Online communities are not neutral.  They fundamentally change the nature and way a company does business.  All too often, an organization creates a social strategy and thinks nothing will be altered but the tools they will use.  And then .... the change hits the fan and they are left trying to react to the impact.

When launching a social media strategy it is so important that companies take a hard look at what the social footprint will do to their operations.  Are you ready and prepared to let customers roam, metaphorically, through your building and make contributions and suggestions? Are you prepared to become responsive to customers at the times they want to engage?  If your company's customer care processes are not up to snuff then you are not ready for a social media strategy just yet.  You need to clean up your house before company comes to visit.  If you are not skilled at taking input from customers then social media will only illuminate your flaws -shining a spotlight on them in a public way.

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If you build it, he will come.” – Field of Dreams

Each member of an online community or professional network participates in the community or network at one of four stages of activity: being online, doing online, acting online and finally, thinking online. Each of these stages represents a greater level of member participation, involvement with community content and, especially, with other members.

Here is a Four-Stage Engagement Model for Online Community which simplifies the member engagement process. Rather than trying to craft communications and incentives for individual members, or using a single, standard approach for all members, the model helps group leaders and community managers categorize their memberships and create a package of communications and activities tailored to each stage.

Stage 1: Being Online

Characteristics:  Members who are new to the online community or are infrequent participants. They may be hesitant to visit or contribute. They may feel unsure about the technology or uncertain about community expectations. They need training, support resources, mentors and models to follow.

Engagement resources: Launch guides, welcome kits, “official greeters”, suggested content resources.

Stage 2: Doing Online

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Balance is everything in life be it work-life balance, love or a financial spreadsheet. Balance is especially important in a relationship and this is true online.  We must give in order to take, must offer value in order to receive value.  However, in many marketing circles, this balance is being misunderstood and disrupted online.  Many of the professional networks and groups I belong to are awash with requests and demands.  People want to connect with us, but rarely reach out once we are connected to them. We join groups in search of knowledge and peer relationships, but too often and too quickly the marketing material starts to flood our emails.

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Excessive exuberance is the Achilles Heel of social media. We are in an age of experimentation, of learning and growth.  There are few clearly defined rules of engagement and even fewer success metrics that have withstood the test of time. Because of the economic climate, social media is often considered a quick fix and a way to create value with little budget or staff.

Too often the wrong definitions of success are celebrated - "We have thousands of followers on Twitter!"  "We just launched a Facebook for business account!"  "There are comments on our blog!" Great. Perhaps. But did these "successes" help the company advance in a meaningful way? Who did you reach and what were their impressions and calls to action? Did you yield anything to help the company?

As social media is becoming entrenched in the business world, we must take a hard look at the expectations for social media and make sure they are tempered with the same rigor you would apply to a program that did not involve social media. There are many social media program failures around us, and it is just the beginning. There will be many more before we land at a place where social media is well integrated into the business value chain. Read more »

Being a brand online is reserved for the brave. The transparency that social media creates is especially demanding on thought leaders who are out in the world trying to contribute value to professional conversations. There are many doctors, lawyers, and top executives who have personal brands that transcend their workplace. We know Dr. Oz and his philosophies on healthy living more so than the organization he works for. We follow the ideas of John Chambers whether or not we are a Cisco client. For those whose brand is their professional contributions, social media has made it much more difficult to be persistently present as so much of the thought leaders actions, ideas and efforts are chronicled online and can be played back, measured and critiqued out of context.

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As companies begin to explore whether or not social media is an viable channel for them a relevant question skeptics often rightfully ask is "what is the point?"  How can using social media help the business, sell more services, or better a product line?  This is a good question - and one that should be asked strategically before starting any social effort.

The business goals of social can vary somewhat from company to company but the underlying driver for social is to increase engagement with ones customers and prospects in order to increase awareness of the business, understanding of the offerings through the experiences of its customers, and create a relationship that can lead to sales.  As buyers, we feel more comfortable giving our dollars to someone we know or something we understand.

Engagement offers companies an opportunity to connect with their buyers.  This is why companies hold marketing events, sponsor seminars and participate in conference - in order to meet customers and prospects face-to-face and shake their hands.  Through social media engagement, there is a new playing field available on the digital channel. While certainly not as meaningful in many ways as playing a round of golf with someone, social media offers a better opportunity to reach more buyers and prospects and start a dialogue with them. 

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