Developing the Next Generation of IdeaStorm
Bill Johnston - @BillJohnstonDirector of Social Media & Online Community
Global MarketingOnline Community Strategy & Planning2
Topics
• Dell’s vision for Social Business
• Dell’s Social Media Timeline
• Key Initiatives
• IdeaStorm 2.0 Case Study
Global Marketing
The Simple Truth:Business is inherently social.
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Community Platform
HostedCommunities
SupportMastery & Use
AffinityIdeation
External Network
External Network
Mass Social Media
Collaboration
External Network
Analytics & Insights
Listening
User Hub / Social ProfileAnalytics & InsightsData, reporting, insights and analysis of streams of social customer data.
Community PlatformPowers Dell’s forums, wikis, blogs and ideas. RMS & Member Profile.
ExtranetsSocial spaces where Dell & Customers communicate and collaborate privately.
Customer CommunitiesHosted “on domain” communities where Dell builds valuable relationships over time.
External Networks “Outpost”Priority external social networks where Dell establishes a maintained presence.
Community experience & social data tie together via social profile & social fabric.
Dell’s Social Vision:An ecosystem of value.A rich set of programs, platforms & tools to create business value, capture business intelligence and foster customer advocacy.
Extranets
Sales CAP
Rockstars
Social CRM
Community
ListeningEnables monitoring and response on the global social web.
User Hub / Social Profile Aggregation of customer social profile data.
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Six years of experiments and experience
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• Insight: Social media improves Dell’s reach and share of voice
• Insight: Social Media provides high Business Value and contributes to demand gen lift
• Insight: SM keeps customers engaged, provides solutions and improves loyalty.
• Insight: Social media based support improves sentiment and reduces operating expenses
• Insight: Established causality between social media activity and purchase
Awareness
Research and Consideration
Demand / Lead Gen and
SalesSupport
CLV (loyalty) Dell.com
External Communities
Our Communities
Social Media is valuable across the entire customer lifecycle.
Global Marketing7 Confidential
04/12/2023
Listening: The Heart of our Social Strategy A critical first step, a social “trojan horse”, and the social radio for all.
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Social Media & Community University:Employees = Social Rock Stars
Principles
Policy
Governance
Training, Certification & Tools
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IdeaStormDeep Dive
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Highlights• Dell Project (RED) • Solid State Drives in Notebooks• Optional North American Support• Backlit Keyboards• Offering XP with Vista• 13.3 Inch Screen Notebooks• Dell Products in Best Buy Stores• All in One Systems• Tablet PCs• Dell DataSafe• Blade Workstations• Biodegradable Packing materials• Dell TechCenter• Pre-Installed Linux• Color Options on Notebooks• Touchscreen Desktops
IdeaStorm History
• Launched in February 2007
• “Social suggestion box”
• 15,000 idea submissions since launch
• 490 implemented
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IdeaStorm Four Years In – A Critical Decision
• Dell gradually shifted focus from on-domain to social web - impacting Dell participation
• Pipeline into / out of Dell became broken
• Platform functionality and UX showing age
• Community expressed frustration – advocates turned to critics
• Key Decision: EOL or Evolution?
“Sorry it took so long for me to vote on this one. I haven't been on here much lately. This site had so much potential but Dell doesn't seem to want to support it properly. I feel bad for the mods who put a lot of effort into the site.”
Cy Jervis (jervis961)
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IdeaStorm – Defining the Vision for 2.0
• Step 0: Re-engage internally & externally
• Step 1: Research
– Value to Dell
– Member Needs
• Step 2: Programs
– Idea Partners
– Community Management
– IdeaStorm Rockstar
• Step 3: Platform
– Updating platform, UX and backend
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Value Research
• Revenue from Ideas $100’s Millions
• Revenue from IdeaStorm members is ~50% higher than non-members
• Purchase frequency is 33% higher
• Higher Lifetime Value – over 50% of members in the top decile of LTV scores
• Average value of an Idea $10k
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Updated Idea Management Process
1. Ideas Submitted- Shaped via Challenges & Storm Sessions
2. Ideas Processed- CM Ensures Ideas Acknowledged & Triaged (24 hours)- Ideas w/ vote count of 100+ move forward.
3. Ideas Acted Upon- Idea Partners own team assessment, communication and response,
!!!
!Idea
Partner
Comm.Mgr.
Idea Partner
!
Idea Partner
s
Idea Partner
s
PG
Starbucks best practice
BU
!
!
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The Third P - People
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IdeaStorm 2.0: PlatformLaunched 3/22!
Front End Enhancements• Refreshed site design• New Home Page with Featured, New
and Trending Ideas• Enhanced User Profile - Avatars and
Social Profile Connectors• New User Tiers / Badging with
Enhanced Capabilities • Better filtering of ideas – Search• Ability of Idea Poster to Promote a
Comment to an Extension• Tips Section Added to Idea Posting
Page
Back End Enhancements• New Back End Interface to Improve
Functionality• Ability to Host Private Storm
Sessions• Improved Duplicate Idea Finder • Automatic Archiving system
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IdeaStorm 2.0 Performance
• Continuing to improve traffic trends – page views up 64% over past 6 months
• Participation rate from Dell has increased 72% compared to previous year
• IdeaStorm 2.0 (in partnership w/ SFDC) launched March 21st
• IdeaStorm Rockstar program launched Feb 2012 with 13 members (8 shared with Forums)
• Idea Partners program needs reinvigoration
Bottom Line: Shifted IdeaStorm from “survive” to “thrive” mode. Idea Partners, Platform upgrade, Storm Session program and integration with Dell.com & Community were are all critical for success.
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Key Takeaways from IdeaStorm 2.0
• Be a Good (Committed) Host:
– Communities require commitment over the long haul
– Platform, programs and people need to evolve
– A distributed team needs to be on point to evaluate & evolve ideas
• Signaling to the community improves value of process & outcomes
• Realistic Expectations: Big wins are few, incremental innovation is core value
• Ideas require a network to evolve and thrive
• Value is multi-dimensional:
– Ideas for product / service (new & evolution)
– Engagement as a catalyst
– Brand impact
“A good idea is a network. …If we are going to explain the mystery of where good ideas come from, we’ll have to start by shaking ourselves free of this common misconception: an idea is not a single thing. It is more like a swarm.”
Steven Johnson
Global MarketingOnline Community Strategy & Planning19
Future State
• Ideation Woven into all Dell Social Touchpoints
• Storm Projects
• Federated Ideation
• 3D Ideation
• Ideas Commons
• IdeaStorm as an Information Brand
Global Marketing20 Confidential
Thank You!
Contact Info
• @BillJohnston
• http://www.BillJohnston.net
Recommended Resources
• “The Power of Pull” – Hagel & Brown
• “Measure What Matters” – Paine
• “Engage” (2nd Ed.) – Brian Solis
• “Where Good Ideas Come From” - Johnson
• #TheCR, #octribe, #cmtychat tags
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