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

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Take off your marketing, PR, advertising, sales, market research… hat for a moment

What do we mean by online communities?

people

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interest

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purpose

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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?

Reason#1

That’s where people are hanging out 

Reason#2

People are sharing what is important to them 

Reason#3

People are listening to what others are saying 

Reason#4

People expect brands to listen, learn & contribute 

Reason#5

First mover advantage 

And influence off course! 

Brands be aware 

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

.. but rather to build social capital

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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

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.

1970’s-80’s: CompuServe

1974: Universities + Governments

1978: Crisis Support

1980’s: Health

1987: Gaming

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.

1980’s-90’s: BBS

1995: Culture, Politics & Tactics

AOL. Yahoo. Classmates. Friendster. Six Degrees. Asian Ave. Blackplanet. MiGente.

1990’s: Social Networks

Friendster, LinkedIn, MySpace and Facebook: The Biz Grows Up

2000’s: Social Networks

Approaches brands have taken

This is how not to do it

This is how you want to do it

Ring, Ring, Run, Run!

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

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

Question 1

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

Engagement points 

Discussion forum  Video  Photo  Blog 

Newsleeer/ email  Ac>vity feed/ wall Event – online/ 

off‐line Survey/ poll 

News  General info  Audio  Games 

RSS  Links  Admins  Banner ad 

Feeders of content 

Community manager/admin 

Social network Community member 

Community sponsor/ partner 

Community embeds content 

stream Google adwords  Banner adnetwork 

Content adnetwork 

Top 3 resources

  Cream Global   PR Daily newsletter   The Moderator Community

www.creamglobal.com

http://www.prdaily.com

www.themoderatorcommunity.com

Let’s stay in touch…

@mariasipka