Presentation on online communities given at LIFT summit in Atlanta. Talks about B2B online communities, personal branding, and how vendors can get involved.

1. The Evolution of Online Communities: From Knowledge Sharing to Personal Brand Building George Krautzel, Co-Founder and President, Toolbox.com OfficeArrow, LLC. 2009.

2. Table of Contents: Section 1: Introduction Section 2: Evolution of Online Communities Section 3: How Professionals Are Using B2B Online Communities Section 4: Personal Branding in B2B Online Communities Section 5: Why Vendors Should Start Engaging Now in Online Communities Section 6: Q&A

3. Section 1: Introduction

5. Provide an online platform that enables professionals to easily share knowledge with their peers

6. Existing Communities

7. IT (11 years), HR (<1 yr), and Finance (<1 yr)

8. More than 3.0 million unique monthly visitors and 1.6 million registered members

9. Over 2.6 million pages of user-generated content

10. Advertising Services

11. More than 800 advertising partners, including: IBM, HP, Oracle, Microsoft, DellToolbox.com Growth – Registered Members Q3 2009 1,659

13. 2-way conversations between friends

14. Personal experiences, socially driven

15. Content is communication, specific appeal

16. 2-way conversations between peers

18. 1-way conversation from experts to readers

19. News, consumer interests, and trends

20. Content is carefully vetted, broad appeal

21. 1-way conversation from experts to readers

22. News, case studies, best practicesConsumer Business

23. Section 2: Evolution of Online Communities

24. Community is Not a New Concept

26. Precursor of discussion boards, peer-to-peer networking

27. Organized and categorized for easy knowledge sharing

29. Short binary retention time (although now archived as Google Groups)

31. Offered a graphical user interface (GUI) instead of command lines

32. Pioneered the chat room concept

35. Well designed to create member engagement

36. Wall/newsfeed functionality highlights activity of connections

37. Various applications for sharing/collaboration

39. Easy way to stay current on news and trends in your areas of interest

40. Potential to connect with and influence the influencers

43. Results from the Toolbox.com/PJA Social Media Index Survey of 3,000+ IT pros in each of the four wavesSource: Toolbox.com/PJA IT Social Media Index, Wave 4, June 2009

45. Manage careers

46. Stay current

47. Solve problems faster

48. Research vendors

49. Make better decisions

50. Tap into tools for peer collaboration

51. Personal networks

52. Blogs

53. Discussion groups

54. WikisCost-effective, timely, and better solutions Member question Community feedback

55. Solving Problems – Discussion Group Example

56. Section 4: Personal Branding in B2B Online Communities

58. Tom Peters, best selling author on business management

59. According to a recent survey by ExecuNet, the average tenure of an executive with the same company has slipped to 2.8 years

60. Loyalty to “You” does not have to be in conflict with loyalty to your company

62. Scott Monty, head of social media at Ford Motors

63. While this quote has a negative connotation, the same understanding also creates opportunity

65. For individuals

66. Answers “what’s in it for me” and provides a foundation for personal brand management

67. Increases likelihood of responses to inquiries

68. Produces the opportunity to leverage the community to vet answers

69. For the community

70. Provides incentive for transparency

72. Community assesses value

75. Can be based on quality, quantity, response time, etc.

78. Benefits of Active Participation – Example: Nic Harvard “By participating in an active community, I can benchmark my skills and understand my knowledge gaps. By doing so, I can plan my career path, better position myself for new appointments, and/or understand the greatest value-add ability to a current employer. At the very least, it allows anyone, no matter where they are in their career, to know what they don’t know.”

80. Transitioned from a consumer of Toolbox.com to a contributor to enhance brand

81. Benefits of participation:

82. Builds brand awareness

83. Positions company as having a deep pool of knowledge

87. Results from the Toolbox.com/PJA Social Media Index Survey of 3,000+ IT pros in each of the four wavesWhich of the following statements best reflects your attitude about vendor participation in online communities? Source: Toolbox.com/PJA IT Social Media Index, Wave 4, June 2009

89. Primary Goals: Engaging prospects and customers outside of their Web site

90. Secondary Goals: Lead generation, drive traffic, thought leadership and branding

91. Measurements: Cost of sales, customer retention, brand penetration and measurements from direct results stage

92. Marketing Tactics:

93. Vendor communities

94. Two-way ads

95. Messaging connections using trigger marketing

97. Primary Goals: Drive traffic and lead generation

98. Secondary Goals: Thought leadership and branding

99. Measurements: CPL, CPC, brand measurements confirmed through surveys

100. Marketing Tactics:

101. Search ads

102. Lead generation – white papers, webcasts

103. Branding - IMUs, larger units, microsites

104. E-mail – list rentals

105. Value: Web as a promotional vehicle

106. Primary Goals: Trial a new media concept, gain eyeballs, build brand and drive awareness

107. Measurements: Cost per impression

108. Marketing Tactics:

109. Branding – buttons, banners

110. E-mail – newsletters, list rentals2004-2009 2010-2015 1996-2003

111. Impact = Site visits/leads Effort = Funding Marketing ROI – Traditional Campaigns Traditional Campaigns With traditional campaigns there is a direct relationship between funding and results – once a campaign is over, that activity usually ceases (landing page visits, etc.). VALUE TIME Source: Pauline Ores, IBM

112. Impact = Relevance and engagement Effort = Funding Marketing ROI – Online Community Campaigns Social Media Impact Social media marketing requires continuous, steady investment to build and manage the network, with eventual value created as the network grows and becomes self-sustaining. VALUE Marketing through an online community allows advertisers to quickly engage and make an impact with their target audiences. TIME Source: Pauline Ores, IBM

113. Creating a Beachhead Within Active Communities About Section: Provides an overview of the vendor, as well as links to allow community members to quickly connect with or contact the vendor. Connections: Lists the community members who have expressed their interest in engaging and staying current by creating a connection with the vendor. Vendor Assets: Prominently displays the vendor’s information assets, including white papers, webcasts, product demos, news, PR, and more. Participation: Shows related postings by the vendor within the Toolbox.com community.

115. Test, listen, engage, and learn

118. My profile on Twitter: http://twitter.com/georgekrautzel