How to build an Enterprise Community was the discussion I lead at PodCamp Boston 2009 conference. This presentation exposes the 12 stage model for enterprise community building strategy.

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How Can You Build Community
For The Enterprise?
Vanessa DiMauro
CEO, Leader Networks & SNCR Fellow
Podcamp Boston
August, 2009

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Framing Questions
• What is different about enterprise communities
(vs. consumer communities)?
• How do you build a community for the enterprise?
• What are the models?
• What does the building process look like?
• What are critical success factors?
• What can go wrong?
• What do you want to add?.....
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Three General Community Models
B2B B2C Hybrid
Select, narrow target Open call, all interested
audience Tiered membership
Member directed
Acceptance criteria Consensus/Trend driven
Public forum
Protected dialog Public forum w/ private area
Big bang
Facilitated discussion Thought leadership
Moderated discussion (responsive)
Managed topical agenda Ad generated support Hybrid Revenues
Sponsor supported and
sometimes member fees 3
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12 Step Process Overview
 Create Vision
 Target & Segment Audience
 Query Potential Members
 Build Value Proposition
 Architect Business Value Justification & Measurements
 Benchmark Competition & Best of Breed
 Determine Brand Positioning
 Design Features & Functionality
 Engage a Beta Group
 Launch with Finesse
 Manage Risk
 Evolve
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Good Enterprise Community Strategic Planning:
Create Vision
What does the What do community
business need for members need
the community to from the community
be successful? to get value?
Begin with the end in mind
Find the overlap & build for relevance to both audiences
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Target and Segment Your Audience
Understanding who you serve and in
what ways provides the driving
business rationale for an enterprise
community program.
This leads to members who engage
with each other and the enterprise
and sustains their interest.
The who dictates the where,
when, why and how.
Who are the key constituencies for your community?
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Query Potential Audiences
Survey or interview your target audience to find out what they are missing in
their current experience with your company
– Create a structured interview guide with semi-formal interview program
– Follow up with quantitative study
• Don’t ask about features – inquire about needs!
– Also, Talk to marketing, sales, product development to learn what they are
doing for clients and prospects that could be leveraged online
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Build Value Proposition
If-then arguments and causal relationships are key to building value
propositions that are rooted in need and reality
For example:
– If we create a customer support forum then we can support more customers
online and reduce human support costs
– If we use a WIKI for a collaborative product manual then we will catch product
errors quicker
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Architect Business Justification
• You become what you measure so select your measurements carefully
– Interactivity ratios
– Number or nature of deliverables to product marketing, management, clients
– Cost/ ROI
– Client retention statistics – tied to use of product features and services
– New client data - impact analysis
– Press and goodwill
– Case studies, client testimonials etc.
• Once launched, use the tools available to you to impact change
– Log analysis, market segmentation, individualized messaging & outreach,
knowledge gifts
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Benchmark Competition & Best of Breed
• Who is doing what with whom?
– Look at direct and indirect competes
– Analyze their web 2.0 strategies and initiatives
• Help-wanted ads are a good way to predict competitors future efforts
• Who is talking about your company and in what way?
– Monitor the Blogosphere
– Actively manage your reputation online
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Determine Brand Positioning
• Develop Market Plans
– New users often means new markets – understand and target the members
that matter most
– Execute with the precision of any well-planned market strategy
• Community is not a project it is a new line of business
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Design Features and Functions
• Use business goals and user needs as told through the user research to
identify key feature sets
– Don’t search for a vendor until you know the critical feature sets and how they
should behave
– Understand and map the business process that the community endeavors to
support
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Engage a Beta Group
• Involve users in the social design of the community
• Ask their opinion
• Gather UGC from them such a member feature articles and interviews
• Pre-populate the community before formal launch with their participation
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Launch With Finesse
• Design and create appropriate member acquisition materials &
marketing assets
– Keep company core messaging and brand extension ever-present
The enterprise community is an extension of your brand
– Remember that different messages can motivate different constituents of the
same community
– Project into the future and strike the right tone.. (Reasonable) Early success
claims can motivate participation
– Plan for a steady member acquisition drum-beat: the hard work *start* once
the community is live!
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Integrate Plans And Outcomes Into The Organization
• Use your knowledge assets widely
• Leveraging what you learn
• Sales
• Marketing
• Customer Service
• Product Development
• Research & Development
• Competitive Intelligence
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Manage Risk
Risk Factors Risk Mitigation Strategies
Failure to launch The power of a Beta group
Failure to vet Rules of engagement (who’s in who’s out?)
Wacko factor and disaster scenario
Lack of transparency
planning
Public criticism Governance policy
Failure to thrive “Plan B”
Successful community that doesn’t support Go / no-go decision point based on active
business goals measures on quarterly basis
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Sample Metrics for an Enterprise Community
Financial Metrics: Revenue generated (direct and indirect i.e. client retention or pass
through revenue gained through bundled services) – Minus operational costs
Operational Metrics: Fully burdened costs of community operations including
technology, development, content acquisition, staffing.
Business Metrics: Click-throughs/logins, industries serviced, # of members who are
clients, title portfolio of membership,
Marketing Metrics: New member acquisition costs, Cost per Member (CPM) against
Revenue per Member (RPM), Event or campaign outcomes
Editorial Metrics: Cost of content creation, % of UGC, content ratings/rank
Member Metrics: # of members login/time, % of profiles complete, return rate,
premium conversion rate, revenue generated per member, number of posts per
member, average page views per member or group, member engagement ratios
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The Role of Governance in Achieving Results
The role of Governance is how to manage the community day to day behavior to
achieve the goals….
Key tactics
• Define roles and responsibilities, including cross functional involvement within the
organization
• Establish continuous improvement programs, success metrics and budgeting and
planning cycles
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Governance Structure
Time < 6 Time > 6
months months (post
(now to launch if Organizational
Role/Function Ownership launch) different) Impact (+ or - )
Technology
Content
Member services
(Community Manager)
Strategy &
measurement
Sales/Partnerships
Executive sponsor
Marketing & audience
acquisition
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Best Practice Methodology for Effective Community
Community Company, Branding & Technology Content & Community Continuous
Framework Engagement & Marketing Communication Evolution Improvement
Governance Execution
Strategy & Goals, models, Identity, Strategic Editorial plan, Profile, target Leading metrics,
revenue, competitive feature sourcing, calendar audience program
Plan investment, positioning, mapping, definition, management
milestones, target audience Identify staffing plan
ownership research & challenges &
validation, acquisition
marketing plan needs
Launch Revise milestones, Campaign Select, acquire, Develop “initial” Member & Revise metrics,
set performance management, implement content, acquire sponsor establish reporting
Execution metrics, establish press/PR, design and/or assign acquisition, process & tools
reporting & elements editorial, load moderation
advisory structure process, hiring
Evolve & Review/revise Refresh design, Maintain, Monitor trends, react Member Revise leading &
revenue model, monitor digital revise, upgrade, to activity, hot topics, retention, new lagging metrics,
Improve investment & impact, secure, repurpose, provide segment respond to
staffing competitive business analytical value acquisition, issues/problems,
assessment, continuity customer process
refine message satisfaction improvements
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SAMPLE Work Plan
ACTIVITY GOAL TIMEFRAME
Strategic planning Build consensus and create draft straw model Workshop
User Experience profiles Interview audience segments to develop profiles of 4-6 weeks
users
Benchmark Competition & Best of SWOT analysis of competitors and best of breed 5-6 weeks
Breed out of industry models
Design Features & Functionality Create BRD (business requirements document) 4-8 weeks
Select technology architecture and Define technology platform; RFI and/or RFP for 6 to 24 weeks
software vendor & deploy vendor platform; contract, design, test, deploy
Content planning Content strategy 4-5 weeks
Inventory assets and content gap analysis
Editorial planning, content generation and loading
Marketing/member acquisition Segment audience, audience acquisition tactics, 4-6 weeks
planning short and mid-term
Beta group Formulate beta group and launch involvement plan 6-8 weeks
Engagement plan Keeping users involved 3-4 weeks
Launch Strategic and tactical planning for launch event 2-4 weeks
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Twitter Questions
@Stuart616What characteristics maurocardarelli@vdimauro what are
does a business have to have to best practices to get commitment
benefit from developing an online (visits and contributions) from
community? the community?
1) Community must accelerate a 1) Communities can not be bought –
business process or solve a problem they are earned through trust and
2) Must directly reflect the needs and commitment
goals of the members 2) Engage a beta group in the
3) Must offer thought leadership or a community design and early
POV, guidance
4) Have an active customer base of a 3) Foster co-ownership of ideas and
sizable nature – its, to some degree outcome
a numbers game, 4) Outreach is key
5) Openness 2 dialogue and 5) Reciprocity
commitment to action
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Critical Success Factors
• Demonstrate high integrity and transparency at all times
• Fix the rules of engagement and do not change them
• Create rich member care programs
• Trust and support UGC
• Solve their professional needs and even the busiest exec will use
the network
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The Sum Of The Parts
The combination of strong feature sets and a comprehensive membership
support program can create a trusted, vibrant community engaging in
deep professional collaboration world-wide.
– The members will solve problems together, share information with each other
and make plans to connect in person using the network.
– The members will trust the network and view it as a true membership
organization of great strategic value.
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Get Involved In The Question
Participate in the Research: Http://www.NewSymbiosis.com
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Thank you!
Vanessa DiMauro About Leader Networks
CEO Leader Networks is a strategic
Leader Networks research and consulting firm that
617 484 078 specializes in helping clients harness
the power of new digital rules and
www.leadernetworks.com tools to drive measurable business
vdimauro@leadernetworks.com benefits from social media and social
@vdimauro leadership.
http://www.leadernetworks.com
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