Connie Bensen

This shiny new vending machine was getting a lot of attention at LAX. Everyone was stopping by to ponder the offerings.

There wasn’t anything edible in there though. Best Buy has it filled with lots of electronic goodies ranging from MP3 players, digital cameras, various types of cords, on up to headphones including a  pair of Bose.

There’s a video monitor on the top right with some flashy advertising.  The screen on the right provides a touch screen for additional info about the products and offers to take your credit card.

Best Buy is a Minnesota company so it was nice to see them trying this idea out. When I was still in libraryland we had talked about putting kiosks like this at the mall. But that’s a bit different scenario (and it never happened). The advantage here is that they don’t have to rent a whole store space. And they don’t need to staff it. Vandalism shouldn’t be too bad because it’s in a very public spot. It’s good advertising for the brand with the signage.

We were flying back from San Francisco and taking the scenic route through Los Angeles airport on our way back to Fargo, ND. So we had a few hours. I also ended up in 2 book stores.

When I was in the largest one, I found myself wishing for computer access to look up an author that I knew had released a new book. Wouldn’t that be cool if I could walk over to a computer and look up the information I was looking for while I shopped? (just like at the library?) I finally asked the girl at the counter and she looked it up for me. Then she told me they didn’t have that title in the store. But now consider if I would have had access to their online store and could have:

1. looked up the information I was thinking about

2. and ordered it right then & there to be delivered to my house

I’m not sure how practical that is in airports where people are browsing. Do major bookstores offer that? (yes, I am geographically challenged & rarely go into a bookstore because I use Amazon & have them delivered to me).

Last week I was shopping at my favorite store, Christopher Banks. I overheard the clerk say to a customer that they maybe had the item in her size online & suggested that she check their site. Wouldn’t it be nice if they had a computer there where the customers could do that and place the order for themselves right then & there? I’m wondering if the desire to purchase lessens or is forgotten after the person leaves the store? What if they don’t have a computer?

Libraries provide access to their online catalogs so that people can request items that aren’t available inhouse, so it should work well for retailers that offer online items too I would think. Would customers use it? If the retailer has invested in adding an online presence should they interweave that experience with the in-store one? Do kiosks offer a new direction?

It seems ages ago now, but in January 2007 my sister & I created a simple community consisting of forums, a blog & a file cabinet. That experience has evolved into a study of social networking, brand building and community building.

Here’s a summary of the basic premises every community manager should keep in mind. And companies that are creating communities should also realize their importance.

• How can you ensure that your community will be successful?
• Identify a need and provide resources to fulfill it.
• Build a community around that concept.
• There needs to be a lifestyle affinit
• How do you make others aware of the community?
• partner with related sites
• provide meaningful information
• How do you identify those that need your product/service?
• by listening to online conversations & utilizing tools
• I’ve been using Google alerts since Oct 06 & acting on them
• My day job is with Techrigy SM2 and we have a free version
• Monitoring social networks as well as web analytics is imperative
• Why will people return?
• to learn more about the product
• to get their questions answered & discuss niche related items
• How do you get people to link to your site?
• it’s human nature to want to help each other, so they do it to be helpful
• if you have resources that others find helpful then they will link others
• How do you build interest around new product releases?
• know your customer segment(s)
• what interests them? what types of activities do they thrive on?
• we held events such as chats (our ladies loved real time chats), offered prizes, celebrated niche specific events

And probably the most important realization that I had:

• Why will people want to buy at your site?
• if people find value in the information and resources they will want to support you
• time is of great value to many & if your site demonstrates extensive knowledge then people will want to purchase the product or resources

In the community that my sister & I created at DigiScrapInfo.com we started with no expectation of a business model. We later added the affiliate program because our community appreciated the resources so much that they asked how they could support us. People sincerely wanted to make sure that we were compensated if they  purchased.

My blog and site are another example. After less than one year people were offering me work opportunities. When I started this blog I never had any intentions of monetizing it, but it happened in a subtle way. Even though I have a full time job now people still assume that I do contracting work. With the recession I can connect those seeking positions with employers who read my blog. The job sourcing and mentorship is free as time permits because that’s how I can give back to my community.

My focus is on helping you create opportunities for yourself no matter the size of your community whether it be a blog, forums, small business, or a company.

If you are a company that is creating a community you should have a business case. But it will be much more successful if the focus is on providing information and resources first and realize that sales will be a natural progression. That will be a subsequent benefit after realizing many other benefits such as positive WOM, increased brand visibility online, etc first. It’s about establishing a presence based on giving back resources for what your community needs and establishing a relationship with them.

What have I missed?

I recently wrote about Community Building 101 as part of a marketing campaign for a startup.

KTM asked a question:

Do you have any thoughts around handling this issue when the potential audience is thought not to be very engaged with social media?

The answer lies in your question. And we can take a look at it in two parts.

We need to take a step way back. In all the melee around social media we tend forget about the bigger picture around marketing. Building a community isn’t the end all, be all solution. Other things need to be done as a part of the bigger plan. Mitch Joel has an excellent article today about how our values are affecting our outlook on marketing.

Building a community is a part of the overall marketing plan & should compliment it.

So here are the two aspects to consider:

1. Evaluate your customer segment(s)

• What are their demographics?
• What is their lifestyle like? and what affinities do they have?
• What needs does your product fulfill?

You really need to know that information to make decisions on where your marketing efforts should be focused. Mitch Joel’s point is well taken that traditional channels shouldn’t be discounted.

Listening will also help you find people talking about your brand/product online. And you may find people using your products in unique ways.

2. If your potential audience isn’t very engaged in social media then you need to decide where that would be for your customer segments. Where are their family & friends coming online at?

My suggestion is to get involved at two places:

• Major social network
• Facebook – join niche related groups & build a network there
• if your target audience is a MySpace type crowd, then go there
• if it’s traditional business people, then LinkedIn is your place
• Niche sites – find 2 or 3 that are very popular & get involved

And I would highly question anyone that says: “Our potential customers aren’t online”.

That sounds like a really lazy answer. With some effort you can find people needing your products/resources (even if they didn’t know they did!). If you move into an educational mode & provide resources and teach people then you’ll be off on the right foot towards fostering community. Remember that your ultimate goal is to contribute to the community at large (not sell your products/services). Sales will happen when people realize they need your products.

What would you add to those points?

Today I had a chat on Skype with a new friend about why outbound links are important. At first glance it seems obvious that you want to keep readers on your site. Once you get a reader to your blog, site or community you want them to stay there right?

• Read the full post at the Marketing 2.0 blog.
• And join the community.