I was recently asked – What would your “top ten rules” of designing social networks or communities be? 1. Evaluate the company’s brand & how it relates to it’s community. Where are your supporters at? 2. Have a strategy – who is your target audience? 3. Decide on the platform that is suited to your community’s needs 4. Decide how you will provide the community with the tools it needs –
- what type of platform, tools to utilize, etc
- Identify people with expertise to nurture it
- Provide a company presence for moderation & direction
- Have a plan to keep adding content & resources
5. Realize that integrating with other networks & sites is important 6. Involve the community in all stages of product development – realize that receiving negative feedback is a good thing Updated after Toby Bloomberg’s comment – these 2 points added
- Ensure the community realizes that they are being heard
- Provide a company representative that interacts implicitly
7. Be prepared to continually evaluate & respond 8. Establish metrics to realize the business value 9. Promote the community at all touchpoints including company blog, website, internally & externally 10. Realize it’s about relationships, not technology What would your top 10 rules be? What have I forgotten?
Connie – Wonderful list.Thanks you.
I think this is implied in #10 but I would add involvement from you with your community members in order to create an on-going dialogue. Not only is it important to hear feedback from your community – #6 – but for people to know that they are being heard and you are involved with them. I suppose one might call it the “care and nurturing” aspect. Elisa, Jory and Lisa from BlogHer are a great examples of founders who are integrated into their community.
Those are excellent points Toby! I’ve added them. thank you
Hi Connie,
There are two areas that I suggest creators of new social networks consider carefully; purpose and reward.
Though your article implies social networks as a way of brands connecting to their audience, they can also be applied to, for example, the workplace community. The purpose of such networks can differ to the more open, branded social networks you speak of, yet use the same social media toolkit. Hence the importance of establishing a core purpose at the outset.
Secondly, establishing reward for participation is of the utmost importance. These can be social AND emotional as well as financial or knowledge-based. To define them, one must work hard to understand the motivations, needs and wants of the community. This very activity is at the heart of our own Planning stage of community creation.
Regards,
Stephen
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Connie,
Great post! I’ve found that its important to keep in mind that ROI is often not seen immediately when executing a social media strategy. Relationships within an online community take time to build and nurture and those with a traditional marketing background may expect fast results. Being consistent in each aspect of the strategy will show dividends across time.
Cheers,
Jeff Glasson
Director of Social Media & Technology
PerkettPR
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