Online Communities For Associations: The Power of Now

L E A D E R NETWORKS

Copyright © 2012 Leader Networks, LLC

Building Online Communities For Associations:

The Power Of Now

Vanessa DiMauro CEO, Leader Networks

@vdimauro April, 2012

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There are 3 main reasons why people join Associations

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Access member services

• Member services, discounts, newsletters, trade show

Professional or business gain

• Networking, access to peers and best practices, educational materials, training

Participate in the industry

• Ability to influence outcomes in one’s profession or industry



• Associations are facing a national decline in membership

– Growth is dependent upon younger members

• Event attendance is waning

• Fewer members are participating in the associations they join

• Members prefer ongoing communications to static or spotty communication

MemberSuite Annual Survey of Associations (2011, n=1200)

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But Associations face some challenges…



There is a demand to do things differently!

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Attract a younger membership, sooner Deliver information and resources (online education) on demand Engage with members 24X7



The burning question… do we need

to include social business?

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But what is social business & how can we use it?

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Social Business is NOT just about using marketing tools online!

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Social business is the strategic use of social media tools and tactics to drive stakeholder and customer value.

It is often the evolution of social media marketing activities into a larger, integrated strategic platform.

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The social business ecosystem

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Intimacy:

24X7 member services

• Online community

• Peer discussions

• Online events

• Member directory

• User generated content

Thought Leader-

ship

• Online Events

• Digital Newsletters

• Products /Services

• Tap into leading trends

Marketing: traffic &

awareness

• Social tools -Twitter, Facebook , G+ & LinkedIN



6 Ways Online Community Can Support Associations

Increase event attendance

Offer a platform for member

generated thought leadership

Offer educational offerings

Strengthen the relationships between your

members

Raise your organization’s

thought leadership position

Get closer to your members’ and the issues that matter

to them 10



How An Online Community Can Create Significant Member Value

1. Member has an idea

2. Member seeks advice

3. Member evaluates options

5. Member makes purchase

Goes to discussions or content Accesses online advisory service

Joins buying pack or transacts online

Online support opportunity emerges

create value get benefit

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Defining The Digital “Gimme”

• What do members want from the digital experience?

• What does the digital experience have to offer to members?

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ASCA - SCENE

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Community Fast Facts Sponsoring Organization: The American School Counselor Association (ASCA) Audience: School counselors (global) Size: 19,000 School counselors Launch date: 2008 Won multiple awards including •2011 Silver Excel Award for Media Innovation •2011 MarCom Gold Award for Social Media Sites

http://www.schoolcounselor.org/

http://www.schoolcounselor.org/



About ASCA SCENE

• Enable School Counselors to communicate and collaborate

• Reduce professional isolation

• Give back to members of ASCA and keep top of mind

• Enable much needed social networking skills

• Grow ASCA’s best practices resource center

• Since community introduction in 2008, membership growth +5000K members. Now at 30,000K.

• Active, involved membership leadership base on SCENE

• Integration of association events and offers

• Tap into trends

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Case for Community

Results to Date



6 Reasons Why ASCA SCENE Is So Successful

1. It identified an unmet need and serviced it clearly, with integrity

2. Timing was paramount – the topics school counselors focus on are complex and they need each other

3. The community was allowed to grow organically and focused on the members, not on ASCA

4. Size matters – it served a large but focused audience

5. It is evolving – features and focus ebb and flow based on member needs

6. There is a clear mission and vision for the members to convene (on and off line)

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Palladium Group’s Execution Premium Community

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Community Fast Facts Sponsoring Company: Palladium Group (founders of the Balanced Scorecard approach to corporate measurement) Audience: Senior strategy professionals from organizations worldwide Size: More than 2,700 organizations Launch date: April 2010 Won multiple awards including SNCR Best Online Community



About Palladium Group’s XPC

• Help practitioners of the Balanced Scorecard share knowledge

• Increase customer intimacy

• Raise awareness of products and services

• Tap into leading trends in strategy execution

• Create a new revenue-generating service line

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Case for Community

• More than 50% of the membership from non-US countries, deepening Palladium’s market reach

• Drives conference attendance, consulting projects and publishing arm of Palladium

• Revenue-generating in first 6 months

• Over 15% of new members come from peer referrals

Results to Date



At every stage

It’s all about connecting

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But who are these “social” people? Hint - it’s not just teenagers!

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The Social Mind Study (2012)

There is a shift in information flow – traditional media is no longer an authoritative source of information

• The role of the online expert is rising in importance

• The need for expert content is high among content consumers online

• People are looking to peers and experts to discover what they need to know and learn

• People are directly influenced online by the people they trust

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Focus of the study: Examination of the interrelationships created by the consumption of information across social media channels and influence flow. Sample composition: The survey was administered online to 390 participants



Question: Why do you participate in groups and communities online? Select the top three responses

3%

19%

31%

39%

41%

66%

78%

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

Enjoy interacting using social games

Persuade others adopt my POV, buy product/service

I am a passive participant & prefer to observe others dialog

I want to be seen as someone knowledgeable

Belong to an active community of friends & family

Participate in a professional community of colleagues & peers

Help others by sharing information, ideas & experiences

People Participate Online To Help Others

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Controversial, 6%

Supportive, 13%

Educational, 61%

Entertaining, 15%

Other, 5%

Online Network Users Are Driven To Discover Educational Information

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What kinds of information are you most likely to share online?



Three Operational Processes Needed To Succeed

Expert community facilitation

A healthy balance of Institutional content (IC) and

user generated content (UGC)

Persistent and programmatic outreach

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Types Of Digital Members & How To Activate Them

Fame seekers

Connectors Problem Solver

Key Characteristic Seeks opportunities to grow reputation showcase thought leadership

Seeks opportunity to be valued. Connect people with each other and with content

Reticent participant but overcomes in order to get answer to their questions

Motivators Public recognition appreciation

Off-line and online appreciation Validation thru forum

Timely response & information Thought leadership

Example Rewards Member spotlight Bylined article opportunity Shout-out in newsletter or in a discussion

Additional responsibility as content curator or people matcher

Offline supplemental research or pointers to content or people who may help them

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People come for content

and stay

for community!

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Framework For Social Business/Community Metrics

Members Content Traffic Responsive Interaction Liveliness

Social business

characteristics / health factors

Registration count

# of posts / distribution

Page views Speed of response

Thread depth / unique contributors

# of posts / distribution

Social business metrics

Target demographics, # of return visits, top users

Quality & quantity of user generated content

Most frequented pages, top areas of interest

# of issues surfaced & resolved

Key insights, product enhancement

Hot topics, trend analysis

Strategic Objectives

(financial, customer, value drivers, learning & growth)

Business Unit / Functional Objectives

(sales, customer service, product development)

Social Business Objectives / Business Case

(executive sponsorship)



There is a opportunity for Associations to use social business, especially online communities, to get closer to their members

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Take Aways

• Social business is here to stay!

– We have crossed the chasm

– Set clear goals and objectives and measure them in order to understand what is working – from an business point of view.

• Online communities and Associations are a match made in heaven

– Successful communities are dedicated to member relations

– Need a combination of off-line and online programs to thrive

– Leverage education and learning opportunities

• There are powerful examples of Associations using online community to get closer to their members

– See ASCA and many others for lessons learned

– They take time and effort to build, but can yield strong results

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Volunteerism: The next frontier

Outreachers • 1-3 hours per week • 1:300 members

Data Miners • 2-3 hours per week • 1-2 per 10 active forums

Discussion Group Facilitators • 2-3 hours per week • 1-2 per 10 active forums

Technical Keepers • 1-3 hours per week • 1–2 people

Writers & Interviewers • 2-4 hours every other week • 2 columns & 1 interview per month

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Thank You!

For more information please contact me

Vanessa DiMauro

CEO, Leader Networks

http://www.leadernetworks.com

617-484-0778

[email protected]

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http://www.leadernetworks.com/

Online Communities For Associations: The Power of Now

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