Corporate Community

Management

Vanina Delobelle, PhD

www.vaninadelobelle.com

May 2008

How are communities How are communities working ?working ?

What is a community ?What is a community ?

People sharing same interest !People sharing same interest !

Group of online interactive people sharing the same interest

What composes a community ?What composes a community ?

Many points !Many points !

• Communication and sharingMembers are helping each other

• Common place to meetThe community is attached to one tool.

• Rites and usagesPeople will come regularly. They have a daily/weekly appointment with the tool.

• InfluencersInfluencers launch and members take over.

Who are the actors ?Who are the actors ?

3 types3 types ! !

• CreatorsThey initiate the community and create the content. They represent 1% of the users.

• ContributorsThey are 10%. They are the active members who are going to boost the community and make it live.

• ConsumersThey do benefit from the contribution of the others.

What are the rules of a community ?What are the rules of a community ?

They have their own rules !They have their own rules !

• ShareThey will help each other and share in the community’s interest.

• CommunicateThey respond to each other. They communicate between the members.

• Be sincereLies are not allowed. Once members figure out you are lying, they leave.

• Be transparentDo not hide issues, do not be shy, do talk openly.

• ParticipateDo not post and leave. You have to be there and participate to the conversations.

How to manage How to manage communities for a communities for a

corporation ?corporation ?

Why have a good Why have a good community management ?community management ?

Lots of benefits !Lots of benefits !

• Fidelity and stickiness will increase

• Club effect

• Efficiency to respond to a survey or for product testings

• Collect and use testimonials more easily

• More traffic

• More brand recognition

• Viral effect and people advertising for the brand

What are communities looking for ?What are communities looking for ?

Content !Content !

• People look for information

• People look for content that suits their interest

• People look for fresh and interesting content

• People look for interactivity

The working strategyThe working strategy

Try !Try !

• Be present on multiple social media

• Share different information on the different tools

• Provide fresh and interesting content

• Be creative and innovate in the content you share

• Mix text, articles, links, video, audio, pictures, presentations…

• Each tool might represent one different community

• Bring the community what she wants and not what you want

The golden rulesThe golden rules

Do not forget them !Do not forget them !

• Adopt a human toneMike is writting and not the corporation

• Be transparent and react quickly

• Do not post marketing speeches

• Be present and committed to build trust

• Be human and share feelings

• Try to be specific and bring real interest to what is posted

Blogs, forums, … how to Blogs, forums, … how to use these tools use these tools successfully ?successfully ?

ForumForum

Animate !Animate !

• Drive the community with some questions to start

• Then leave the community drive the forums

• Advertise about the forum in other tools as all tools need to be linked together

BlogBlog

Create content !Create content !

• Post various articles about the industry• Interview experts in the industry and create videos• Create presentations that can be read and spread easily• Post content from others• Interview resellers, customers…

…and use your blog to talk about yourself !• If you launch new products• If you hire• If you are present at some conference• If your CEO is on a newspaper article

…show your company from the inside

Social NetworksSocial Networks

Create profiles !Create profiles !

• Use social networks to spread your brand

• Create a page in Facebook

• Create a page in MySpace

• These profiles will be the entry point for new community members

• Keep them updated to attract people

MicrobloggingMicroblogging

Differenciate !Differenciate !

• In Twitter share valuable information that is different from the one you are posting on your blog

• Share various content from what you can read elsewhere

Exemples of do and Exemples of do and don’t do ?don’t do ?

ForumForum

Don’t do!Don’t do!• Your forums is not accessible• You do not share the link of the forum• You do not advertise about your forum• You consider your forum as one tool and never talk about it on your blog

Do !Do !• Talk in your blog about some interesting discussions happening in your forum• Post the question of the day in your Twitter• Come and participate to the discussions

ForumForum

BlogBlog

Don’t do!Don’t do!• Your blog is a corporate website• Your blog is too commercial• Your blog has no human identification. We do not know who runs the blog.• Your blog is too generalist• Your blog has not attractive design• You never respond to comment

Do !Do !• Comment on other blogs• Bring added-value to the content you are posting• Share information that is different from what is posted on your corporate website• Post regularly

BlogBlog

Social NetworksSocial Networks

Don’t do!Don’t do!• Create a page and never come back• Never accept invitation

Do !Do !• Share and connect with people• Post content and drive people back to your blog or your forum

Social NetworksSocial Networks

MicrobloggingMicroblogging

Don’t do!Don’t do!• Follow hundreds of people and do not share• Post inconsistent content• Post only feeds from your blog (an RSS feeds would do the same)

Do !Do !• Share links to content that might not be only yours• Use this tool as an information repository for market competition analysis• Post regurlarly

MicrobloggingMicroblogging

For more conversations…

www.vaninadelobelle.com