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Be heard.




The heart of the
conversation:
challenges brands face
edging their way into
this sacred space
Take off your
marketing, PR,
advertising, sales,
market research…
hat for a moment

                Source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/expressmonorail/2416243832/
What do we mean
by online
communities?
people

         Source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/belljar/18171527/sizes/m/
interest

      Source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/11164709@N06/4387457002/sizes/o/
purpose

      Source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/jesuscm/3944482796/sizes/l/
technology
8 Community Types 

    Corporate Voice Community 
    User‐Generated Content/ Micro Site Campaign 
    Enthusiasts Community 
    Associa>ons/ Subscribers Community 
    Loyalty Community 
    Innova>on Community 
    Peer Support Community 
    Event Community 

                                                    Source: Awareness
Why are online
communities
interesting to
brands?
That’s where 
           people are 
Reason#1
           hanging out 
People are 
           sharing what 
Reason#2
           is important 
           to them 
People are 
           listening to 
Reason#3
           what others 
           are saying 
People expect 
           brands to 
Reason#4
           listen, learn & 
           contribute 
First mover 
           advantage 
Reason#5
And influence off course! 
Brands be aware 
Source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/belljar/18171527/sizes/m/
It’s not a place where you win 
      awards for beau>ful 
        adver>sements 
.. but rather to build
social capital
                     Source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/st-stev/153582206/
You win the hearts and minds 
 of people based on how well 
you listen, contribute and react 
Snapshot of Market 

    1,700,000,000 people online 
    500+ million people in social networks 
    Over 2,000 social networking plaYorms 
    Over 80 million online communi>es 
    US$60 billion is spent online to reach consumers 
    80% of companies are using LinkedIn as their primary tool 
     to find employees 
Genuine 
Metrics used to measure the 
success of social media ini>a>ves 
according to B2B and B2C 
companies in North America 
(September 2009)   
Time spent in social networks is 
increasing 150% year‐on‐year 
4.4%

27.8%


        +
Online Communities: How brands are edging their way into the heart of the conversation
Decrease in search. Increase in 
community. 
Average age across social networks 
For the next 2 hours, we’ll explore… 

  Evolu>on of online communi>es 
  Approaches brands have taken to engage with online 
   communi>es 
  Opportuni>es and challenges brands face when engaging 
   with online communi>es 
  Building an engagement campaign 
Evolution of online communities

  Adapted from presentation given by Trebor
   Scholz | Department of Media Study
Online Communities: How brands are edging their way into the heart of the conversation
1970’s-80’s:
        CompuServe   
 CompuServe allowed members to share files and
    access news and events. But it also offered
    something few had ever experienced – true
  interaction. Those forums proved tremendously
popular and paved the way for the modern iterations
                  we know today.
1974: Universities +
   Governments
1978: Crisis Support
1980’s: Health
1987: Gaming
1980’s-90’s: BBS
  BBSes were often run by hobbyists who
 carefully nurtured the social aspects and
 interest-specific nature of their projects –
 which, more often than not in those early
days of computers, was technology-related.
1995: Culture,
Politics & Tactics
1990’s: Social
      Networks 
 AOL. Yahoo. Classmates. Friendster. Six
Degrees. Asian Ave. Blackplanet. MiGente.
2000’s: Social
  Networks 
Friendster, LinkedIn, MySpace and
   Facebook: The Biz Grows Up
Online Communities: How brands are edging their way into the heart of the conversation
Online Communities: How brands are edging their way into the heart of the conversation
Approaches brands have taken
This is how
not to do it
Online Communities: How brands are edging their way into the heart of the conversation
This is how
you want to
do it
Online Communities: How brands are edging their way into the heart of the conversation
Nike encourages the people of Spain to 
              prank their friends and sign up to the 
              Nike+ running community. 


Ring, Ring,
Run, Run!
Some key success factors
Online Communities: How brands are edging their way into the heart of the conversation
Online Communities: How brands are edging their way into the heart of the conversation
Online Communities: How brands are edging their way into the heart of the conversation
In online communi>es it is the content that 
maeers most.  
People talk to and with each other not 
because they know each other or are already 
connected. Rather, because they share a 
similar interest, ques>on, concern, ambi>on, 
query, challenge or other issue.  
People engage with each other on content 
and not on connec>ons. You can meet and 
share ideas with strangers because you are 
both interested in the subject. 
Online Communities: How brands are edging their way into the heart of the conversation
10 things your
grandmother can
teach you about
social media
                  By Eric Fulwiler from  
                  Social Media Today 
Mind your manners  

Social media is s>ll social. Even though we are interac>ng 
in a virtual space, the same tradi>onal social rules, laws, 
and faux pas s>ll apply. If you act like a jerk, don’t expect 
many friends. 
Tuck in your shirt  

How you present yourself is just as important in the 
virtual world as it is in the real world. Make sure you are 
always aware of how you appear to others. 
Send a thank you card  

People s>ll appreciate being appreciated. It really doesn’t 
take much to convert an acquaintance to a friend, which 
will offer exponen>ally more value.  

A simple thank you, or any genuinely human interac>on 
of gra>tude goes a long way towards this goal. 
Keep your elbows off the table  

Ac>ng respecYully in front of others proves that you value 
them, which will usually make them value you more. And 
in social media, it’s all about value.  
Turn your music down  

Don’t contribute to the noise.  

Listen to whatever you want in your own personal space, 
but when your personal preferences start to become a 
distrac>on to others, people will tune you out. 
Finish what you started  

Any way you look at it, engagement is a commitment. 
When you make an effort to become part of a community, 
it’s not only up to you when or how olen you interact 
with other members.  

If you put yourself out there as a friend, be prepared to be 
there when people reach out to you. 
Finish your vegetables  

There are some aspects of social media that aren’t sexy. 
But that doesn’t mean they aren’t important to your 
growth and health.  

Make sure you are keeping up with the essen>als, and not 
just chasing that buzz you get from a social sugar high. 
Whatever happened to a good old 
fashioned…?  

Some>mes all these new gadgets and thingamabobs 
aren’t as important or effec>ve as we make them out to 
be. Some>mes a good old fashioned email, phone call, or 
even in person “get‐together” can accomplish things that 
social media can’t. 
A man is only as good as his word.  

The currency of social media is trust (or social capital). 
And if people can’t trust you, you have no value to them.  
Think twice before you speak.  

You can always say something, but you can never take it 
back. Especially in social media where everything you say 
can be heard by anyone, forever, there are just too many 
“finites” to not reconsider everything you say before you 
say it. 
Interactive workshop
What are all the 
             interac>ve 
             elements a brand 
Question 1
             could engage 
             around within an 
             online community? 
Engagement points 


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Online Communities: How brands are edging their way into the heart of the conversation