Building an Online Community

Communispace, a firm that develops dedicated online communities recently developed an online forum where Chase and the InterContinental Hotels Group had direct and ongoing conversations with customers in real time that resulted in the design of a new credit card product, the Priority Club Select Visa Card.

Online communities help brands gather liked-minded consumers who can share experiences, learn about new products and services, view videos, post comments or other content, and communicate with brands.

Manila Austin, the director of research at Communispace, shares her thoughts on building these communities.

PROMO: What are the basics a brand needs to know if they want to start direct online communication with loyal customers?
AUSTIN: We have principles that guide us in creating ongoing, customer-centric conversations between brands and customers. For example:
Provide intrinsic motivation. Companies need to create online experiences that deliver something meaningful to customers—the chance to interact with others that have shared interests, experiences, or values; the opportunity to be an “insider” and co-create with a brand; the great feeling we get when we know our voice has been heard, etc.

Model the kind of behavior you want to encourage in your customers. If you want them to be open and honest with you, then brands need to lead the way by being transparent, direct, respectful, and curious. This means sharing as much information as possible, even when it’s not flattering, and welcoming the full range of opinions and comments, even when they are critical.

Gather people for a purpose. Treating customers like human beings is not the same thing as pretending to be a regular “friend.” Customers want to engage with companies, but they want to know they are contributing and not wasting their time. So an online community with a clear and compelling purpose is motivating. And when companies feed back to people how they have helped, then customers are even more motivated to continue participating.

PROMO: What processes does Communispace go through to develop an online community?
AUSTIN: The process is proprietary and too detailed to share in its entirety, but there are a number of activities that drive our consultative approach. First, would be a deep understanding of the sponsoring company’s brand and strategic business objectives. These need to be crystallized so that the brand community is designed to inform those critical initiatives. This, in turn, shapes the learning agenda and the recruit. It is critical that we invite the “right” target group of people into the community—those customers or consumers that will be most helpful given the business goals. And finally, it is important to help the client think through an internal communication plan; getting support for the community and disseminating insights generated from the community requires open (and often cross-functional) sharing of information. But it is through this dissemination of learning and insights that brands elevate online communities to core, strategic assets.

PROMO: What elements should be included in the community for it to be successful?
AUSTIN: There are several key elements for a successful community. First, it has to be a place where customers actually want to go, hang out, and participate in over time. So engagement is critical for starting and sustaining online communities. Second, it is really important that brand-sponsored communities be skillfully facilitated—so real people demonstrating they are actively listening, modeling respectful behavior, and encouraging open expression of ideas. Third, maximize engagement by providing a variety of interactive activities. Examples of activities we regularly run in branded communities include live chats with brand executives, visual projects that include photo diaries, and journals detailing member interactions with brand products or campaigns. These types of activities are fun for members, fuel the discovery process, and surface rich insights. From the perspective of the brand and the client organization, having an internal champion—a leader who is passionate about the community, who understands the target customer, who is connected to the key business issues and knows how to communicate effectively with different stakeholders—increases community ROI and value. And if companies are able to involve external partners (such as ad agencies, key suppliers and/or distributers, etc.) then the value proposition becomes even more powerful.

PROMO: Is an online community appropriate for every brand?
AUSTIN: We believe so. Based on over 10 years of experience (across multiple industry verticals) we have seen a wide range of brands benefiting from insights generated through private, online communities. Over the years, our clients have ranged from financial institutions and food manufacturers to high-end retailers and pharmaceutical companies. In today’s era, in order to compete and effectively succeed, it’s critical that brands understand the ever-increasing influence of the consumer and engage with them in meaningful ways. And this is true for almost any company today.

PROMO: Once the original purpose of the online forum is achieved, should the brand keep the forum going and what should that look like?
AUSTIN: The overarching goal or purpose of online communities is usually to build a relationship with and deepen the connection to customers. So, in this sense, the purpose of online communities can never be fully achieved; in regard to knowing one’s customer, companies can always do more, go further, be more relevant. Because the need for this kind of understanding and customer-company interaction is ongoing and fundamental, an online community will always be a strategic asset. Building an online community to satisfy the needs of a single project is a bit short-sighted. One of the great values of online communities is the long-term participation of members and longitudinal nature of the insights; community members and brands get more out of the experience and learn more over time. So by all means, we recommend that companies keep the momentum going!