Your company probably has an online community that requires your attention: If you have a support forum on your corporate website, a LinkedIn company page, or a branded Facebook page, there are customers, users, Influential people who are talking about your brand.
It is difficult to ignore the impact of interactions with online communities in decision making. But why do online communities fail often? The five most common mistakes we find are:
Choosing the wrong approach
Communities do not have a one-size-fits-all strategy for attracting customers. Companies should understand where and how their clients are, where and how they prefer to participate, and the types of activities that drive that participation.
Prioritize technology selection over strategy
Many companies forget to carefully plan a strategy and go directly to choosing a platform or application: Technology can facilitate community management, but it will not help us establish the appropriate interactions and content to keep the Users.
Failure to take into account the evolution of customer needs
The online community that was launched more than five years ago may not currently bring value to its customers: As preferences change and technology improves, customers may have different expectations for what they might want to give up Your community
Assume the community is self-supporting
“Believe and they will come” is a wrong mantra when it comes to online communities. It must provide consistent, timely and relevant interactions to maintain the health of the community.
Do not row in the same direction
A team is needed to initiate and maintain a community, in some cases even a cultural change within the organization is necessary to prioritize community efforts. It requires a multi-functional team and leadership support to sustain its growth.
Despite everything, it’s never too late to relaunch your online community. Taking these aspects into account, the way forward would be based on:
Discover the value of online communities to build lasting relationships with customers
Plan a strategy for your online community
Act with tools that ensure the “good health” of your community . As you begin to execute your strategy, identify key players and teams within the organization that will play a role in community management. Identify the processes and best practices that must be put in place to maintain your community. Determine the best technologies and tools that facilitate the administration of your community.