How to Build an Enterprise Online Community
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Transcript of How to Build an Enterprise Online Community
L E A D E R NETWORKS
How Can You Build Community For The Enterprise?
Vanessa DiMauroCEO, Leader Networks & SNCR Fellow
Podcamp BostonAugust, 2009
L E A D E R NETWORKS
Framing Questions
• What is different about enterprise communities
(vs. consumer communities)?
• How do you build a community for the enterprise?
• What are the models?
• What does the building process look like?
• What are critical success factors?
• What can go wrong?
• What do you want to add?.....
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Three General Community Models
B2B B2C Hybrid
Select, narrow target audience
Acceptance criteria
Protected dialog
Facilitated discussion
Managed topical agenda
Sponsor supported and sometimes member fees
Open call, all interested
Member directed
Public forum
Big bang
Moderated discussion
Ad generated support
Tiered membership
Consensus/Trend driven
Public forum w/ private area
Thought leadership (responsive)
Hybrid Revenues
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12 Step Process Overview
Create Vision
Target & Segment Audience
Query Potential Members
Build Value Proposition
Architect Business Value Justification & Measurements
Benchmark Competition & Best of Breed
Determine Brand Positioning
Design Features & Functionality
Engage a Beta Group
Launch with Finesse
Manage Risk
Evolve
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Good Enterprise Community Strategic Planning: Create Vision
Begin with the end in mind
Find the overlap & build for relevance to both audiences
What does the business need for the community to be successful?
What do community members need from the community to get value?
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Target and Segment Your Audience
Understanding who you serve and in what ways provides the driving business rationale for an enterprise community program.
This leads to members who engage with each other and the enterprise and sustains their interest.
The who dictates the where, when, why and how.
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Who are the key constituencies for your community?
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Query Potential Audiences
Survey or interview your target audience to find out what they are missing in their current experience with your company
– Create a structured interview guide with semi-formal interview program
– Follow up with quantitative study • Don’t ask about features – inquire about needs!
– Also, Talk to marketing, sales, product development to learn what they are doing for clients and prospects that could be leveraged online
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Build Value Proposition
If-then arguments and causal relationships are key to building value propositions that are rooted in need and reality
For example:– If we create a customer support forum then we can support more customers
online and reduce human support costs
– If we use a WIKI for a collaborative product manual then we will catch product errors quicker
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Architect Business Justification
• You become what you measure so select your measurements carefully– Interactivity ratios– Number or nature of deliverables to product marketing, management, clients– Cost/ ROI– Client retention statistics – tied to use of product features and services – New client data - impact analysis– Press and goodwill – Case studies, client testimonials etc.
• Once launched, use the tools available to you to impact change– Log analysis, market segmentation, individualized messaging & outreach,
knowledge gifts
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Benchmark Competition & Best of Breed
• Who is doing what with whom?– Look at direct and indirect competes
– Analyze their web 2.0 strategies and initiatives
• Help-wanted ads are a good way to predict competitors future efforts
• Who is talking about your company and in what way?– Monitor the Blogosphere
– Actively manage your reputation online
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Determine Brand Positioning
• Develop Market Plans– New users often means new markets – understand and target the members
that matter most
– Execute with the precision of any well-planned market strategy• Community is not a project it is a new line of business
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Design Features and Functions
• Use business goals and user needs as told through the user research to identify key feature sets– Don’t search for a vendor until you know the critical feature sets and how they
should behave
– Understand and map the business process that the community endeavors to support
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Engage a Beta Group
• Involve users in the social design of the community
• Ask their opinion
• Gather UGC from them such a member feature articles and interviews
• Pre-populate the community before formal launch with their participation
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Launch With Finesse
• Design and create appropriate member acquisition materials & marketing assets– Keep company core messaging and brand extension ever-present
The enterprise community is an extension of your brand
– Remember that different messages can motivate different constituents of the same community
– Project into the future and strike the right tone.. (Reasonable) Early success claims can motivate participation
– Plan for a steady member acquisition drum-beat: the hard work *start* once the community is live!
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Integrate Plans And Outcomes Into The Organization
• Use your knowledge assets widely
• Leveraging what you learn
• Sales
• Marketing
• Customer Service
• Product Development
• Research & Development
• Competitive Intelligence
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Manage Risk
Risk Factors Risk Mitigation Strategies
Failure to launch The power of a Beta group
Failure to vet Rules of engagement (who’s in who’s out?)
Lack of transparencyWacko factor and disaster scenario
planning
Public criticism Governance policy
Failure to thrive “Plan B”
Successful community that doesn’t support business goals
Go / no-go decision point based on active measures on quarterly basis
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Sample Metrics for an Enterprise Community
Financial Metrics: Revenue generated (direct and indirect i.e. client retention or pass through revenue gained through bundled services) – Minus operational costs
Operational Metrics: Fully burdened costs of community operations including technology, development, content acquisition, staffing.
Business Metrics: Click-throughs/logins, industries serviced, # of members who are clients, title portfolio of membership,
Marketing Metrics: New member acquisition costs, Cost per Member (CPM) against Revenue per Member (RPM), Event or campaign outcomes
Editorial Metrics: Cost of content creation, % of UGC, content ratings/rank
Member Metrics: # of members login/time, % of profiles complete, return rate, premium conversion rate, revenue generated per member, number of posts per member, average page views per member or group, member engagement ratios
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The Role of Governance in Achieving Results
The role of Governance is how to manage the community day to day behavior to achieve the goals….
Key tactics• Define roles and responsibilities, including cross functional involvement within the
organization
• Establish continuous improvement programs, success metrics and budgeting and planning cycles
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Governance Structure
Role/Function Ownership
Time < 6 months (now to launch)
Time > 6 months (post launch if different)
Organizational Impact (+ or - )
Technology
Content
Member services(Community Manager)
Strategy & measurement
Sales/Partnerships
Executive sponsor
Marketing & audience acquisition
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Best Practice Methodology for Effective Community
Community Framework
Company, Engagement & Governance
Branding & Marketing Execution
Technology Content & Communication
Community Evolution
Continuous Improvement
Strategy & Plan
Goals, models, revenue, investment, milestones, ownership
Identity, competitive positioning, target audience research & validation, marketing plan
Strategic feature mapping, Identify challenges & acquisition needs
Editorial plan, sourcing, calendar
Profile, target audience definition, staffing plan
Leading metrics, program management
Launch Execution
Revise milestones, set performance metrics, establish reporting & advisory structure
Campaign management, press/PR, design elements
Select, acquire, implement
Develop “initial” content, acquire and/or assign editorial, load
Member & sponsor acquisition, moderation process, hiring
Revise metrics, establish reporting process & tools
Evolve & Improve
Review/revise revenue model, investment & staffing
Refresh design, monitor digital impact, competitive assessment, refine message
Maintain, revise, upgrade, secure, business continuity
Monitor trends, react to activity, hot topics, repurpose, provide analytical value
Member retention, new segment acquisition, customer satisfaction
Revise leading & lagging metrics, respond to issues/problems, process improvements
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SAMPLE Work Plan
ACTIVITY GOAL TIMEFRAMEStrategic planning Build consensus and create draft straw model Workshop
User Experience profiles Interview audience segments to develop profiles of users
4-6 weeks
Benchmark Competition & Best of Breed
SWOT analysis of competitors and best of breed out of industry models
5-6 weeks
Design Features & Functionality Create BRD (business requirements document) 4-8 weeks
Select technology architecture and software vendor & deploy
Define technology platform; RFI and/or RFP for vendor platform; contract, design, test, deploy
6 to 24 weeks
Content planning Content strategyInventory assets and content gap analysisEditorial planning, content generation and loading
4-5 weeks
Marketing/member acquisition planning
Segment audience, audience acquisition tactics, short and mid-term
4-6 weeks
Beta group Formulate beta group and launch involvement plan 6-8 weeks
Engagement plan Keeping users involved 3-4 weeks
Launch Strategic and tactical planning for launch event 2-4 weeks
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@Stuart616What characteristics does a business have to have to benefit from developing an online community?
1) Community must accelerate a business process or solve a problem
2) Must directly reflect the needs and goals of the members
3) Must offer thought leadership or a POV,
4) Have an active customer base of a sizable nature – its, to some degree a numbers game,
5) Openness 2 dialogue and commitment to action
maurocardarelli@vdimauro what are best practices to get commitment (visits and contributions) from the community?
1) Communities can not be bought –they are earned through trust and commitment
2) Engage a beta group in the community design and early guidance
3) Foster co-ownership of ideas and outcome
4) Outreach is key
5) Reciprocity
Twitter Questions
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Critical Success Factors
• Demonstrate high integrity and transparency at all times
• Fix the rules of engagement and do not change them
• Create rich member care programs
• Trust and support UGC
• Solve their professional needs and even the busiest exec will use the network
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The Sum Of The Parts
The combination of strong feature sets and a comprehensive membership support program can create a trusted, vibrant community engaging in deep professional collaboration world-wide.
– The members will solve problems together, share information with each other and make plans to connect in person using the network.
– The members will trust the network and view it as a true membership organization of great strategic value.
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Get Involved In The Question
Participate in the Research: Http://www.NewSymbiosis.com25Copyright © 2009 Leader Networks
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Thank you!
Vanessa DiMauro
CEO
Leader Networks
617 484 078
www.leadernetworks.com
@vdimauro
About Leader Networks
Leader Networks is a strategic research and consulting firm that specializes in helping clients harness the power of new digital rules and tools to drive measurable business benefits from social media and social leadership.
http://www.leadernetworks.com
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