Integrate into Business
It’s entirely possible for an organization to have a very successful community that yields absolutely no benefit to the organization. Business integration and strategy are what separates a professional community manager from an amateur. The objective is to ensure that the needs of the business and the community are as closely integrated as possible.
Customers & Product Development
It may be useful to ensure that members who purchase a product/service are automatically registered for the community.
Automation is not always possible, however. It is sometimes easier to include a free invitation to join the community in the packaging/receipt of existing products/services
The ultimate goal of integration is to develop products for the community, not a community for the products. This means using the community to identify the dream product/service and then using the resources of the organization to create it.
Integrate the community with the four P’s: product, price, promotion and place. You might try to develop community-branded products or ask the community for feedback on products. You could provide special price discounts to members or promote products through the community. You might let customers buy items through the community.
The sales team must not treat the community members as a pipeline
Employee
Ensure employees participate in the community. If your employees don’t participate in the community, why should your customers? When employees participate it increases the perceived value the organization places upon the community.
Personality
The personality of staff members has a significant impact upon whether members develop positive feelings towards them. A common error organizations make is to restrict the personality of participating staff members.
People like to interact with genuine individuals, not faceless, generic company representatives. It is difficult to like someone who is unable to express a personality, talk about interesting topics, or engage in a genuine debate. (Goes against suggestions for relationship building.)
Staff Training
The training should be a guide to contributions as opposed to restricting contributions.
Training in how to deal with difficult questions.
Advise participating staff members to avoid questions likely to provoke a strong reaction. Preface their opinions with in my opinion, and be honest if they aren’t able to comment (e.g. “As an employee, I can’t comment on the issue”).
How to deal with difficult members. Staff needs to use a simple response for dealing with members of the community who try to goad them into a heated debate.
What not to talk about. legal matters, sensitive information, details of an upcoming product, or any insider news.
Personal safety. Staff members should be aware that community members may attempt to contact them through other social channels, such as Facebook, Twitter, or e-mail, which is rarely a good idea. I suggest staff do not accept or engage in discussions with customers through these channels.
What to talk about. insider information they can reveal, popular themes in the community, and upcoming events.
Crisis communication.
Methods to increased employee participation:
Interview an employee for the community. I bet your employee joins in the conversation. Then get him/her to interview someone else for the community. People like to feel important.
Introduce them to fans of their work.
Talk about your employees in the community. No one can resist learning what people are saying about him or her.
Employee of the month. Every month let the community vote on their favorite staff members from a list.
Give an employee an assignment for a four-week advice column on one specific aspect of your product or service.
Online customer complaints. Build a specific place for online customer complaints. The community can complain about products, specific staff interactions, or anything they like.
Encourage direct communication. Ask the community to send feedback and recommendations directly to the employee’s email address.
Challenge/competition. Ask the employees to run a competition, challenge or innovation project related to their field of expertise.
Give power and responsibility. to moderate and be responsible for a forum/group within your community.
Bring up the community in every staff meeting.
Only let the top employees participate.
Set an employee versus community competition. What’s a big challenge facing your organization? See who comes up with the best solution.
Participatory content. Start a series all your employees can be involved with. How about “Day in the life of ____”.
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