Leveraging the Power of B2B Social Communities

ASBPE Digital Symposium11.3.09 | Jim Sulecki

Business Media has long been about “Community”

The good b2b editor is really like the host of a good “cocktail party”…• Events• Print• Online

I.e. – it’s more the brand, the community, the conversation, than it is about the medium.

Community Features

Comments

Community Features (cont.)

Direct Peer-to-Peer Contact on Event Microsites

Community Features (cont.)

Facebook• Referrals: up to 250 / brand / month

Twitter• Low double digits

Blogger• Low three digits

Online Communities

Just Build It!

Ning Platform• Very commonly used (FOLIO, ABM)• Little web programmer work• Reskin with our own look• Though some limitations with template• Remove ads, use own URLs• About $50 / mo / site• Links: brand site community site• Minimal editorial work• Prompt discussions, remove inappropriate posts

Natural community clusters

Online Cluster Communities

• 672 members since late 2008

• 164 members since early 2009

• 505 members since early 2009

1,300+ total members since late 2008

Online Communities (cont.)

• Launching now• Fruit, vegetable, citrus growers +

produce wholesalers, retailers

Forums / Message Boards

- Some editor-prompted- Now mostly member-

prompted- Great fodder for coverage –

alone worth the effort

Forums / Message Boards

- Intel-swapping within the community

- Forums account for 25% of all pageviews

- Average time on page: 1:54

Groups- Formed by members

themselves - Recent request to form

‘Greenhouse Installers’

Member Content: Photos

Member Content: Videos

Keep An Eye On Analytics

Is It Working? You Betcha

Sept 26 through Oct 26 Fresh Air Forum Foro eDialogo TOTAL

Pageviews 15,113 18,297 33,410Unique Visitors 2,293 3,440 5,733Visits 3,765 3,969 7,734Time on Site 2:55 3:25 3:15Average Pageviews 4.02 4.61 4.31

Promote, Promote, Promote

Get Them Registered

+ personal emails to key industry leaders

Keep Them Coming Back: Monthly ‘Sends’

+ continual exposure in the magazines

Commercialization?• Banner Ads

• Premium Sponsorships

• Widgets: ‘Social Marketing’

Areas of Focus

Brand SiteOnline

Community Facebook

Continue Building, Monetizing

Drive Visits, Find Downstream Audiences

Twitter Blogger

Challenges / Future Issues

Brand SiteOnline

Community

?

• CMS• Search / Related Articles• Mobile: Ning app?• $?

Takeaways: Online Communities• Don’t overthink. Just build. See who comes.• Look for ‘like’ markets to bring together.• Plenty of links: brand site community.• Registration funnel wide open.• Keep them coming back.• Steady eye on metrics – nudge as needed.• ‘Steward’ commercialization.• Know that the brand site and community

site might one day be one.

Takeaways: Online Communities• Anticipate the day when we’ll worry less

about building online communities – more about keeping our content part of the discussion in the community.

It’s all about the brand and the community, not the media platform.

ewww.MeisterMedia.com