This document discusses online communities and their benefits for organizations. It provides an overview of an online community consulting service that helps organizations develop thriving online communities for competitive advantage. The service guides organizations through scoping the business case, building a community platform, developing membership, and ongoing community management to achieve business goals. It also outlines primary community purposes, benefits and ROI metrics. Finally, it presents a roadmap for building a community through pre-launch planning, launch, growth, performance management and enhancement phases.

1. Online Community
Futures

2. Online Community Educator
“An online destination that exists to bring together like-minded
practitioners, subject matter experts and related groups, into a space where
they can exchange ideas, obtain new knowledge, download fresh
assets, connect, discover, promote , view and share” Rick O’Neill – Look Touch
Feel
For US its about:
Providing a rich experience in a connected environment …
creating, communicating and contributing… driven by personal
interest and motivation
Done well… this means developing a loyal customer audience
(internal/external) for sustainable business results!

3. Online Community Futures
An Online Community provider:
Helping organisations develop thriving and sustainable
Communities/audiences for competitive advantage
Transforming :
Organisations current Offline Capability Online
Benefitting/Delivering:
Increased Revenue generation, International Brand
Reach, Insight & Innovation and Increased performance to
individuals and organisations

4. Online Community Futures
Service offering… making a difference!
Linking Business Strategy & Delivering Organisational
Goals through Online Communities
By Integrating:
• Business (Community) Strategy & Vision
• Capability assessment & development
• Member Community Building
• Technology selection and implementation
• On going support and management

5. Online Community Futures
Service offering… making a difference!
We take organisations & its individuals through a process
of :
• Scoping and developing the business case
• Building a world class fit for purpose platform
• Developing a Community to reach critical mass &
activity to reach business goals
• Provide clear measurements/actions and process for on
going management of the Community and sustainable
performance
• And ensure everything is strategically aligned to the
business and Best Practice

6. Primary Purposes & Purchasers of
Online Communities
• Sales ( B2B & B2C)
• Education ( Knowledge Transfer)
• Talent ( Acquisition & Development)
• Networks/ Associations ( Offline /Online)

7. 10 Community Benefits & ROI
• Revenue ( & Profit Margin) Generation
• Insights & Innovation
• Customer Loyalty (& Brand Affinity)
• Brand Reach / Awareness
• Market Positioning
• Customer Service & Support
• Talent/Customer - Acquisition, Engagement, Retention &
Development
• Diversity Initiatives & Measurement
• Cost Savings
• Quality, Standards, Compliance & Reporting

8. Community RoadMap

9. Community Build
Functionality
Phases

10. Enhanced
Recommended
Core
Community

11. Online Community Futures

12. •Business & shared Community Goals
•ROI & Measurement
•Community Purpose & Membership Value Proposition (MVP) definition
•Timescales & Budget (£)
Scope Agreement
•Technology scope/selection
Pre-Scope •Management & Reporting aims
•Business Strategy
•Brand
•Organisational Services Review
•Market Research – Customer/Member Analysis Assessment & Mission Workshops & Feedback
•Internal Interfaces /Community team capability review
Collation & Analysis •Social Media review/readiness/strategy (Groups/Communities)
•Communication
•Strategy for Success
•End-to-End Build Plan
•Milestones (KPI’s)
•Agree staged Site Development – Core/Recommended/Enhanced functionality
•Communication and Engagement Plan
Project Plan
•Team set-up,/ownership & accountabilities & Tech Spec
Create •Measures
•Process Map
•Build a Community Plan on Real People!
•Seek and Track Members (Influencers/Evangelist/Groups and Networks)
•Early Content development (Blog/Tweets)
•Early Member Adoption Tasks/Rewards/Privileges Pre Community Builder
•Build Community need - Create Desire / Anticipation (3 month Pre-Launch
Build – Relate, Attract & •First Community Member Search & Plan 1-10-100-1000
Engage •Gain Association/ Competitor Community Participation Strategy)
•Pre Launch Communications
•Promote Member Value Proposition (MVP)

13. •Onboard future Community Manager – plan, promote, recruit, relate, contribute, and Become the Community!
•Ensure completion of 3m Pre-Launch Strategy Plan
•Core Site Features and Functionality testing Core Site Go-Live!
•Build a Core Steering Group / Management Team (Initiate Stages 2
•Execute member growth plan 10-100-100 and/or transition /Convert existing/newly created Social Media Group and 3 Roll-out Plan)
Pre/Launch Members to (Private/Public) Community
•Deliver: Welcome WOW Pack & Community Care Charter (Getting Started + Guidelines)
•Community Manager work acceleration: promoting, introducing, contributor relations, momentum building, ideas
management, issue resolution, site design feedback/improvement etc.
•Increasing Member Participation/Investment (Time/Energy/Emotions/Money)
•Launch Competitions/Rewards/Recognition
•Operate Open vs. Closed membership strategies (as appropriate)
Retention & Stickiness
•Promote Referral/Friend Rewards Report
Growing and Bonding •Member Surveys/Content Review
•Create member stickiness – power, friends area, contribution, personal purpose, ‘known here!’ status, customised
profiles, data/info storage etc.
•Moderating
•Measuring
•Monetizing Performance Reporting &
•Continual Assessment (Member Feedback/MPV Review/Competitor analysis) Recommendation
•Increasing Participation
Performance Managing •Performance Reporting
Community Change
•Plan Enhancement (Business/Investment)
•Loop back to Pre Launch and follow process for all Major Site Changes Proposal &
Enhancing Implementation Plan

14. www.normacorlette.com Norma Corlette norma@normacorlette.com
+44 7811 373 582