So you have started to monitor to the conversations and social activity after Week Three of our Social Media Bootcamp, and you have an idea of what conversations are happening, where people are postings, and what the tone of the conversations are.
But like everyone else, you’re looking direction about how to engage and become part of a digital community’s conversation in an effective and acceptable manner that can help your business without alienating the passionate members of the community you’re trying to reach.
What is a digital community -Â Â a communication system of social networks whose participants share a common interest, idea, task or goal that interact in a virtual society across time, geographical and organizational boundaries and where they are able to develop personal relationships.
Growth cycle of a digital community: Tend to grow slowly at first – people are more motivated to provide content and contribute as the size of the community grows. As potential audience increases, so does attraction of writing and contribution.Â
Who are the citizens that make up a digital community?
- Peripheral (lurker) – observes. An outside, unstructured participant. Usually visits community in response to the prompting of others.
- Inbound (novice) – newcomer, just beginning to engage in community. Starts to provide content. Tentatively interacts in a few discussions.
- Insider (regular) – fully committed participant; consistently ads to the community discussion and content. Interacts with other users.
- Boundary (leader) – Recognized as a veteran participant. Connects with regulars to make higher concepts into ideas. The community grants their opinion greater consideration.Â
- Outbound (elder) – Leave the community due to new relationships, new positions, new outlooks; community may have moved in direction they don’t agree with.Â
 Why you and your company should be engaging with Digital Communities:
1. Education
- Get the inside scoop – be the first to know what is going on
- Ask and answer questions – participate in the conversation
- Stay up to date on your industry trends
2. Networking
- Meet like-minded people
- New hires/staff
- Business opportunities
3. Public relations
- Know what people are saying about and how reacting to your brand
- Respond to press quickly
- Plant a story/lead
- Influence public opinion
4. Fundraising/Philanthropy Â
- Tie into a cause – ask to join
- Special offers for those that participate – Incentives
5. Brand Awareness
- Around events and sales
- Reviews, ratings
- Tell your story
6. ROI
- Can track web traffic, click-throughs, RRS subscriptions, offer redemptions, digital mentions/conversations, downloads, customer surveys, subscribers, referrals, links
FINDING the communities you want to engage with:Â
Great tools listed in Digital Bootcamp Number Three: Trendrr, Quarkbase, Social Mention, Technorati Search, Google Alerts. Will help you locate the places that your customers are congregating and begin monitoring conversations before you choose to try to leverage it to your advantage.
BEFORE you jump in:Â
- Remember – utilizing a digital community for marketing is a tricky business that requires you to proceed carefully has sensitive boundaries, doesn’t suffer intruders well. When dealing with a digital community, it’s all about discovering what your audience desires and finding a way to align your brand to their desires.
- Have established goals – know how this will align with your existing voice/messages/identity and your goals – and be prepared to monitor results to make sure you achieve it
- Try to anticipate all possible reactions (good and bad) and have a plan for responding
Challenges of marketing to digital communities:Â
- Be prepared to commit the resources – time, people, authority to respond
- TRANSPARENCY is crucial
- Remember – your community will trust you – do not lose their trust
- Be aware of what is going on around you – timeliness can make or break a campaign
Build off of your existing equity – current platforms and marketing tools;
- Web site
- Database
Let Them Play in Your Yard
Things to remember:
- Remember that more than half of all fortune 500 social media campaigns have failed – the business community is struggling to keep up with the rise of the digital community.
- If you set up a Social Media tool for your company – then use it.
- Update your information with some frequency.
- Commit to continual education.
- The time to get engaged is NOW.
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As a consultant, I see the value of providing an online experience. Social media is a great example of an interactive digital medium with real power, provided you know how to use it. For the average small business, effectively navigating social media is largely about understanding Generation Y. Please see my review of Millennials and social media.
http://thegreenmarket.blogspot.com/2009/05/power-of-social-media-and-importance-of.html
See also the ways in which social media and sustainability are aligned.
http://thegreenmarket.blogspot.com/2009/05/social-media-and-sustainability.html