Listen in for a quick "Tips in 20" webinar to learn how to build a strategic framework that will allow your online community to evolve and achieve ongoing success.

2. Community Strategy Framework
BUSINESS GOALS ENGAGEMENT MODEL & PLAN
1. Content Plan
2. Event Plan
3. Community Promotion Plan METRICS/ROI
COMPETITIVE
LANDSCAPE
4. Community Moderation Plan
MEMBER NEEDS

3. 1) Business Goal
boil it down to one sentence
 Enable Customers to Collaborate, Share Knowledge, Increase Revenue
 Differentiate Yourself From Other Service Providers
 Increase Sales (retain members, increase member loyalty)
 Increase Brand Awareness
 Eliminate Geographic Barriers to Networking
 Decrease Cost of Customer Service
 Co-creation of New Products
 Establish Yourself as a Thought Leader
 Better Search Results
 Provide Additional Information
 Educate Customers

4. 1) Business Goal
The business goal of PD 360 was to raise student achievement. They accomplished a
lift of 11.3% improvement in student achievement through an online learning
community for teachers with on demand professional development .
4

5. 1) Business Goal
Know who you are. What type of online community would you be?
5

6. Community Strategy Framework
BUSINESS GOALS
COMPETITIVE
LANDSCAPE

7. 2) Competitive Landscape
Where is your audience (clients/employees) currently having conversations?
Online Communities

8. 2) Competitive Landscape
Conversations are already happening... don’t compete, integrate and compliment
8

9. 2) Learn
9

10. Community Strategy Framework
BUSINESS GOALS
COMPETITIVE
LANDSCAPE
MEMBER NEEDS

11. 3) Member Needs Analysis
Understand your audience. Don’t ask me, ask them.
 Share Knowledge: Explore ideas and
participate in one-on-one private Need for
discussions threads. Access actionable confidentiality
experienced-based solutions from like
minds.
 Connect With Peers: Network with one
another to find exactly the individual you
need who shares your passion. Combat
isolation, share emotions, and experience
a sense of camaraderie.
 Access Tools: find resources that allow
you to do your job better, shorten
decision times, and decrease risk.
 Mirror Current Hot Issues & Needs:
Burning need to
Share information
11

12. 3) Member Needs Analysis
Interview or survey employees to profile your audience
 What member types or personas exist?
 Can you predict their needs?
 How do their needs vary?
 What are they looking for?
 How do they like to interact now?
 How willing are they to share openly?
 Do they want exposure?
 Do they want to influence others?
 Do they want to shape the department?
 Are they time crunched?
12

13. 3) Member Needs Analysis

14. 3) Member Needs Analysis
Professiona
Professiona
Member Needs Analysis
Consultant
Business
Vendor
Other
Exec
IT
l
l
DEMOGRAPHIC
Career Level
Role
Areas of Interest
Geographic Location
College
Gender
Groups/Associations/Honors/Awards
NEEDS and SKILLS
Knowledge transfer
Leverage the experience of others
Collaborate on information and ideas
Implement BPM faster and learn from peers
Other
WILLINGNESS TO CONTRIBUTE
Comment or Rate (blog, wiki, chat, content)
Contribute content (blog, group docs, wiki, chat)
Speak (teleconference, webcast)
Lead or Chair (group, blog, wiki)
Collaborate (group, wiki)
ENGAGEMENT PREFERENCE
Chat
Post or Comment or Rate
Collaborate via wiki
Read content
Attend or lead teleconferences
Join or lead group
Private meetings with other members
Face to face events
CONCERNS
Trust or risk of online permanent record
Lack of time

15. 3) Member Needs Analysis
15

16. Community Strategy Framework
BUSINESS GOALS ENGAGEMENT MODEL & PLAN
1. Content Plan
2. Event Plan
3. Community Promotion Plan
COMPETITIVE
LANDSCAPE
4. Community Moderation Plan
EMPLOYEE NEEDS

17. 4) Engagement Model
Content Plan
 What will you publish?
 Where will you publish?
 How often will you publish?
 How to integrate with traditional channels?
17

18. 4) Engagement Model
Customize your engagement model based on member needs
 Announce new members to the
community & within groups
 Highlight relevant articles to
member types
 Invite members to participate in
relevant events
18

19. 4) Engagement Model
Active and relevant moderation engages members
• Plan touch point cycles
30% of
• Plan your trigger points
moderation is
• Plan for private and semi-private communication active
involvement
70% of
moderation is
behind the scenes
19

20. 4) Engagement Model
Create multiple ways for members to participate
• Chair an affinity group or task force
• Employee-led webinars and teleconferences
• Small group calls, intimate setting, like-minded peers
• Collaborative projects and tools
• Dedicated column in publications
• Member spotlights
• Awards
• Leadership Development: video series on leaders
20

21. 4) Engagement Model
Strive to balance the elements of the community
Content
 Mix up the formats (text, media, audio…)
 Seed with company generated content
 Reward member-generated content
Events
 Offer online webinars
 Encourage members to host
 Integrate in-person events such as conferences
Member-to-Member Interactions
 Online: includes discussion forums, blogs, wikis, email, chat
 Offline/Face-to-Face: includes phone calls, in-person meetings
Outreach or Promotion
 Actively moderate and drive new memberships
 Pushing and pull qualitative and quantitative information
 Newsletters, digests, polls and surveys
2007 Patricia Seybold Group Inc.
21

22. 4) Engagement Model
22

23. Community Strategy Framework
BUSINESS GOALS ENGAGEMENT MODEL & PLAN
1. Content Plan
2. Event Plan
3. Community Promotion Plan METRICS/ROI
COMPETITIVE
LANDSCAPE
4. Community Moderation Plan
EMPLOYEE NEEDS

24. 5) Measure

25. 5) Metrics
 Targeted members
 Total members
 New member acquisition per month
 Average member logins per month
 Average Page Views
 Average Time Spent
 Most active discussion thread
 Most active group
 Average Post/Thread

26. 5) Metrics
Build an ROI set based upon your dimensions of value
1. Activity
2. Engagement
3. Influencers
26

27. 5) Metrics
Include a mix of qualitative and quantitative
27

28. 5) Wash, rinse, repeat
28

29. Community Strategy Framework
BUSINESS GOALS ENGAGEMENT MODEL & PLAN
1. Content Plan
2. Event Plan
3. Community Promotion Plan METRICS/ROI
COMPETITIVE
LANDSCAPE
4. Community Moderation Plan
MEMBER NEEDS

30. Strategic Framework Questionnaire
Business Goals:
 Try to boil it down to one sentence that gets to the core.
o Increase Brand Awareness , Personalize Your Brand
o Collaborate with Customers , Gain Insight , Co-create Products
o Decrease Cost of Customer Service
o Optimize Site, Better Search Results, More Traffic
o Establish Yourself as a Thought Leader, Educate Customers
o Increase Sales
 What type of community will you be (Shop Talk, Info Dissemination, Professional
Collaboration)?
 What are your expected outcomes?
 Who are the main stakeholders?

31. Strategic Framework Questionnaire
Competitive Landscape:
 Where are your members currently having discussions online?
 How active are your members in social networking?
 How does an online community weave into your overall communications strategy?

32. Strategic Framework Questionnaire
Member Needs Analysis:
 What member types exist?
 What are they looking for (might vary by member type)?
 Where do they go? How do they like to interact? How much time do they have?
 How willing are they to share openly? Do they want exposure?
 Do they want to shape the industry or influence the next generation?

33. Strategic Framework Questionnaire
Engagement Model and Roadmap:
 Engagement Model: it is important to plan and balance engagement elements such as:
o Event Plan: online and in person
o Content Plan: text to media, both internal and member generated
o Member to Member Interaction Plan: online discussions, blogs, wikis, chats, emails OR
offline phone calls and meetings
o Outreach or Promotion Plan: push and pull qualitative/quantitative newsletter, polls,
surveys etc.
 What engagement elements do you currently leverage?
 What new forms of engagement would you like to employ, is there a gap, which will be
prioritized?
 Who are your "creators" of content or discussions? Do you need to recruit more creators or
hosts?
 How will you integrate with other marketing channels (traditional marketing / social channels)?

34. Strategic Framework Questionnaire
Metrics / ROI:
 What quantitative metrics do you currently monitor?
 What qualitative metrics do you currently monitor?
 How does each metric tie to your business goals and your dimensions of value?