There are many organizations that have been establishing their own communities online. These branded online communities allow your customers to connect and discuss related topics with each other. These communities include, but are not limited to, support forums, wikis, message boards, and even product showcases. Support forums, wikis and message boards generally serve as a way for your customers to fix problems themselves using advice from community members whereas product showcases are more focused with the showing off a given product or service. With the cost of creating these communities decreasing and the willingness of consumers to share their experiences online the question must be asked – are branded online communities really necessary?
In short, it depends on the organization and the product offered. If your main product offering is refrigerators what extra value would a branded online community offer to consumers? It is unlikely that your average customer would go online for support when it comes to fixing a problem, thus making forums, wikis and message boards largely useless. However, if you consider the idea that kitchens are a focal point in a home, what if you allowed customers to showcase not only your product but their entire kitchen by giving them the ability to upload images to a branded community? From there, if users do in-fact contribute, this can lead to the possibility of forums where consumers of your refrigerators can discuss the broader subject, kitchen renovations. These members, while discussing a broader topic, will feel a connection with your brand and from there will probably be more likely to recommend your brand to potential customers.
Let us switch to a highly customizable product such as desktop computers. A branded community can allow your customers the ability to seek support and advice from other customers – allowing you to potentially decrease your official support and sales teams. In this case, forums and message boards can be used for the solving of customer-specific problems and a product wiki, if used in alongside these forums, can offer quick solutions to common problems, but in an organized and easily accessible manner. It always amazes me how willing community members can be when solving a stranger’s problem.
These are two specific examples of how branded online communities can offer value to your current and potential customers, but what should you consider when building an online community?
- It must make sense for your product offering.
- It must align with your company strategy – the success of the community must be measurable and relevant.
- It must offer value that is easily identifiable by consumers.
- It must offer a sense of belonging to members – if their contributions have no impact they will leave.
- It must put the customer first – open and honest discussion can help everyone.
- It must be used frequently – after all, what use is a stagnant community?
If you can show cost savings when it comes to support tickets and/or an increase in products sold your branded online community is offering value to both its members and to the organization. The addition of dedicated employees, who contribute and analyze the success and failures of the community, can offer even more value to members. If implemented properly, and for the right reasons, a branded online community can be very important to an organization.
