Original post: eModeration publishes new white paper: Communities of Purpose
A new white paper from moderation and community management company, eModeration, details how best a ‘community of purpose’ can be managed, to maximise the engagement and support that these communities can offer their members.
The paper, Communities of Purpose, focuses on interactive online communities with a clear goal, otherwise known as ‘communities of purpose’. Brands and not-for-profit organisations alike can establish these communities to act as a focal point for members to meet, contribute content and provide mutual support. Think of Weight Watchers, Walk the Walk (raising money to combat breast cancer) or Liberal Democrat Voice for example.
This paper (co-authored by eModeration’s CEO, Tamara Littleton, and Head of Community Ashley Cooksley) gathers the thinking from some of the highly respected voices in community management today to provide clear, practical advice to those thinking about establishing a community of purpose. It details best practice for the management of Communities of Purpose in order to maximise the engagement and support that these communities can offer their members. Including:
- Create the ‘burning imperative’. The community has to have a strong goal for people to join and continue to be active members.
- Add value. What does your community offer that members can’t get elsewhere?
- Stay relevant. The community will lack credibility if there’s a clear disconnect between the community purpose and the brand.
Tagged as:
communities of purpose,
community,
eModeration,
social communities
What happens when communities don’t exactly behave the way we intended them to? Fighting and bickering is normal and actually healthy for communities. In fact, if your members aren’t squabbling every once in a while, there’s a good chance that your community isn’t all that compelling to people. If they fight, they care. That said when things get out of hand, it’s time to take action. Below are some very insightful and more common reasons people fight along with the proposed solutions (as suggested by TheNextEngine.com):
"When Social Media Attacks!" courtesy of Dan Linabury for TheNextEngine.com
The Golden Child
A new member joins the site who seems to be the ideal member: helpful, smart and full of ideas. They become the golden child overnight. The moderator even pays them special attention, making older members jealous.
Solution: Ensure the moderator mentions all members equally. A smart new member is exciting, but don’t forget the older members who helped make the community what it is.
The Delinquent
A small clique forms that takes opposing views to many of the main goals of the community. Eventually they build up enough support that other members not only take notice, they begin to fear them.
Solution: Pay close attention to this group and be aware of not only what they are saying but where they are saying it. Expect that they may take things of the community and create their own support site or blog. If things get really bad, first banning the group, then banning the trouble-making members may be your best bet to save the community.
Tagged as:
communities,
dan linabury,
social media,
thenextengine.com
Tom Bacon, VP Marketing, VTech, Taddy Hall, COO, Meteor Solutions (@meteorsolutions), and Steve Fowler, VP Strategy and Client Service, Ayzenberg Group, presented four steps to successfully monetize your “Social Media Graph.” Tom Bacon at VTech also shared a case study of VTech’s social media campaign targeted at music aficionados and illustrated with real-world examples about how the right strategy, content, and tactics can make your next social media campaign a huge success.
Discover your “social media graph” by identifying the influential brand advocates generating the most site traffic, the engaging content elements fueling word-of-mouth referrals, and where and how the referrals and link sharing are occurring. Follow these four steps when monetizing your social media graph:
- Research: Determine who the influential enthusiasts are, what content is driving the viral activity, and where the sharing is occurring.
- Connect with Serious Fans and Advocates: Enable and encourage sharing via niche communities and mass social sites and seed content when necessary.
- Activate and Monetize: Increase sharing, engagement, and action through strong content.
- Optimize: Improve paid and unpaid activities. Target influential sites/communities with immediate calls to action.
To read a case study from VTech Communications about its marketing strategies which includes social media, click here. (You must be an ANA member or become one to read and download the case study in its entirety.)
Tagged as:
ana,
meteor solutions,
social graph,
social marketing,
vortech
Original Post: Teaching an Old Brand New Tricks, Marketing Sherpa
Good news: You don’t have to lose sight of your brand’s tried-and-true persona to participate in the quest for deeper engagement at the new social sites. Just think of the social-media generation as a silver-dish serving of people who already want to talk to you; you just need to make them feel comfortable doing it. Easier said than done? Not necessarily. Here are a couple of older brands that are getting it right:
Sharpie, well past pushin’ 40, managed to tap into an enthusiastic user culture in a way we’re pretty sure no other pen brand has. Its Sharpie Uncapped gallery enables fans far and wide to express, in vivid (and permanent!) color, how they incorporate the inky wonders into their creative undertakings.
Think about the number of years kids have been using Sharpies to scribble on jeans, decorate casts and prettify their Converse tennies. Now there’s a fun place to show all that off? Score!
Little Debbie, who first made the scene in the 1960s, is using flickr, Twitter, Facebook and blog outreach to promote a cupcake Share-a-Thon this fall. A series of Smart cars demonstrate Little Debbie’s commitment to the eco-cause, and are also outfitted like the cupcakes themselves. Thus far, the aging mark has done a tasty job of reminding fresh generations of its relevance.
Tagged as:
Ben&Jerry's,
brand marketing,
Little Debbie,
Sharpie,
social media marketing
Original Post: Teaching an Old Brand New Tricks, Marketing Sherpa
Good news: You don’t have to lose sight of your brand’s tried-and-true persona to participate in the quest for deeper engagement at the new social sites. Just think of the social-media generation as a silver-dish serving of people who already want to talk to you; you just need to make them feel comfortable doing it. Easier said than done? Not necessarily. Here are a couple of older brands that are getting it right:
Sharpie, well past pushin’ 40, managed to tap into an enthusiastic user culture in a way we’re pretty sure no other pen brand has. Its Sharpie Uncapped gallery enables fans far and wide to express, in vivid (and permanent!) color, how they incorporate the inky wonders into their creative undertakings.
Think about the number of years kids have been using Sharpies to scribble on jeans, decorate casts and prettify their Converse tennies. Now there’s a fun place to show all that off? Score!
Little Debbie, who first made the scene in the 1960s, is using flickr, Twitter, Facebook and blog outreach to promote a cupcake Share-a-Thon this fall. A series of Smart cars demonstrate Little Debbie’s commitment to the eco-cause, and are also outfitted like the cupcakes themselves. Thus far, the aging mark has done a tasty job of reminding fresh generations of its relevance.
Tagged as:
Ben&Jerry's,
brand marketing,
Little Debbie,
Sharpie,
social media marketing
