I Have a Facebook Account…So Why Do I Need an Online Community?
Online communities and social networks are distinct from one another and may be used separately or together depending upon your organization’s goals and objectives.
Social networks and online communities—the distinctions
Social networks such as Facebook, Twitter and (to some degree) LinkedIn are predominantly relationship-driven. We spend time in these networks to connect with our friends, peers and co-workers.
What makes these networks so powerful is the ability to influence members. From purchasing decisions to recommended articles and videos, social networks leverage the trust of the network to encourage interaction.
And now for the distinction—an online community is purpose-driven. An online community exists first and foremost to solve a business use case problem. Common ones include:
- Self-help customer service for break/fix customer support
- Digital marketing ‘branding’ communities for voice of the customer interactions
- Employee/private communities where confidential or private interactions can take place
However, while many online communities start as purpose-driven communities—they too may become relational over time. The relationship aspect of an online community mirrors the benefits of well-known social networks and has the same influence on the consumption decisions of its participants as trust is built up.
Do I need an online community for my brand?
Telligent Community has customers in many industries (private, public, government) and many sizes. If you have customers, partners or employees, you will very likely benefit from an online community. But first, you need to determine what your community’s purpose will be; for example, a customer support community.
Think “multichannel” customer journeys
Instead of thinking about your customer interactions as technology-based, think of all the different channels you have available to interact with your customer.
Organizations initially pushed hard into social network “channels” such as Facebook, creating brand-specific pages and experiences. Today, many organizations have retreated from these investments and shifted toward advertising within the network.
This is all part of the journey mapping that companies do to convey their story.
What do I do next?
Start by mapping out possible customer journeys:
- How does your customer find you?
- What would they be looking for?
- What happens when someone makes a recommendation?
For example, a common journey may be: social network > online community > product purchase. We often recommend that organizations view all the multichannel capabilities they have from search engine optimization (SEO), email and social media as tools to bring customers closer and closer to the branded website or community where the core message can be best conveyed.
Next, identify what the appropriate destinations are for those channels. For example, we recommend to many of our customers to view the channels as tools to drive customers into their community where more direct engagement can begin.
Online communities are an ideal bridge for continuing the conversation when your customer has a specific purpose in mind, plus you can introduce them to all the resources available in the community: answers to questions, documentation, videos, white papers and other customers similar to them.
Have questions about how to do this? We can help—contact us.
The post I Have a Facebook Account…So Why Do I Need an Online Community? appeared first on Customer Experience Management Blog.
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