As the editor of an online community with more than 10,000 members, I see at least 5-10 really good opportunities for marketers and advertisers on a daily basis. They unfold before my very eyes and sometimes seem too good to be true. The conversations take place in blogs, on individual profiles and even on the comments sections of news stories.
What I can’t really figure out though, is why these opportunities are being missed. The only thing I can think of is time. Maybe they don’t want to invest the time it takes to get involved in an online community even if it is filled with thousands of local folks who could bring lots of business to those who do it right.
Just today, someone mentioned that they were seriously contemplating Lasik eye surgery and asked for advice. It came in droves. Two businesses were mentioned by name and several individual doctors were recommended. There was mention of bad experiences and some chimed in saying they too had been considering the surgery and wanted to find someone with a good reputation and satisfied patients.
Can you imagine what would have happened had anyone from those offices gotten involved in this conversation, perhaps offering a special, a consultation, expertise or even tips on how to select a doctor?
I saw a potential gold mine and an opportunity to recruit customers who would spread the word and bring in even more referrals. The cost: Zero. Well the real cost is time. I guess that price is just too high for some.
A sad state of affairs indeed.
But I’m going to help change it. I don’t know exactly how, but it’s coming.
Stay tuned…..
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December 1, 2008 at 10:02 pm
Bryan Person
Angela, I think there are some obvious reasons where marketers aren’t jumping into the conversations such as the one you reference in your post
1) They (or their PR reps) aren’t doing a good job of monitoring the social web, and they haven’t seen this conversation
2) They *are* monitoring, see the mentions, and it just takes time to respond
3) They *are* monitoring, see the mentions, and don’t know exactly how to respond
4) They *are* monitoring and see the mentions, but the high volume makes it impossible or unrealistic to jump into all conversations (for many brands, this is certainly the case)
5) They *are* monitoring, following the conversations, and simply choose not to respond. I can certainly see why this might be the case. How would your members feel about a marketer from Lasik who has no standing in the community simply jumping in. Some might welcome it; others would surely be put off by it.
I might turn the question around and ask what efforts your sales team is making to point out these potential conversations to brands like Lasik?
Happy to discuss this more!
Bryan Person | @BryanPerson
LiveWorld
December 1, 2008 at 10:35 pm
Angela Connor
Bryan: Great insight as always. That is one of my frustrations as well, the final item you mention. There isn’t much being done at the moment, but I think part of my job is to make the case that it should be done and that there’s value in doing it, even if it starts off small. The issues and scenarios you pose are dead on. IF someone was monitoring these conversations or at least involved in the communities on some level, they could potentially avoid the stigma that would likely come if they simply “jump in” with no community standing. Right? Let’s keep talking about this.
December 2, 2008 at 5:45 am
Richard Millington
I mostly agree with Bryan.
I would add that too many companies focus on the macro sales rather than the micro sales. They don’t realise that the macro attempts nearly always push people away, whilst the micro always draws people closer to the company.
This also gives a good opportunity to you Angela. Why not approach these companies you see good opportunities for and let them know?
Could lead to sponsorships, business opportunities or more. Maybe they’ll pay you to find a representative for them, or keep them in the loop?
December 2, 2008 at 9:45 am
tomob
Hi Angela:
My first time here – nice blog post. I feel like I talk about community until I am blue in the face – but marketers can’t get past social networks to think about the hard work of participating in and becoming valuable members of the relevant communities.
I am sending this post to a client now.
TO’B
MotiveQuest LLC
December 2, 2008 at 3:53 pm
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December 6, 2008 at 5:25 pm
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I’ve always encouraged retailers to be active members in my communities. Some take great advantage of it, and others don’t want to take the time or energy to bother with it. When done correctly, I’ve had members do major business through the recommendations and compliments their products receive in my forum.
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