1995: Culture, Politics & Tactics

1990’s: Social Networks AOL. Yahoo. Classmates. Friendster. Six Degrees. Asian Ave. Blackplanet. MiGente.

2000’s: Social Networks Friendster, LinkedIn, MySpace and Facebook: The Biz Grows Up

Approaches brands have taken

This is how not to do it

This is how you want to do it

Nike encourages the people of Spain to prank their friends and sign up to the Nike+ running community. Ring, Ring, Run, Run!

Some key success factors

In online communi>es it is the content that maeers most. People talk to and with each other not because they know each other or are already connected. Rather, because they share a similar interest, ques>on, concern, ambi>on, query, challenge or other issue. People engage with each other on content and not on connec>ons. You can meet and share ideas with strangers because you are both interested in the subject.

10 things your grandmother can teach you about social media By Eric Fulwiler from Social Media Today

Mind your manners Social media is s>ll social. Even though we are interac>ng in a virtual space, the same tradi>onal social rules, laws, and faux pas s>ll apply. If you act like a jerk, don’t expect many friends.

Tuck in your shirt How you present yourself is just as important in the virtual world as it is in the real world. Make sure you are always aware of how you appear to others.

Send a thank you card People s>ll appreciate being appreciated. It really doesn’t take much to convert an acquaintance to a friend, which will oﬀer exponen>ally more value. A simple thank you, or any genuinely human interac>on of gra>tude goes a long way towards this goal.

Keep your elbows oﬀ the table Ac>ng respecYully in front of others proves that you value them, which will usually make them value you more. And in social media, it’s all about value.

Turn your music down Don’t contribute to the noise. Listen to whatever you want in your own personal space, but when your personal preferences start to become a distrac>on to others, people will tune you out.

Finish what you started Any way you look at it, engagement is a commitment. When you make an eﬀort to become part of a community, it’s not only up to you when or how olen you interact with other members. If you put yourself out there as a friend, be prepared to be there when people reach out to you.

Finish your vegetables There are some aspects of social media that aren’t sexy. But that doesn’t mean they aren’t important to your growth and health. Make sure you are keeping up with the essen>als, and not just chasing that buzz you get from a social sugar high.

Whatever happened to a good old fashioned…? Some>mes all these new gadgets and thingamabobs aren’t as important or eﬀec>ve as we make them out to be. Some>mes a good old fashioned email, phone call, or even in person “get‐together” can accomplish things that social media can’t.

A man is only as good as his word. The currency of social media is trust (or social capital). And if people can’t trust you, you have no value to them.

Think twice before you speak. You can always say something, but you can never take it back. Especially in social media where everything you say can be heard by anyone, forever, there are just too many “ﬁnites” to not reconsider everything you say before you say it.

Interactive workshop

What are all the interac>ve elements a brand Question 1 could engage around within an online community?

Engagement points Discussion forum Video Photo Blog Event – online/ Newsleeer/ email Ac>vity feed/ wall Survey/ poll oﬀ‐line News General info Audio Games RSS Links Admins Banner ad

Feeders of content Community Community Community Social network manager/admin member sponsor/ partner Community Content embeds content Google adwords Banner adnetwork adnetwork stream

Top 3 resources   Cream Global   PR Daily newsletter   The Moderator Community

www.creamglobal.com

http://www.prdaily.com

www.themoderatorcommunity.com

@mariasipka Let’s stay in touch…

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Online Communities: How brands are edging their way into the heart of the conversation

by Linqia on May 06, 2010

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Online Communities: How brands are edging their way into the heart of the conversation — Presentation Transcript