Customers are the lifeblood of any business. But how do you translate the fervor they have for your product or service into a thriving online community?
One of the hottest new online trends is the creation of community websites to. How do you know if you need one and, if you do, where do you begin?
Your business needs a community site if you:
To start a community site, you should ask yourself what your goals are. Is this site for research only? What can you offer your customers that will be of value to them? Do you have the resources to create content that will be compelling and engaging?
If the answer to all the above is yes, you may be ready.
COMMUNITY PLATFORMS
If you want to start your own community, you have a number of options.
For the business owner who wants to dip your toe in the community idea without a major commitment of time and energy, setting up a Facebook profile page is a great way to start.
First, you must have a personal profile. Secondly, start your own page. Then, invite your current customers or e-zine or online newsletter subscribers to join. Think about what content you can feed into your FB page. You can use your blog feed, YouTube channel, post videos and a host of other elements. Make sure to claim your name. After a set number of fans (check FB for details), you can choose your name. Make sure it aligns with your branding and promote it to your customers.
If your community might be more B2B minded, you might want to start a LinkedIn group. First search on the "Groups" tab and search to see what's out there already. Ask yourself, what would bevaluabl e? Who could you bring together and over what topic? What would be a value-add to these busy professionals? And what kind of content can you offer to feed the group? If you are confident that there isn't anything to meet the needs of your community, click on the "Create a Group" on the "Groups" page.
You will be asked to upload a logo, choose a name, create a description, and decide whether you want the group to be public or private. Then start to invite the people who you believe would make vibrant community members. Put the group's information at the bottom of your signature line. It's often noted that the largest benefit of a group is conferred to the group leader. Take your role as community leader seriously and you will glean many benefits.
If you are ready to dive into the deep end of community creation, there's no better website than Ning. It offers a full comprehensive set of options. If you just want to get a site up and running in a few minutes, you can pick a template and set in less than five minutes. If you want to get fancy, you can customize the template so it looks like all your other online entities, such as your website, blog, (this is recommended!) It also recently announced new integrated apps such as Wordpress (for your blog or website), Blog Talk Radio widgets (for your podcasts or radio shows) and UStream.com (for your video podcasts and shows).
Creating a thriving community is the No. 1 way to engage your customers. When they're inspired, they recommend your product or service. And there is no price you can put on that.
Want a step-by-step plan to create your own community? E-mail me today!
Alison Woo, Chief Media Maven
In the not so distant past you could create a Facebook profile only in your own name. Now things have changed dramatically at Facebook. it's now a great place to build your brand.
If you are an author with more than one published book you can set up a page for each book! Business owners who want to showcase their different products or service can do the same. Remember though that you still need a personal profile in order to create a page.
So your page is up! Now you're ready to get down to business on Facebook. And this is where many get stymied. Now what? Do you purchase a Facebook ad? This idea does not sit too well with many of us because we're used to the "no-cost" benefit of social media. But for those who want to venture down the advertising road it's a great way to tap into Facebook's vast audience.
There are numerous other ways to promote your Facebook page. One of which is to simply invite your friends! Click on the share+ link on the bottom left side of your page and type in your friends' e-mail addresses and invite them to become a fan.
If you're used to the maniacal speed of Twitter you may find building a brand on Facebook somewhat slow. Realize it's a slow build but with a little patience you can successfully build your brand on Facebook.
Want to share how you get the word out about your Facebook Page?
Regards,
Lena Claxton
Discover how to build your brand on Facebook? Register now for our Social Networking session in the "Road to New Media Mastery" Series on Thursday, April 29, 1 p.m. EST. Learn more and click on "Individual Sessions" to register
If your brand disappeared today would your customers miss it? Would it matter? The operative words here are relevance and emotional connection. Your services or products must matter to your audience. If it doesn’t matter you face an uphill battle.
Many companies successfully capitalize on what matters most to their audience, aligning mission with audience needs. When this happens naturally, it's a beautiful thing.
I'm a big fan of Method's cleaning agents. If you look at their website you’ll notice their stark, minimalist look. Method used this environmentally conscious approach in every aspect of their company – from their “green” blog sites to their product packaging, so they achieve a cohesive look and feel across the board.
The use of bio-degradable, non-toxic products matters to a wide audience. Method tapped into the importance of an emotional connection – that consumers connected with them because using the product makes them feel better as human beings. Also, it makes a statement about the user as a person when they use these “green” products.
You don't need to have an environmentally-conscious business to make your brand matter though. As long as you are addressing the needs of your audience and helping them solve their problems your brand will stay relevant.
Join the discussion! Can you think of some other examples of brands that are relevant to audience needs? Or volunteer your own!
Regards,
Lena Claxton
Chief Marketing Maven
Take for example, Apple’s successful branding of the iPod. Soon after Apple launched the iPod a host of knock-offs flooded the market with the same features. Some were even cheaper and offered more downloads. But Apple wasn’t just selling a widget, it was selling iPod’s cool factor. The original. No competitor can trump that.
Share with us your cool factor or unique experience that you offer your customers by clicking on "comments" below.
Regards,
Lena Claxton
Chief Marketing Maven
Join us on the individual sessions of the "Road to New Media Mastery" Teleclasses. Read more.
