Comments on: A word on growing your community http://www.simplyzesty.com/advertising-and-marketing/brands/word-growing-community/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=word-growing-community Building your brand through social media Wed, 08 Feb 2012 21:29:00 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: naoise http://www.simplyzesty.com/advertising-and-marketing/brands/word-growing-community/#comment-684 naoise Tue, 18 Aug 2009 21:15:11 +0000 http://www.simplyzesty.com/?p=1327#comment-684 I think it all boils down to the question "why": Why are you (as a company) engaging in social media - what do you want to achieve? and Why should your target market/client base engage with you online - what's in it for them? I agree with Christian that there are plenty of examples of building "communities" quickly but the question of whether they are successful for the company centres around whether the community is a) engaging with the company/entity and b) this engagement is leading to the outcomes the company had originally envisaged. If, for example, the aim for Comparethemarket.com was to build brand, increase awareness etc. then their 500,000+ strong community on Facebook is a success story. Aleksandr Orlov the meerkat is extremely popular and has developed a fanbase/community who are engaged enough to spread the word and interact directly with him. This translates to great brand development for the Comparethemarket.com name. If, however, their aim had been to develop their feedback mechanism and improve customer service (somehow i don't think it was) then this community, although large and engaged, would not achieve the original aim of the company in developing a social media campaign. So basically the way i see it, it's about figuring out the answers to the two "whys" and making sure they fit and then executing really well - putting a lot of time and effort into it. I think it all boils down to the question “why”:
Why are you (as a company) engaging in social media – what do you want to achieve? and Why should your target market/client base engage with you online – what’s in it for them?

I agree with Christian that there are plenty of examples of building “communities” quickly but the question of whether they are successful for the company centres around whether the community is a) engaging with the company/entity and b) this engagement is leading to the outcomes the company had originally envisaged.

If, for example, the aim for Comparethemarket.com was to build brand, increase awareness etc. then their 500,000+ strong community on Facebook is a success story. Aleksandr Orlov the meerkat is extremely popular and has developed a fanbase/community who are engaged enough to spread the word and interact directly with him. This translates to great brand development for the Comparethemarket.com name.

If, however, their aim had been to develop their feedback mechanism and improve customer service (somehow i don’t think it was) then this community, although large and engaged, would not achieve the original aim of the company in developing a social media campaign.

So basically the way i see it, it’s about figuring out the answers to the two “whys” and making sure they fit and then executing really well – putting a lot of time and effort into it.

]]> By: Lauren Fisher http://www.simplyzesty.com/advertising-and-marketing/brands/word-growing-community/#comment-683 Lauren Fisher Tue, 18 Aug 2009 20:03:23 +0000 http://www.simplyzesty.com/?p=1327#comment-683 I agree on your point regarding engagement, it is about quality not quantity. Where a community is growing to tens of thousands in a short space of time, I'd probably question the level of engagement and long term benefit you're getting there. That all depends on your definition of a community however, which is another post entirely! :) I agree on your point regarding engagement, it is about quality not quantity. Where a community is growing to tens of thousands in a short space of time, I’d probably question the level of engagement and long term benefit you’re getting there. That all depends on your definition of a community however, which is another post entirely! :)

]]> By: Christian http://www.simplyzesty.com/advertising-and-marketing/brands/word-growing-community/#comment-682 Christian Tue, 18 Aug 2009 16:20:01 +0000 http://www.simplyzesty.com/?p=1327#comment-682 I agree that engagement is key to the growth of any community, and ultimately the quality of that engagement is even more important. However, I think it's important to note that there are citable examples of communities which have grown 10's of thousands of followers in extremely short periods (i.e. less then a month). If you have something to offer that is perceived to have a high value, whether it's tangible or not, you can grow a community extremely quickly. In fact, I would go as far as to say that the rate at which a community grows could be seen to directly represent the value that users are putting on that community. This assumes that the community is being publicised and the actual level of growth would be dependent on the target market (niche vs. broad interest, Irish audience vs. US audience, etc.). I agree that engagement is key to the growth of any community, and ultimately the quality of that engagement is even more important. However, I think it’s important to note that there are citable examples of communities which have grown 10′s of thousands of followers in extremely short periods (i.e. less then a month). If you have something to offer that is perceived to have a high value, whether it’s tangible or not, you can grow a community extremely quickly.

In fact, I would go as far as to say that the rate at which a community grows could be seen to directly represent the value that users are putting on that community. This assumes that the community is being publicised and the actual level of growth would be dependent on the target market (niche vs. broad interest, Irish audience vs. US audience, etc.).

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