“Branded communities must be functional. Don't just build a branded online community for any of the following reasons: your competitor is doing it, it just "feels" right, you want your customers to help themselves.

Certainly, those can be good reasons to start to think of how community can function for your business. But the real case for community is built on what one business value it will bring, e.g. product improvements, beta testing, driving new customer referrals through ambassador programs, engaging a supply-side marketplace community, driving top-of-funnel marketing awareness through public community-generated content.”

Carrie  JonesDirector  of  Content

at  CMX  Media

“Social media feedback is largely either mono-directional (your customers talk to you, you listen) or bi-directional (you talk back). Customer communities allow for an omni-directional approach, where you can see your customers interact with

each other and join in the conversation as you see fit.”

“I think at this point the focus has to move from content creation towards the idea of building community, developing strategies to distribute the content and marketing to promote every piece. . . . Regardless of quality, content marketing success must also include community, distribution and promotion.”

Mark  SchaeferAuthor  of  

The  Content  Code:  Six  Essential  Strategies  to  Ignite  Your  Content,  Your  Marketing,  and  

Your  Business

"The Hootsuite Community Forum was initially created as a public forum for our customers to reach out and get help from Hootsuiteemployees as well as customers. We quickly realized that the forum was useful for more than just support. Hootsuite Ambassadors and customers are now using the forum to share best practices on how they use Hootsuite and are making new connections with each other. It’s a great place to collaborate, learn and grow with other members of the Hootsuite family.“

Sterling  AndersonNPS  Manager  at  

Hootsuite

“Community is becoming more and more important in the business world each day. This is in part due to technology, which facilitates communication, control, and raises expectations. We now have to ask the questions: How do you motivate people? How do you empower them and distribute control to them? A company is one collective entity. It is one continuum. Your team is the core of the community. Your power users aren’t necessarily the core of the community, they are your team. Your community and audience simply become an extension of your team. It’s not them and then us. It’s we.

Every single organization in the world has the opportunity to embrace the same thing that worked for [...] social networks: how to distribute control and motivate them properly. Community makes your product indestructible.”

David  SpinksCEO  of  

CMX  Media

"Community for business is about helping customers be successful. Let's say you're Home Depot. The job of your online community isn't to sell hammers. There are plenty of places where people can buy hammers.

Instead, your job is to show people how to use hammers, so that when they need one, they think of you. Walmart didn't help them. Lowe's didn't help them. Home Depot helped them, which makes Home Depot top of mind.

A community of successful customers is a loyal community. Marketing brings you new customers - community helps you keep them.“

Patrick  O’KeefeAuthor  of  

"Managing  Online  Forums."  Writer  at  

ManagingCommunities.com