Tools and technology account for only 20% of a community's success
Forums are merely a technological tool that is featured in many online communities -- including many of those that we build and manage for clients. As Forrester Research analyst Jeremiah Owyang often points out (disclosure: LiveWorld is a Forrester client) -- and we happen to agree with him -- technology contributes to but a small part of a community's success or failure (20%). The people/services part -- the planning and strategy, the relationship building, etc. -- is far more important (80%) in the long run.
The choice of tools should always come after the strategy, and not the other way around. The needs of the business and the community drive the choice of technologies.
But when you are deciding on the tools...
Forums are certainly one way to go, but there are plenty of other tools that can be used -- often in concert -- for supporting online communities. Among them:
User profiles
Ratings and reviews
Photos
Widgets
Blogs
Videos
Microblogs
Podcasts
Answer boards
Live events
And more are on the way as social media evolves.
Online tools make it easier than ever to connect with people (often in geographically-dispersed areas) around shared interests. But you still need the engagement of people -- usually on the community management side, and always on the membership side -- for your community to grow and thrive.
Yesterday, as part of a comment thread to a blog post by Dawn Foster about the potential value of corporate blogging, I shared the highlights of LiveWorld's Social Media Content Guidelines.
It only makes sense that I do the same in this space.
Why we have guidelines
As a company that's all about online social networking and community building, LiveWorld has plenty of employees who regularly communicate across the social web -- here on SocialVoice, on their personal blogs, on client sites, on Facebook, etc. It's a natural part of our DNA.
Sometimes we're representing the company in an obvious way by the nature of what we write or comment about on social sites. On other occasions, we're producing seemingly unrelated content around own hobbies or personal interests (movie reviews, gardening, family lives, our own athletic accomplishments, etc.) -- but we're mindful that our work is always a reflection of the company as a whole.
We created these guidelines both to support the talents and online freedom of expression of LiveWorlders and to reflect the best interests and reputation of the company.
We think they're easy to understand, straightforward, and free of corporate mumbo-jumbo or legalese. See if you agree.
LiveWorld Social Media Content Guidelines
Be transparent
If you’re writing or commenting about Company business, always identify yourself and LiveWorld by name.
If you contribute to or maintain a personal blog or website that covers the Company’s business space, make clear that your opinions are your own and not LiveWorld’s.
Be respectful
We encourage you express your opinions, but we ask that you don’t resort to personal attacks, harassment, cultural insensitivity, or discrimination in the process.
Be yourself
We value your personality and individual interests, including those that fall outside of your primary work responsibilities. Let that personality shine in your online content!
Be smart
Some company projects, lessons learned, and success stories are fine to share; others aren’t. Don’t reveal company secrets or proprietary information, and make sure you have permission from our clients and partners before mentioning them by name.
Your words and statements online are a reflection of LiveWorld. Use your best judgment when deciding whether content is appropriate to publish. If you have any doubts, ask your company executive.
Will the hiring of community managers by organizations looking to jump into social media continue to proliferate in 2009, as Todd Van Hoosear predicts?
I sure hope so -- and here's why:
Community managers help put a human face/voice on organizations online.
This can be really critical for big corporations and brands, which are often looked at as non-accessible, soulless entities that care about little more than the bottom line. Community managers or social media evangelists (that's my title, for what it's worth) can help to change that image as they build and develop relationships over time.
For communities on a branded company site, community managers welcome newcomers, connect members to each other, groom leaders, and start or stoke up compelling conversations. They spend their time not so much dictating corporate message but getting to know the needs and interests of the community.
For the social web at large, online community outreach starts with finding out where customers, potential customers, enthusiasts, and influencers spend their time online (writing or commenting on blogs? on message boards? on Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, or other social networks?), and making connections from there. Plenty of listening should happen first, with engagement following.
Community managers keep key internal stakeholders informed.
While community managers play an active outward-facing role, their communication back to management on the internal side is just as vital. By reporting on community patterns, behaviors, and trends, community managers help to shift and shape the organization's ongoing strategic approach to and financial support for community, along with the development of new (and/or improved) products and services
Community managers give give organizations a running start in times of crisis
Think that the PR nightmare that struck Ford two weeks would have been resolved in under 24 hours had Scott Monty, its very visible head of social media, not already spent months building up his presence and building genuine relationships online? Doubtful.
In moments of crisis or conflict, community members will turn to a person they trust. Far better that that person be a community manager or corporate evangelist whose spent time in the trenches with customers and members than a unknown, faceless suit.
Don't just take my word for it
Still looking to better understand the craft before hiring a community manager for your organization in 2009? Here are several community bloggers to start following:
Bernoff joined five other panelists to review and debate the key findings and recommendations in the study. Among them: Only 16 percent of respondents to a survey this year said they trusted corporate blogs.
Scroll to the CoverItLive widget at the bottom of this post to see my notes from the discussion.
Building corporate blogs that rock!
So just what should you do if you're a company or brand that wants to publish an engaging and trustworthy blog? Here are some suggestions:
Don't just write about your products and services. While there are exceptions, readers aren't coming to your blog to hear all about release version 4.2 from your product line. They can head to your main corporate website for that kind of information. Instead, blog about the goings-on in your industry, and the issues and events that your customers really care about.
Listen to the community. If you're not sure what your readers want to hear from you, just ask them. And then, make sure you listen.
Kill the jargon; find your SocialVoice. Use natural, human-sounding language in your writing, not marketing gobbledegook or corporate-speak (so, mentions of best-in-class or integrated, all-purpose solutions are out.) From time to time, you might include posts related to your personal interests (your kids, your favorite sports team, a recent vacation, etc.), too.
Show your passion. If you're not genuinely excited about the content of your blog and connecting with your readers, you'll wind up with a site that nobody wants to read.
Venture out beyond your borders. One of the very best ways to drive readers to your blog is to comment on the blogs of others. Research other blogs in your industry -- yes, your competitors', too -- and become a regular contributor to those discussions. Also, give strong consideration to joining relevant social networks and building relationships there. When it's appropriate, you can point your new friends and colleagues back to your blog.
These are my top five recommendations. Have any to add?
While you chew on that, have a look at the liveblog notes below.
It's December -- and that means plenty of blogging and chatter about the year that's been in social media, as well as what's potentially in store for 2009. (In fact, had Mother Nature not interviewed last week, I would have been doing just that at a Social Media Breakfast 5 in Ottawa.)
This morning, Peter Kim published Social Media Predictions 2009, a crystal-ball-gazing collaboration from 14 marketers.
Here are some of favorite takeaways:
David Armano reminds organizations Web 2.0 marketing programs need "qualified and passionate people to make them successful."
Rohit Bharvaga predicts that marketers will shift from expensive focus groups to social media "listening programs."
Pete Blackshaw, Charlene Li, and Greg Verdino expect online social networkers suffering from "indigestion" (Blackshaw) to shrink their social graph and focus more on the quality of their connections than quantity.
Chris Brogan eyes a social media shakeout ("lots and lots of consolidation and shuttering") in 2009, as flimsy business models collapse.
Todd Defren worries that the already reluctant Fortune 1000 companies may keep their marketing spend away from social media "if negative examples outweigh positive examples."
Jason Falls calls for Google to scoop up Twitter, giving some juice and kick-in-the-pants stability to the "single-most useful communications software and social utility in recent memory."
Ann Handley suggests that "dwindling budgets suddenly make low-cost social media look like the pretty girl at the ball."
Joseph Jaffe hails community as the "killer app" for 2009.
Scott Monty and Andy Sernovitz argue that top-notch customer service will be a requirement for brands that want to rise above mediocrity.
Jeremiah Owyang predicts that new e-commerce widgets will connect consumers to reviews from "people they actually know and trust."
Ben McConnell thinks Matt Bacak is headed for a new line of work.
In two weeks, on Thursday, December 11, I'll be on the "hot seat" in Ottawa (or maybe I should call it the "cold seat" since it'll be Ottawa in December; brrr!) at that city's Social Media Breakfast 5.
We'll be focusing on the broad business trends in social media from the last 11-12 months and looking ahead to what changes could be in the offing for 2009.
I've already started my note-taking and preparation for the conversation with James, but I'd like to ask for your input, too:
What are the most significant business developments/events/trends you've seen across the social media landscape 2008? Where do you see social media marketing headed in 2009?
You can leave comments just about anywhere I might find them -- on this blog (I'm also cross-posting to BryanPerson.com), on FriendFeed, or on Twitter, using the hashtag #SM0809.
I pledge to provide a full report on the interview and how I included your contributions in a follow-up post next month.
Community managers Tiffany Childs, from Yelp Denver, and Tim Poindexter, from Disaboom, sat on the panel. They fielded a series of questions from both me and the 30-plus participants who had crowded into the basement of the Whiskey Bar. The result, I thought, was a solid hour's worth of informative and engaging discussion on community best practices.
Below are some of highlights from the panel discussion:
Defining community
Tim said his Disaboom community "empowers people to be who they are and connect with people like them;" it provides a place for members to build "genuine and meaningful relationships."
Tiffany noted that her members can meet and communicate can meet with people they know -- or don't know.
Role of the community manager
Tiffany is charged with raising the awareness of Yelp Denver and growing the membership ranks of her 7-month-old community (other Yelp communities have been around for longer). She supports and connects members to each other by jumping into relevant online community discussions and hosting regular offline events around town. She also writes and publishes a weekly newsletter that highlights members and businesses.
Tim helps keep the online discussions on Disaboom informative, engaging, and civil (more on this third point later in the post). He's also recruited outside disability experts to contribute content to the community, and more recently, he's been charged with managing the site's analytics.
Metrics of success and advertising dollars
Disaboom, a site and community which connects individuals touched by disability, is free to members but is supported by contextually-relevant advertising. Tim said that unique visitors and page views are the key drivers of ad revenue revenue.
For Yelp Denver, according to Tiffany, advertising won't kick in until the community has reached "critical mass."
Managing community conflict
On this front, Tim had the line of the night: "We don't legislate morality; we mandate dignity." While Disaboom supports a full spectrum of opinions and beliefs, it does not welcome or allow personal personal attacks or harassment from its community discussions. Tim said that members who violate the site's terms of use and don't heed the warning to change their behavior will be suspended or barred from the community.
Rewarding members
Good community managers reward their key contributors, and Disaboom and Yelp Denver are no exception. Tiffany organizes special events for members of the Yelp Elite Squad, while Disaboom sends an occasional gift of thanks through the mail.
Following the community managers
Here's where to keep up with Tim and Tiffany on a daily basis:
This is the third in a series of interviews recorded at the MarketingProfs Digital Mixer, held in Scottsdale, Arizona on October 22-23, 2008.
Mack Collier is a social media consultant and blogger at The Viral Garden.
One of the most popular features on The Viral Garden is the "Company Blog Checkups," where Mack grades corporate bloggers on their efforts in creating content, generating and responding to comments, and posting regularly on their sites. And in this SocialVoice Conversation, recorded at the 2008 MarketingProfs Digital Mixer (MPDM), Mack explains some of those corporate blogging best practices
SHOW NOTES
* Mack offers his impressions on the MPDM conference.
* Bryan asks Mack what questions companies need to consider when deciding whether to blog.
* Mack explains why a blog shouldn't be an "island."
* Mack discusses how companies can start to create compelling content on their blogs.
In this SocialVoice Conversation recorded at the 2008 MarketingProfs Digital Mixer, Frank and I talk about Comcast's customer service efforts on Twitter -- and elsewhere on the web.
SHOW NOTES
* Frank emphasizes the value of listening.
* Frank discusses the importance of "being personal" and building one-on-one relationships with customers.
* Frank outlines the simple guidelines he gives to his customer service team for engaging in social media conversations.
* Frank talks about his team's efforts on social networks and websites outside of Twitter.
* Frank explains why the "question of ROI will go away."
I've just finished reading "18 Ways to Engage Users Online: A Guide for Community Managers," a short eBook (eight pages) from GOLO.com managing editor Angela Connor.
It's a quick and easy read -- and a good one. Whether you're a longtime community manager or a newcomer to the profession, you're sure to come away with some practical recommendations that will apply to your own community.
Here are a few suggestions from Angela that stood out to me:
Encourage communication between members Just like the host of a good party, a community manager works to connect members with similar interests to each other.
For example: If Kevin posts about his plans to attend a NASCAR race in Miami this weekend and Kathy is asking on a separate forum how she might score tickets to the event, a plugged-in community manager will spot the link and introduce Kathy to Kevin.
Acknowledge good work publicly From Angela:
When you come across a great blog, interesting comment or great photo, send your compliments to the author, and do it publicly on their profile page or directly on the content. Remember, you’re the community leader and your opinion matters a great deal. So don’t be stingy with it. Positive reinforcement goes a long way, and it will make that member feel valued and vested
Get to know the community On the surface, your members may be coming together around a product or service from a brand, but what really keeps them coming back again and again is the strength of the personal connections they make within the community.
As a community manager, you can help build those relationships by learning -- and then talking about -- just what makes your members tick. Is it their kids? Their job? Their church? Their pets? Dig into the topics that really matter to your community, and the members will stick around.
This is the last in a series of interviews recorded at the 2008 Marketing & Online Communities Conferences, hosted by Forum One Communications at the Tribeca Grand Hotel in New York City on Wednesday, November 5, 2008.
* Elisa talks about the motivation of many mommy bloggers to leave behind a digital legacy for their children and future descendants.
* Elisa notes the overwhelming percentage of women who consider blogs as a reliable source of information, and who make decisions to buy and not to buy based on what a blogger or blog commenter writes. (Check out the BlogHer 2008 Social Media Benchmark Study for more details.)
* Elisa offers advice to brands and PR professionals wanting to pitch bloggers.
* Elisa shares her top takeaways from the conference.
This is the second in a series of interviews recorded at the 2008 Marketing & Online Communities Conferences, hosted by Forum One Communications at the Tribeca Grand Hotel in New York City on Wednesday, November 5, 2008.
Brad McCormick is the executive vice president of U.S. digital communications at the PR agency Porter Novelli.
In this video interview (in the shadows!), Brad and I talk about the beakout session he led at the 2008 Marketing & Online Communities Conference: The Role of PR: Public Relationships.
Show notes
* Brad talks about the merging spheres of marketing, advertising, PR, and digital
* Brad answers the question: "Should PR own social media?"
* Brad discusses Porter Novelli's global digital strategy "to have no digital strategy."
This is the first in a series of interviews recorded at the 2008 Marketing & Online Communities Conferences, hosted by Forum One Communications at the Tribeca Grand Hotel in New York City on Wednesday, November 5, 2008.
Steve Broback is president and founder of the Parnassus Group. In this video interview, Steve talks about the Brand Monitoring in a Web 2.0 World breakout session that he led at the 2008 Marketing & Online Communities Conference.
Show notes
* Steve says there's "no magic bullet" to brand monitoring.
* Steve talks about the value whitelists.
* Bryan asks Steve whether brand montoring should be outsourced or done internally.
* Steve promotes his favorite free tools for RSS and brand monitoring.
* Steve offers his top takeaway from the conference.
This is the first in a series of interviews recorded at the MarketingProfs Digital Mixer (MPDM), held in Scottsdale, Arizona on October 22-23, 2008.
David Alston, VP of marketing at Radian6, is a guy who spends his days immersed in the social media community. From jumping into Twitter conversations and speaking at Social Media Breakfasts, David has his finger on the pulse of what the influencers are saying and doing. (He's a heck of a photographer -- and a decent singer, too.)
In the video conversation that follows, David and I talk about his insights on social media marketing.
* David says Twitter is a good barometer of how invested a marketer is in social media. * David talks about the "transformation" of marketing toward social media. * David explains the importance of "reactionary marketing." * David discusses the value of content marketing.
The 2008 Marketing & Online Communities Conference is an invitation-based event. It will be held at the Tribeca Grand Hotel in New York City on November 5, 2008. For more information, visit http://moc08.eventbrite.com
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