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1SuccessfullyBuildingCommunitiesforYourBusiness
SuccessfullyBuildingCommunitiesforYour
Business
SomeBasicRulesofThumb
NutsandBolts
YouandYourCommunity
August2009
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2SuccessfullyBuildingCommunitiesforYourBusiness
Introduction
SocialtechnologieshavechangedtheInternetlandscapefromoneinwhichthecontentisprimarily
providedbyasingleentitytoonewheretheaudienceactivelyparticipatesandcontributestothe
content,in
some
cases
creating
the
content
almost
entirely.
This
means
that
the
mode
of
interaction
haschangedfromaninstrumentalenvironmentwhereconsumerscomelookingforinformation,to
anemotionalenvironmentwhereconsumersdeveloptiestoacommunityanditsmembersasthey
interactwitheachotherinanareathathasbeencreatedforthem.
Previously,editors,publishersandmanagersmadechoicesanddecisionsthatdeterminedwhatcon
tenttheuserswouldget.Inthisnewenvironment,thechoicesanddecisionstheymakeonlyforma
skeletonuponwhichusersbuildthecontent.Sitescanbearchitectedinawaytoencouragecertain
typesofbehavior,andonecandesigntheinteractiontosupportspecifictypesofcontent,butno
longerdoescontrolremaincentralizedfromstarttofinish.Thejobofdesigninganenticingskeleton,
abeacon
that
attracts
users
to
you
and
encourages
them
to
dance
together,
is
critical
to
success.
Ensuringthattheirtunematchesyourownisequallyimportant.
Sohowdoyougoaboutbuildinganonlinecommunitythatwillallowyoutoregaincontroloveryour
messageandinformation,whilesimultaneouslyengagingyourconsumersandkeepthemcoming
back?Webelievethathavingastrategy,propercommunitystructure,andactivepresenceinthe
communitycanhelpyouknowyouraudienceandhelpyouachieveahighreturnonyourinvestment.
Establishingthisrelationshipwithyourconsumerswillbeginafeedbackloopthatbeginswithyour
presenceinthecommunityandendswithloyalcustomers.Turningrelationshipsintocustomers,
feedbackintoinnovations,andknowledgeintomonetization:thisisthecruxofthesocialmedia
process.
Ripple6createsaffinitybasedcommunitiesfocusedongroupsofusersratherthanindividualstocre
ategroupinteractions.Wedrawfromourextendedcommunitybuildingexperienceandrecentsuc
cesseswithFortune500marketersandpublishers(includingProcter&Gamble,Unilever,PostFoods,
GannettCo.andMeredith)toprovideuniqueinsight.Wehavestrategicallydesignedaplatformto
improveuserexperience,incorporatebestpracticesasstandards,anddelivertrueopportunitiesfor
conversationsandconnectionstoflourishinthisnewenvironment.
Thispaperdetailssomeofourkeylearningsaswehavedesignedandimplementedonlinecommuni
ties.We
present
several
rules
of
thumb
for
the
strategic
planning
phase;
some
practical
tips
on
archi
tectinganddesigningasitethatwillfosterasenseofcommunityamongyourmembers;andanum
berofbestpracticesfororganizationslookingtoenter,interactwith,andsuccessfullymanagethe
communityonceitisrunning.
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3SuccessfullyBuildingCommunitiesforYourBusiness
Somebasicrulesofthumb
Buildingacommunityisnotassimpleasputtingupawebsitewithdis
cussiontopicsandhopingthatpeoplecomeandinteractthere.While
youcaneasilydrivepeopletoyourcommunitythefirsttime,toreally
besuccessful
you
need
to
get
them
to
comeback.Youneedthemto
beengagedwitheachotherandestablishrelationships,whichinturn
leadstotheirengagementwithyou.Thatisthegoal,afterall!Engage
mentstartswiththeconsumer:meetoneoftheirneedsandprovidea
placeforthemtoeasilyinteract,andyouwillachieveyourgoalsinre
turn.Agoodcommunitystrategywillhelpyoudiscoverwhatyourcon
sumerswant,andagoodimplementationstrategywillhelpyoubuild
theskeletoninwhichtheywillinteract.
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4SuccessfullyBuildingCommunitiesforYourBusiness
AudienceIsKing:DeliveringaConsumerReturnonInvestment(CROI)
Acommunityrequiresuserstothrive;toattractusersyoumustconsidertheirneedsandexpectations.Justasyouareconcernedaboutthereturnonyourinvestment(ROI),soareyourpotentialusers.
ConsumerROI(CROI)isdirectlyattachedtotheneedthatyouaretryingtomeet.Areyougoingto
provideuserswithaspacetogetsupportandinformationfromothers?Areyougivingthemaplace
wheretheycanbeentertained?Cantheymakenewfriends?
Countingpageviewscannolongerbethebasisformeasuringsuccess.Successinthisworldmeans
notjustattractingusers,butkeepingthemcomingbackregularlyandinteracting,sharingandcreat
ingcontent.Theirparticipationandengagementarethemostimportantcomponents.Whereasthe
mediaworldformanyyearsthrivedontheadagethatcontentisking,thecurrentandfutureof
medianowincludesandrequirestheparticipationoftheaudience.Theyareking.
Thecommunitycreatorsgoalistogetthemtoinvesttheirtimeandenergyandeventuallytheir
emotionsintothecommunity.Iftheycometoseeyoursiteasahome,thenyouhavesucceeded;
ifyouaremeetingtheirneeds,notjustyourown,thenyouhavesucceeded.Createandfosterrela
tionshipswithyouraudiencethatwillleadtolongtermloyalty.
Belowisasamplingofmetricswevedevelopedtounderstandthedegreesofmarketersuccessina
BrandCommunity(aproprietarysolutionwevecreatedformarketersandbrandstoparticipatein
existingcommunitiesandsocialnetworks).
ShareofVoice(SOV).Howmuchattentionisthecommunitycapturingincontextofevery
thingthat
surrounds
it?
Is
it
consistent
with
or
above
those
things
competing
for
attention
andparticipation?
Engagement(PV/Visit).Turnthewebmetricsintosomethingthatismeaningful.Areyour
usersjustcomingbackoraretheycomingbackanddivingdeep?
ActiveMembership.Doesahighpercentageofyourmembershipcomebackeveryweek?
Everyday?Multipletimesperday?Itsnotacommunitywhentheyjoinbutneverreturn.
ActiveDiscussions.Eachweek,arepeopleinteracting?Itcanbemeasuredindiscussions,
conversations,uploadsorotherparticipatoryelements.Youwanttoseeusersgenerating
content,becauseitmeanstheyarevestedinthecommunity.
Thebusinessofbuildingacommunity(likeabusinessventure)shouldalwaysbedonewithstrategic
objectivesandareturnoninvestmentinmind.ThatsBusiness101.Tobuildasuccessfulcommunity,
however,youmustalsoconsidertheaudience,whattheywillgetfromthenetwork,andhowyoure
goingtomeasurewhetherthatishappeningornot.TheConsumerROIwhatsyours?
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5SuccessfullyBuildingCommunitiesforYourBusiness
CommunitiesFormonTheirOwn,andHowtoBestEnableThem
Acommunityrequiresuserstothrive;toattractusersyoumustconsidertheirneedsandexpectations.
Peoplenaturallyformintogroupsandcommunities
throughinteractionwitheachotherthisisabasictenet
ofhumanexistence.Inonlinecommunitiespeoplewill
developawayofinteractingwitheachotherwithinthe
structureofthesite.Astheylearntonavigatethephysi
calcommunity,theywillbegintodevelopmodesofin
teractingwitheachotheraswellaswiththecontent.
Whencreatingthecommunity,itisyourjobtocreatethe
skeletonthephysicalcommunitythatwillhousetheuserinteractions.Howyouchoosetoarchitectandstruc
tureyoursystems,thefunctionalitythatyouenable,and
thewayyouinteractwithyourusers,willallaffectthe
rangeofpossibleinteractions.Themoreeasilythatthese
interactionscanhappen,theeasieritwillbeforcommu
nitymembersthemselvestocreatethepsychologicalcommunity.Takearational,methodicalapproachtofa
cilitatingconnectionsandtherewillbebothrationaland
emotionalreasonsthatthemembersconnectthemselvesandformbonds.Overtime,thiswilltrans
lateintobondswithyou.
Tointroduceherselfinamoderatorled
group,ourmoderatormentionedthat
shewascurrentlyreadingaparticular
book.Nearly75%ofthegroupmem
berswhosubsequentlyintroduced
themselvesmentionedaparticular
book(or
lack
of
interest
or
time
to
read
books)intheirownintroductions.
Daily
Chat
&
Watch
A
user
in
the
Guiding
Light
community
starts
agroupforthecommunitytochatdailyaboutthecurrentepisode
aswellastheirday.Prettysoon,amajorityofsitememberssit
downdailyinthisgrouptowatchtheshowtogetherandchat.
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6SuccessfullyBuildingCommunitiesforYourBusiness
Herearetwooperationalmeasures(plusexamples)thathelpensureacommunitywillprogressas
itscreatorswouldlikeitto.
1.Segmentthecommunityintogroupstructuresratherthanindividualrelationshipnetworks.
Focusonmanytomanyinteractionsratherthanonetooneinteractions,thusfosteringasense
ofmicro
community
within
the
larger
community.
This
approach
has
numerous
benefits,
among
them: Groupinteractionsfacilitateexchangesandconnections.Asinreallife,youmeet
peoplethroughfriendsandgroups,notalwaysona1:1basis.Thisstructuremimics
reallife.
Smallergroupsprovideaspaceforuserstointeractaroundtopicsthatinterestthem,
aswellastocreatetheirowngroupswithothersimilarmembers.Thesegroupsmay
varysignificantlyfromtheoverallcommunitytheme,buttheyprovideunderlying
bondsthatholdittogether.
Smaller
groups
are
easier
for
new
members
to
break
into
and
feel
comfortable.
This
clusteringofindividualsintoamosaicofgroupswillalsoenableyourcommunityto
scaletogreatsizes,withoutsacrificinganintimateandmorepersonalfeelforthe
user.
MixingBowl(www.mixingbowl.com),aMeredithproperty,aggregatesmembersaroundrecipegroupscenteredonvariouscookingrelatedcategories.Thiskeepstheirsocialcookbookthriv
ing.Thesegroupsdontjustslicethepaletteintodifferenttastes(French,Italian,Barbecue),but
theycoverlifestylesandmore,includingthosecreatedbyusersthemselves(BakeSaleFavor
itesorDinnersAnyoneCanMake).Thisgiveseveryuseranopportunitytocreateanexperi
ence
that
is
uniquely
their
own,
with
connections
and
benefits
driven
by
their
own
sense
of
the
community.
2.Createwaysformemberstoimmediatelybecomeapartofthesesmallergroups,sothat
theyllbemorelikelytomakenewconnections,seevalueinthoseconnections,andreturn.Use
thetechnologyatyourdisposaltosuggestthesegroupsandconnections.Makethisapartof
theeverydayexperienceforuserstoconsiderconnectionswherethereislikelytobeareturn
ontheirinvestmentoftime.MixingBowlalsousesSmartGrouptechnologytobringfreshnewmembersintothesegroups.Every
new
member
at
Mixing
Bowl
is
given
suggestions
for
recipe
groups
that
they
should
join
basedontheintereststheyindicateintheregistrationprocess.Thisallowsthemtoimmediately
joingroups,begininteractingwithothersandcreateconnectionswithmembersofthecommu
nityallaroundthetopicsthataremostinterestingtothem.
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7SuccessfullyBuildingCommunitiesforYourBusiness
TheMechanicsofInteraction
Keepinmindthat,operationally,thewaythatyourmoderatorsanddiscussionleadersbehaveonthe
sitewillalsoaffectthewaymemberswillbehave.Onlinecommunitiesdevelopnormsandaculture
inthesamewayasofflinecommunitiesdo.Forexample,communitymembersbeginbydiscovering
acommoninterest(motherhood),thenstartinteractingbasedonthatcommoninterest.Mothers
whouseclothdiaperingoverstoreboughtdiaperscanformsmallergroupsaroundthattopic,both
geographicallyandtopically.Thisgroupmaymeetoffline,ormayformapsychologicalcommunity
online,creatingshareofmindevenwhenusersarenotactivelyparticipatinginthecommunityand
drivingthemtoreturnwithahighfrequency.
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8SuccessfullyBuildingCommunitiesforYourBusiness
Nutsandbolts:whatyoucandoto
movethingsalong
Whileitistruethatyourcommunitywillformaroundtheinterac
tionsofcommunitymembers,youcanarchitectanddesignthe
physicalcommunityinsuchawayastoencouragespecifictypesof
behaviorandoutcomes.Whilethebehavioryoudesirewilldependa
greatdealonthestrategythatyouhavelaidoutforyourcommu
nity,wehavefoundthatthereareafewthingsthatareuniversalto
helptheformationofpsychologicalcommunities.Itisnolongera
caseofifyoubuildit,theywillcome.Nowyouhavetokeepthem
there,souseeverymeansavailabletoyoutomaketheenvironment
welcoming.Wehavefedthefeedbackfromourcommunitiesandclientsbackintoourplatformtodevelopwhatwebelieveisahighly
effectivearchitecturalstrategytobuildingcommunity.
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9SuccessfullyBuildingCommunitiesforYourBusiness
Incentivizebehaviorthatyouwanttoencourage,butdontcreatecompetition.
Designyoursystemsothatitencouragesspecificbehaviors,alignedwithyourcommunitygoals.Yourgoalinthecommunityistogetpeopletointeractwitheachother,andoneoftheeasiestwaysto
dothisistoprovideincentivesforspecifictypesofbehaviorthatyouwanttoencourage.Youcanuse
pointsystemstotallyupthesebehaviors,oroffercontestsorcompetitionstowinthings.
Threetypesofincentivesthatweuseinourcommunitiesare:
StatusIncentives:Providetheuserswithachangeofstatusalongwithanindicatorofstatus,whichelevatesthemintheeyesofthecommunity.
Thisisanincentivetotheego,moreorless.Youcanprovide
themwithpoints,newtitlesortags,awardsortrophiesthatthey
canputintheirsignaturesandprofiles,newprivilegesandfunc
tionalityonthesite,etc
VirtualIncentives:Similartostatusincentives,butnottiedtostatusinthecommunity.Neopetsoffersneopointsforbehavior,whichallowsusers
tobuytheirvirtualpetsavirtualgoodsuchasfoodoratoy.
Offeryourusersthingsthattheycanuseonthesiteorputin
theirprofileasareward.
RealIncentives: Thesecanbeofferedifthereisroominyourbudgetforsuchitems.Offeryourusersareallifegoodorserviceinreturnfor
theirparticipation,orevenachanceatwinningarealincentive.
Remember,however,thatapoorlydesignedincentivesystemcanresultincompetitionbetweenthe
members,orcontentthathaslittleornovaluetothecommunity.Welldesignedincentivesystemsare
nottoocompetitive,andpreventmembersfromseeingotherusersasthreatsratherthanallies.Con
siderofferinggroupincentives,forbehaviordoneasagroup.Incentivesforsimplethingscansome
timescausememberstodothingsforthesakeoftheincentive,asopposedtomeaningfulcontribution.
Designyoursystemsothatitencouragesvaluablebehavior,andnotjustmorebehaviorofacertain
type.MomsLikeMe(www.momslikeme.com)providestwomethodsofbehaviorin
centives.First,
user
posts
are
tallied
and
the
number
is
displayed
below
the
user
avatarthroughoutthesite.Whenauserreachesacertainnumberofposts,they
receiveabadgethattheycanputintotheirsignatureorprofile.Second,discus
sionleadersruncontestsaskingforusersubmissions(sometimesassimpleas
respondingtoathread,othersmorecomplex)forreallifeprizes.
TripforTwo!GuidingLightmembershadrealincentivestoparticipateinthecommunityandinvitepeopleintothecommunity.Foreachlevelachieved,abetterreallifeprizewas
awarded,culminatingwithatriptovisittheGuidingLightstudioandmeettheactors.
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10SuccessfullyBuildingCommunitiesforYourBusiness
Encouragegroupinteraction
Getpeopletoidentifywiththecommunity,andthuswithyou.Foryouronlinecommunitytosucceed,yourusersneedtointeractwitheachotheranddevelopa
relationshipwiththecommunityandthepeopleinit.Specifically,ifyouhaveabusinessreasonfor
creatingthecommunity,youneedpeopletoidentifywiththecommunity,andthuswithyou.Your
usersreturntothecommunityinordertotalktoothermembers,andyourjobascreatorandman
ageristomakethisaseasyaspossible.Ifyousucceedinthisyouwilllearnmuchaboutthepulseof
youraudienceandwhattheythinkandfeel,whichisinvaluableinthecompetitivemarketplace.
Ripple6believesintheimportanceofdevelopingaffinitybasedcommunities.Findthosethingsthat
driveuserpassionsandinteractionsoutsideoftheonlineworld,andyouwillhaveabetterchanceto
recreatethemonline.Thiscreatesawayforpeopletocomfortablyinteractandawayforcommer
cialinterestsbusinessesthatservethosepeoplespassionstoenterthecommunitywithrele
vanceandbenefitsfortheusers
Designthecommunitywithaneyetowardthe
commonalitiesbetweenpeopleandgivethem
somethingtobondover.Atthesametime,
lessenyouremphasisonindividualrelationships
letthoseformnaturallythroughuserinterac
tionswithinthecommunity.Ingroups,userscan
discoversimilarmembersandaddtotheir
friendshipswithinthenetwork,fosteringthe
creationofhighlyengagedmicrocommunities.
Thiswebofrelationshipsleadstostickiness
thatyouareafter;onceyouhaveyourcommu
nityyoucaninteractwiththem,learnabout
them,andreallygettoknowthemtoensurethatyouareprovidingthemwhattheyarelookingfor.
Notsomeoneelse.
Strategicallyselectingtheoveralltopicofyoursiteisjustthefirststeptowardestablishingcommon
interest.Clearly,userswillinitiallycometoyoubecauseoftheirinterestintheoveralltheme.But
fromthispoint,howyoustructurethesiteanddesigninteractionswithinthecommunitywillrein
forceconnectionsbetweensimilarmembers,encouragegroupinteraction,andfosterthedevelop
mentofmicrocommunities.Itwillalsocreatesocialcircleswithinyournetwork.
Groupcentrictrumpspeoplecentric
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11SuccessfullyBuildingCommunitiesforYourBusiness
Asacomparison,letslookatthestructuresofFacebook,theleadingsocialnetwork,andMixing
Bowl,anewandrapidlygrowingaffinitybasedcommunitythatwediscussedearlier.
Facebookhasarchitectedtheirsitetoemphasizetheindividualandtheindividualsrelationships
withothers.WhenausergoestoFacebook,he/sheseesupdatesonhis/herindividualfriendsinfor
mation;theseareallgroupedtogetherthroughtheirrelationshipwiththeuser,butnotwitheach
other.Interactionsbetweenusersandtheirfriendscanbewildlyrandom,andincreasinglyso,based
uponthesizeanddiversityofhisnetwork.Theseonetooneinteractionsaregenerallypersonal,and
notaplaceformarketerstostepinto.
MixingBowl,ontheotherhand,emphasizesgroupsofpeoplewithacommoninterest(intheircase,
aloveofcooking,recipes,typesofcuisineandfood).Asaresult,theinteractionsaremuchdifferent
andincludeconversationsbetweengroupsofpeople.Manypeoplecomeintotheseconversations,
andwhiletheyarestillpersonalandpassionate,thereisroomformoreparticipants.
CertainlyFacebookhasagroupfeatureandMixingBowlhasuserprofilesandprivatemessaging,but
thewaytheseareassembleddrivesthewaytheusersinteract.
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12SuccessfullyBuildingCommunitiesforYourBusiness
Makecontenteasilyaccessibleandfindable
Helpyouruserseasilyfindcontentthatismostrelevanttothemandwaysofgettingbacktocontentthattheywanttoseeagain.
Conversations,groups,media,andanyotherkindofcontentorcontentstructuresinthesystem
shouldbeeasilyavailable.Yourcommunityshouldbebuiltsothattheuserexperienceincludesmul
tipleavenuesforaggregating,featuring,andfindingcontentoneachsite.Thisensuresthatitiseasy
foryouraudiencetofindwhattheyneed,whichmakesyouthefirstresourcefortheminthefuture.
Wefindthisimportantenoughthatitsavitalcomponentofourplatform:multipleavenuestofind
inginformationinacommunity.Wefirmlybelievethatinformationisthefirstkeytocommunity,so
whenbuilding,werecommendtheplacementoftheseaccesspointsinprominentplacesthrough
outthecommunity,souserswillalwaysknowwheretofindthem.
The
following
are
a
few
examples:
KeyLearning Ripple6InnovationAggregatecontenttogetherinwaysthatwill
bemeaningfultotheuser:themostviewed
content,contentthattheyortheirfriends
haveparticipatedin,contentinthegroups
theybelongto,ornewestcontent.
Allowtheuserstosliceitanywaytheywantit.
Letthemputitintheirpocket.
Allowuserstosearch,save,shareandrecom
mendcontentusingsimilarmethods.These
featuresshould
be
designed
to
mirror
each
otherandreinforcethecommunityfeelofthe
content.
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13SuccessfullyBuildingCommunitiesforYourBusiness
Letthemshareitbothinsideandoutsideof
thecommunity.
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14SuccessfullyBuildingCommunitiesforYourBusiness
FeatureUsersthatexemplifythecommunityandareactiveonthesite
Helppeoplefindeachother
UserinteractioniskeytodevelopinganemotionalconnectiontothecommunityIfinformationisthefirstkey,thepeoplearethesecondkeyto
buildingcommunity.Helpthemfindeachotherbyfacilitating
interactionsbetweenthem.Userinteractioniscentraltodevel
opinganemotionalconnectionnotjusttoindividuals,butto
groups,sobuildandshapeyoursitesothatinformationisnatu
rallysegmentedandtheusersinvolvedinvariousinteractions
areeasytosee.Findcommonalitiesamongmembersandhigh
lightthem.Showcasecommunitymembersandmicro
communitymembers.Allowpeopletosearchforotherusers
withsimilarinterests.Providelinkstoprofiles,contextualinfor
mationaboutusers,andwaystocontacttheusers.
Insum,doeverythingyoucantoallowmemberstoconnect.Re
memberthatengagementisthebestpathtoastrongROIwithin
socialmedia.Becomethesolutionforyouraudience,whatever
theirneeds,sothattheyturntoyoualwaysinthefuture.
SmartGroupsrecommend
groupsfor
members
to
join
based
ontheirpreferencesandprofile
information,tohelpthemmeet
peoplethatwillbesimilartothem
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15SuccessfullyBuildingCommunitiesforYourBusiness
AllowforScale:Startsmallandgrow
Startsmallandasyourcommunitygrows,allowittoexpandtoprovidenewspacesforthememberstointeractwitheachother.
Avoidthepitfallsthatoftenplagueonlinecommunitieswhenitcomestosizeandscale.Ahugesite
withnotenoughmembersisnobetterorworsethanonethatisverysmallbuthassomanymem
bersthatitisimpossibletofollow.Themostsuccessfulcommunityisbuiltforitsstartingpointwith
aneyetowardexpansion.
Yourplatformmustallowforcommunitysegmentationastimeprogresses,sothatthecommunity
canexpandandyetstillbesmallenoughformemberstofeelcomfortable.Feelingsofcommunity
(affinity,comfort,interaction)willnotoccurifagroupistoolargeorhastoomuchcontent.Design
yourcommunitytobeeasilyexpandablesouserscancutandslicewhattheywanttoseeveryeasily.
Youdontwantyourmemberstofeeltheyarealoneonthesite,butneitherdoyouwantthemtobe
crowdedtogetherwithnowheretogo.
Startsmall.Createthecommunitywith
aneyetowardtheexpectednumberof
initialmembers.Asthecommunity
grows,allowittoexpandtoprovidenew
spacesforthememberstointeractwith
oneanother.Thinkofitasacorralsys
tem:whentherearetoomanyhorsesin
thecorral,theranchersopenagatetoa
newcorraltogivethemmorespace.
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16SuccessfullyBuildingCommunitiesforYourBusiness
Werecommendmultiplewaysofsegmentingthecommunity.
Segmentingintohardcoded
categoriesorganizethetopics
ofthecommunityintocatego
riesandletpeoplecongregate
there.Westartwithaselect
few(themostrelevanttothe
community)butallowforthe
creationofmore.Asthecom
munitygrows,weaddmore
categorieswhereandwhen
appropriateandasyouseethe
need.
Enabletaggingfunctionalitysothatthemembersofthecommunitycanseg
mentthecontentforthemselvesintovirtualcategories.Thisabilitytofurther
slicethecontentareasappliestothecommunityasawhole,sectionsofthesite,
andevengroupswithinthesite.
Allowsegmentationwithingroupsorsections.Asthegroupexpands,werecom
mendaddingnewtopicareasorareasfornewfunctionality.Ifacategoryistoo
broad,createsubcategories.Ifnewfunctionalityisneededtoseparateoutone
typeofinteractionfromanother,wecreateanewareaforthatfunctionality(for
example,wellsplitaforumintochatandtopicalareas).
Everytimeyoucreatenewsegmentsorsubtopics,youareenablingcertainmemberstocongregate
andconnectinaplacewherethereisnonoisefromothertopicsandallowingthemtodetermine
whatisimportanttothem.Thisfostersfeelingsofgroupinesswithinthatsegmentandwilltrans
lateintoemotionalconnectionsforthecommunityasawhole.Emotionalconnections,asyouknow,
turnintopositivewordofmouthandlongtermbrandloyalty.
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Youandyourcommunity
Onlinecommunitiesmaynotneedtheregularpresenceofacommu
nitymanagerormoderatortothriveandfunction,butthatpresenceis
necessarytoestablishanyformofemotionallinkwiththeusers.The
userswanttoknowthattheirpresenceisacknowledged,thattheir
contributionsarebeingheard,andthattheyaremakingadifference.
Anyonecreatingorparticipatingmustrecognizethis.
Asaleader,influencer,moderatororsponsorofthecommunity,how
youpresentyourself,yourbehavior,andyourdirectionofthecommu
nitywillallinfluenceitssuccess.Activelisteningandparticipationare
coretobeingconsideredagenuinememberandcreatingtherelation
shipsthatwillmakethecommunityabusinesssuccessstory.
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18SuccessfullyBuildingCommunitiesforYourBusiness
Beanactiveauthenticparticipant
Acommunityrequiresuserstothrive;toattractusersyoumustconsidertheirneedsandexpectations.
Thefirstruleofparticipationisthatyoumustbereal.Donttrytobesomethingthatyouarenot.If
thereistobeacompanyrepresentativeinthecommunity,theyshouldsaywhotheyareandwhat
theydo.Theyshouldaimtobeclearwhentheiropinionsandviewsrepresentthoseofthebrand,
andwhentheydonot.Avoidthehardsell(ortheappearanceofit).Rather,participateinthecom
munityasareal,activemember.Ifthereisalargercommunitybeyondyourown,participateinthat
aswell.Becomeoneofthem.
Weencouragebrandrepresentativestoidentifythemselvesbyusingmanytools:creatingasignature
withtheircompanyaffiliationstated,creatinganintroductionthread,andremindingusersinposts
thattheyarearepresentativeofthecompanysponsoringthecommunity.Thisinformationshould
also
be
placed
in
a
users
profile
so
that
any
members
can
easily
identify
this
user
as
a
brand
repre
sentativeinsteadofanonaffiliatedcommunitymember.
Any
representative
of
the
brand
that
is
actively
participating
should
try
to
do
so
from
within
the
com
munity,creatingandmaintainingrelationshipswithmembersandbecomingapartofthecommunity
itself.Rememberthough,youwantthememberstointeractwitheachotherandnotsolelywithyou
sodontestablishinteractionpatternsthatbeginandendwithyou.Establishinteractionpatterns
thatgetmemberstalkingwitheachother.
SuaveoperatesaBrandCommunity,calledLivingBeautifullyforLess.LukeOConnorisa
celebrityhairstylistandSuaverepresentative.Heregularlyinteractswithusersanddis
pensestipsaboutproductselectionanduse,haircareandstyletips,aswellascutandcolor
suggestions.TheusersinthiscommunityviewLukeasanassettothecommunityandex
presstheirpleasureinbeingabletointeractwithhim.HeisaSuavebrandrepresentative
anddoescarrytheSuavemessagetothecommunity,buthescarefultodothisincontext
andmakessuretoaddvaluewithhismessages,insteadofdetractingfromthevalueofthe
community.
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19SuccessfullyBuildingCommunitiesforYourBusiness
MixingBowlprominentlyfeatures
CoolCookie,thecurrentSeniorFoodEditor
ofmixingbowl.comandBHG.com.Shemain
tainsaprominentpresencewithinthecommu
nity,showingthatshe,andthebrandshe
represents,areactivelyinvolvedinthecom
munity.Itisimportanttonotethatwhile
Heatherspeaksonbehalfofthebrand,she
alsomixesitupwithusersinthewaythey
wanttoseeanothermemberbehave.She
postsrecipes,reviewsothers,friendsmem
bersofthecommunityandjoinsgroups.Ifus
ershaveaproblem,theycometohertogetitresolved.
Thiswasrecentlyseenduringarecipecontest,whereusersrequestedtohavetherecipesubmis
sionsdisplaychanged.Heathergatheredusersuggestions,broughtthesetoRipple6,andwetook
thisfeedbackandupdatedthesitetosatisfyuserrequests.Itisimportanttolistentoyourusers,
hearwhattheyaresaying,andreactinawaythattheyknowtheyvebeenheard.
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Leadyourcommunitybyfollowingyourusers
Learntoreadyourusersandpredictwhattheywant,andyoucanleadtheminadirectionthattheywillhappilyfollow.
Communitymanagementandmoderationshouldbedonewitha
lighthand.Managersandmoderatorsmusttrusttheirusersto
selfpolicethemselves.Ripple6offersseveraluniqueabuseman
agementtools.Ourcontentmanagementsystemallowsusersto
reportabusiveorquestionablecontenttoadministrators,and
providesauserpanelfortheadministratorstoviewreported
contentanddecideifthecontentshouldbedeletedorkept.Our
ratingssystemallowspoststhattheusersdeemmoreusefulor
interestingthanothercontenttobefeaturedandbubbledupto
thetop.
Thedesignofyourcommunitycanhelpthemoderator(andus
ers)managethecommunity.OurCMSsystemisdesignedtohelp
managersbubbleuprelevantbitsofcontenttoprominentplaces
withinthecommunity,suchastheCarouselandTodaysBuzz.
Thesetoolsdirectuserstofeaturedplaceswithinthecommunity,
allowingthenetworktoshowcasetopicsthatmembersormanagersfindappealingandworthwhile.
Furthermore,votingmechanismstoallowuserstovotecontentupordowntomakeitmorepromi
nentonthesitewillallowthecontentthattheuserswanttoseetobubbleuptothesurface.
System
tags
generated
by
Administrators
provide
the
ability
to:
Organize,control,andpublishrelatedwebcontentacrossthecommunity
Publishandmanagetheplacementofeditorialandsocialcontent
Createcontentlayers
Linkorassociateelementswithanypost,suchasvideofeeds,images,orexternallinks
Enableyouruserstosharetheinformationthattheyfindmostinterestingandrelevanttothemwith
eachother.RippleTM
isbuiltintoallRipple6poweredcommunitiesforthispurpose.Thistoolallows
userstosharecontentwithintheircircleoffriends,savecontenttotheirhubwithinthecommu
nity,aswellassharecontenttootherpublicandprivategroupswithinthecommunity.Additionally,
theycan
choose
to
share
content
outsideofthecommunityandinvite
similarpeopletojointhecommu
nity.Letpositivewordofmouthdo
theworkforyouandhelpyoufind
newadvocates.
Homework
Askyouruserstohelpbygivingthemahome
workassignmentthatwillhelpthecommunity.To
startadiscussionaboutsocialmediamarketingin
anewcommunity,weaskedmemberstogopostexamplesofso
cialmarketingoradvertisingthattheycameacrossanddiscuss
whattheydidanddidntlikeaboutthem.
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21SuccessfullyBuildingCommunitiesforYourBusiness
Strikeabalancebetweentoomuchandtoolittle
Whenitcomestoyourcommunity,youmusttrytostrikeabalancebetweendoingtoomuchanddoingtoolittle.Wehaverealizedthatwhenitcomestoinformation,
content,moderatorleddiscussion,andnumberof
membersalloftheseareaffectedbysize.Too
muchinformationandcontentonyoursitewill
makeitharderformemberstofindthecontentof
interesttothem,andcansometimesburythemore
interestingcontent.Forexample,ifyouarerunning
aneditorialsitewithasocialnetworkwrapped
aroundit,fillingupthesitewithtoomuchofthe
editorialcontentwillcausethesocialnetworkto
neverbeengaged.Ontheotherhand,toolittlecontentorinformationwillgiveyourmembersno
reasontocomeback.Inthiscase,youwillneedtotakeanactiveroleinmakingsurethereisnew
contentforuserstoparticipatein,withoutoverdoingyourparticipation.
Toomanymemberscanalsohaveadeleteriouseffectonthecommunity.If
toomanypeopleareparticipating,itisunlikelythateveryonewillreadeve
ryonescontributions,whichiscounterproductivetotheformationofcom
munity.Memberswillsimplyreadtheoriginalcontentandperhapsreplyor
posttheirown,butignoreanyothercontributionstothetopic.Ontheother
hand,ifnobodyisparticipating,thenthemembersthatare(oryou)willbe
talkinginanechochamber.Strikeabalancebetweenthetwo.Decidewhat
youhopetoachievewithyourcommunity,andstructurethecommunityto
accommodatethis.
Ripple6moderatorsareintimatelyfamiliarwiththegiveandtakeofthe
sitesthattheyinteracton,andhavelearnedhowtogaugewhenacommunityneedsmoreinputor
lessinput.Knowingthepulseofthecommunityisthefirststeptounderstandingit.Havinganeffec
tivemoderatorwhoknowswhattodowiththatinformationisthesecond.
ToomanycooksspoilthebrothAsmalldenselyconnectedgrouphasabetterchanceof
beingacommunitythanalargerone.Dontfallintothe
trapofthinkingmoremembers=bettercommunity.
Thinkanyonereadsover100replies?
LessonLearned
4or5communitiesundergosomelevelofredesign
after90daystostrikeabetterbalance.
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Conclusion
Movebeyondtheinstrumentalandintotheemotionalrealm.
Howdoyoubuildanonlinecommunityandinteractwithyourusersinordertodevelopbothaphysi
calandpsychologicalcommunity?Thisisthequestionthatwehaveaddressedhere.Ourworkwith
largewhitelabelsocialnetworksandbrandcommunitieshasgivenusinsightintohowtoarchitecta
siteandinteractwiththeuserstoencouragetheformationofemotionaltieswiththecommunity.In
todayssocialmediaworld,wewantourclientstomovebe
yondtheinstrumentalandintotheemotionalrealm.Webe
lieveagoodcommunitymustbothmeetaneedandprovide
somedeepermeaningforpotentialusersinordertokeepthem
invested.Wehelpourclientsthinkstrategicallyabouttheir
goals,thegoalsandneedsofthepotentialaudience,andmatch
themtogether.Then,webuildanonlinepresencethatwill
bringpeopletogether,gettheminteracting,andgivethema
reasontostay.
Wevegivenyousomekeypointsandbuildingblockstoworkwithasyouconsidercreatingthistype
ofonlinecommunity.ThesedefinetheRipple6communitybuildingstrategy,andhavebeenrefined
overthreeyearsofexperienceinbuildingcommunities.
First,consideryourstrategy.Knowingyouraudienceiscrucial,sincetheaudienceiskinginthisnewworld.Giveyourusers
poweroverthecontentanddirectionofthesite,butarchitect
thesiteandthecontentstructuresinsuchawaythatthey
moveinadirectionthatyouwantthemtomovein.Youcannot
forcethemtotalkaboutwhatyoufindinteresting,butyoucan
makeitinterestingforthemtotalkaboutit.Makeyourcommu
nitythecenteroftheirworld,andbuildlongtermrelationships
asaresult.
Second,designandarchitectthesiteinsuchamannertofosterthetypesofinteractionthatwillcreatethatsenseofpsychologicalcommunity.Focusongrouplevelinteractionsandgetthememberstoidentifywiththesite.Giveincentivesforparticulartypesofbehaviorthatyouwanttoencourage,
butdontmakeittoocompetitive.Helpyourusersfindthecontentandmembersthatarerelevant
tothembygivingthemmultipleavenuesintothecontentandmultiplewaystosliceupthecontent.
Mostimportantlythough,designthearchitectureofthesitesothatitiseasilyexpandableyou
dontwantyourfirstuserstobealoneinanoverlyhugeemptysite,butneitherdoyouwantthesite
tobetooconfining.Makeiteasyforthemtointeractwitheachother,andwithyou.
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Third,decidewhatyourowninteractionstrategywillbe.Youshouldhaveapresenceonthesitethatisactive,authentic,andtransparent.Learntoreadyouruserbaseforhowmuchdirectiontheyneed,
andlearntowalkthatfinelinebetweentoomuchandtoolittle.Howeveryoudecidetointeractwith
yourcommunity,makesureyouarelisteningtothemandreactingtowhattheyaresaying.Your
communitywillfeelvaluedifyougivethemfrequentfeedbackandshowthemhowtheircomments
orideashavebeenused.Iftheyfeelvaluabletoyou,thenyouwillfeelvaluabletothem.Psychologicalcommunityisvitaltothesuccessofanyonlinecommu
nityorsocialnetwork.Helpyourusershelpyoubyprovidingthem
withtheskeletonandtoolstomakeconnectionswitheachother
andinteractwitheachotherinamannerthatmakesthemfeellike
theyarepartofsomething.Buildyourcommunityinamannerthat
makesyouraudienceintoanintegralpartofyourongoingstrategy.
Letthemhaveasayinhowthecommunitymovesforward.And
mostofall,havefun!
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Ripple6helpsmarketersandpublishersimplementtheirbusinessstrategythroughsocialmedia.The
companyprovidesanenterprisewhitelabelsocialmediaplatformtocreateconsumerengagements
andrelationships,enhancesocialmarketing,generateconsumerinsights,andfacilitatecommerceand
collaboration.Itiseasilycustomizedtoincorporateabrand'slookandfeelforintegrationintoanexist
ingwebsiteortocreateanentirelynewsite.Ripple6awhollyownedsubsidiaryofGannettCo.,Inc.
(NYSE:GCI),
is
based
in
New
York
and
its
list
of
clients
and
partners
includes
P&G,
Meredith
Corpora
tion,andGeneralMills.
Formoreinformation,[email protected].
http://mail2.ripple6.com/emb/link.php?M=299194&N=67&L=30&F=Hhttp://mail2.ripple6.com/emb/link.php?M=299194&N=67&L=30&F=Hhttp://mail2.ripple6.com/emb/link.php?M=299194&N=67&L=30&F=H