Jenna's Blog: Marketing

Working with one of our clients this week, I’m thinking about how to engage women in their 50s in online community. Despite that fact that online community was invented by Boomers (many of us cut our online teeth on newsgroups, BBS discussions, and IRC), the Groundswell profile tool at http://www.forrester.com/groundswell/profile_tool.html shows that 44% of the Boomer population are not active in online community or social networking. Only 19% are creators of it. As the massive Boomer population ages, marketers expect to see these folks increasingly interested in financial management, health, travelling, leisure and recreation, and staying in close touch with dispersed family structures. Everyone’s got a digital camera now, but how do you really chat with the rest of the family about all those photos? What’s the best way to stay in real-time touch with grandkids? How do you connect with other people who are starting small businesses to supplement their retirement income?

Many Boomers have been using computers most of their work lives. However, they’ve been working—not chatting, friending, IM’ing, blogging. Their focus has been on face to face, using the telephone, and an online orientation toward email. They notice no one under 30 uses voicemail (or even the phone, other than for texting), they know they’ll find their kids and grandkids on Facebook, yet they still primarily check email for virtual communication.

If an organization wants to get closer to the huge Boomer population, you have to look at where they are with technology. Because of the email orientation, newsletters may be a good way to bring them to the site. To involve them in dialogue, make it easy: expert blogs with a minimal barrier to comment, places to chime in quickly (without necessarily investing in an ongoing conversation), invitations to review products or services (especially with easy templated forms to fill out). Subscriptions to community content bring people back in; explain how they work, noting the convenience of receiving alerts in email.

On the social side, frame up the community purpose so it’s clear what people exchange here: Is it advice? reviews? recipes? expertise? Welcome people. If possible have designated hosts living in the community to talk to them, recognizing their arrival and offering to show them around. Break down and prominently publish steps for getting involved in each type of interactive application. Explain community etiquette; sometimes people hold back on contributing, for fear of interrupting. Make it easy to find kindred spirits. Show faces and feature content that personifies the expression and exchange you’re looking for. Make sure all newcomers get a friendly reception (the lurkers are watching, and they’ll never take the leap if the newbie contributions are ignored).

With retirement age approaching, increasing numbers of Boomers have more time. Because they’re not afraid of computers, a cultural approach that takes technographic profile into account has the best chance of getting their attention. What else helps to ease people into online interactions?

Here at LiveWorld, we have a new application we call LiveBar. Although we’re primarily interested in the cultural strategy for communities, we’ve been involved in community applications for a long time. We know and use chat, discussion boards, blogs, wikis, and all the features that go along with them. We work with clients around which of these applications to use when, what to expect from them, how to manage and moderate the activity that happens on them. So now we’re releasing a social bar at the bottom of the page. What’s so great about it?

Well, it’s easy (and quick) to put on a site, it lives with the existing design, and it knows the page it’s on. But what most excites me about LiveBar is this: I think it brings in a whole new population of Web users who don’t typically click Community. We’ve always urged people to place invitations to interact as closely as they can to their most engaging content. We recommend they show user voice next to the content. The idea being, when you hear people talking about particular topics, you get a sense of presence: People are here… and I’ve got something to say about the topic. But let’s face it: A big gap yawns between reading or viewing compelling content, and then clicking to Community to discuss it.

With LiveBar, people see conversations in progress, and get a choice about format for their comments—hash it out with a group, sound off in detail on their own own, or just toss off quick shout. I think a lot more people are going to chime in. Shouts, especially, bring in those who don’t invest a lot of words in their views. For people who don’t typically participate in discussions or blogs, I’m guessing they start with shouts and then get interested in what the more verbose have to say.

I look forward to working with clients on the programming strategy here. As with all community, seeding and social engagement frame the developing culture, no matter what the format. With context evident from the start, focus is on the page with the crowds gathered around it…and who can resist looking to see what’s going on?

With the excitement of the LiveBar launch and Web 2.0 now behind us, I’m thinking about the responses we got from clients and prosective clients. One of the big requests we get from current customers is an integration with the downtown community they already have. By downtown, they’re referring to their implementations of our Community Center platform (the same platform we’re using here for SocialVoice). Because LiveBar focuses on specific content, it’s not quite the same as the regular forums and blogs of the Community Center, which are collected into topics, but not centered on particular pages. Our planned integration involves collecting all a person’s LiveBar contributions to the Profile, as well as collecting all the LiveBar Conversations, Soapboxes, and Shouts in a separate area of the Community Center. That way, people who’re already downtown aficionados can browse and join gatherings happening around pages.

Some people are talking about staffing LiveBar. By that, they mean checking posts during specific hours to provide answers and/or elaboration on the product, service, or other information outlined on the page where people are engaged. As we go forward, we’ll want to have support-oriented versions of LiveBar, especially for those occasions where the objective is much less conversation, than resolution. And we had several requests for a review version, with ratings.

We’re already also working on adding friending, ability to publish from and post to LiveBar from Facebook (via our LiveEngage widget, currently available with Community Center), resizable overlay screens, scrolling messages, and lots of other widgets. So more is on the way there.

Perhaps the most interesting discussion is how programming the community will differ with LiveBar. Most existing customers I’ve talked with about this, at least those who put a lot of commitment into their communities, expect their regularly updated page content to engage people more immediately via LiveBar; then they hope to interest participants in ongoing interaction downtown. It may work that way on some sites, or it may turn out that a different set of people congregate on pages. I also spoke with people who consider LiveBar quite enough as a standalone—because of the compelling nature of individual page content. Some examples: publishers (community under each book/publication), class descriptions, recruitment, promotional campaigns, and of course news, politics, and entertainment. In either configuration, people expect LiveBar engagement to draw participants farther into site content, while providing a venue for programming, with staff (bloggers, hosts, community managers, customer service) and featured community input spurring a live cultural/conversational component to individual pages. A few widgets spotlighting activity (number of posts, recent posts, Who’s Online, featured posts/members, etc.) should draw a crowd. It’s diffferent, yes; but also the same that way. Let us know if you think of something we should be considering as we continue to develop the product.

I like going to concerts and sports events. One of the reasons they’re so much fun is that you instantly accept everyone around you as a kindred spirit at some level. Here we all are, united in our love of the band or the team and the whole culture that surrounds them.

Last night I made a last-minute decision to go to the San Jose Mariachi Festival final gala concert. I’ve wanted to go every year for years, but something else always came up. So glad I went; it was a sparkling night, with some historic significance. Featuring perfect performances by Mariachi Los Camperos and Mariachi Cobre, the night concluded in a tribute to three women integral to the ranchera musical tradition: Lucha Reyes, Amalia Mendoza, and Lola Beltran. Even better, three wonderful singers did the honor of interpreting their music: Lila Downs, Aida Cuevas, and Linda Ronstadt (long involved the San Jose Mariachi Festival).

To me the music of a mariachi is simply stirring. I love the horns, the strings, the harmonies, the traditional songs and earthy lyrics. Last night San Jose State’s Event Center was nearly sold out with other folks who feel the same—a delightful community united it its love for Mexican music and culture. The crowd was welcomed to join in—greatly satisfying when you know the words. Kids dancing all around, Spanish and English flowing together in the seamless way they do for the Mexican American community.

It’s moving to be in a crowd happy with its music; same thing in a crowd happy with its team. We’re not red or blue, and we exist in a moment where divisions are irrelevant and truly we’d rather not consider them. For these few hours, we’re charmed in our unity and delight. Sappy, I guess; but I could use more of it.

At the Social Media Summit today in San Francisco, I heard an impressive presentation from LaSandra Brill of Cisco on their having launched a router via social media alone. She noted it was one of their most successful launches. Launch components included a microsite to collect pre-launch sign-ups, creation of fictional character videos to stir up pre-launch excitement, posting of said videos on YouTube, setting up a Facebook group (and programming it with a new conversation every few days), games (with prizes), Second Life events (they find lots of their customers there), distribution of all this content through a social media widget, getting play in Cisco blogs,seeding Cisco forums with the new info, distributing datasheets via mobile...all leading to an online event to launch the product. What was noteworthy: They created a cross-web strategy centered around what they know about their customers. The Facebook group, for example, focused on humorous questions (the idea being, when you're on Facebook, you're not working). They know where their customers are (like Second LIfe) and they met them there, providing provocative culturally consistent content. Every component supported community--their ongoing respect for and relationship with their customers--not just a one-off launch event. You can find her slides here.

Today’s Skittles site promotional launch caused a Twitter tempest, with people testing for moderation (there is none), starting up and building on rumors (Skittles as scientology cult), and commenting on a wildly different site concept (well, different from everything except Modernista, which it directly copies).

Most of the comments I read were about the Twitter segment of the site, which indeed struck me (and lots of other people) as showing bravery and clarity (get people talking, no matter what), unless they didn’t anticipate all the nasty and profane contributions that showed up. To be fair, lots of pro-Skittles comments showed up as well. I might have wished, however, had I been in charge of the launch, that I’d chosen the Facebook page (which boasts over half a million friends) or the Flickr page (which carries charming contributions from Skittles lovers) for the top, the arrival feature. Indeed the real-time aspect (at certain points, going from bad to worse) of the top-page Twitter feed may have had parents scurrying to add the site to the list of those they don’t allow kids to visit.

Still, once you go through the whole site, and stick around long enough to see the funny side of people playing around with Skittles, you get the sense of what they were doubtless going for--a full-on demonstration of the playful, cheerful, mostly-friendly way people define the brand. Even the detractors seemed mean-spirited in this context. Assuming such a buzz was the goal, and that the company expected and was ready for the widespread gaming, I think it succeeds.

Update: As of 24 hours later, it seems Skittles has indeed put the Facebook page on top. Good idea.

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Edited by Jenna at 03/03/2009 7:08 PM GMT

Brands looking to take advantage of the network effects of Facebook as part of their social media strategies got a nice boost this week. The new Facebook page for businesses inserts company contributions into a fan’s activity feed, greatly increasing the opportunity for ongoing contact and communication.

In the past, many Facebook fan pages have had limited effect, but the new capabilities make it possible for companies to create fan venues strong on interactivity—worlds away from the former (and weaker) pages or groups. For those who are willing to put in the commitment, it’s possible to program more flexibly with company articles, promotions, videos, photos, links, and applications. The interactive stream/wall and discussions features provide good cultural focus and a highly visible ongoing conversation with fans—with the main attraction being the integration into fan activity feeds. Progressive brands will see that opportunity and make the most of it. The Advance Guard cites some very good examples in their free white paper, About Face, which details all the features of the new pages. Nick O’Neill also provides some great tips for creating effective Facebook pages on his AllFaceBook blog.

Some companies may choose to use the stronger Facebook page at the core of their social media strategies. For others, it’ll be a welcome component in a larger integrated view that includes presence and participation all across the Web. Many will continue to see the anchor as their own site, where it’s often easier to see and track metrics to business performance indicators. The critical question remains the same as it always has been: What are you trying to do and how will you know if you’ve succeeded? It’s never really all about the platform; it’s about the execution and its relevance to the business.

In support of its roll-out of gender-specific Depend® brand absorbent underwear, last week Kimberly-Clark opened up a redesigned site, with community positioned right at its center. Working with Fullhouse, an interactive agency, Kimberly-Clark created an inviting center for Depend® brand customers, offering them connection, information, and support. Fullhouse, who designed and built the site, used the LiveWorld API 2.0 for forums, article comments, friend connections, and the user messaging system. Using the headless API (headless because it comes with no interface, but just the interactive functionality), Fullhouse had flexibility to use their own design chops for the presentation of the interactive features.

Where are the people like me?

From the perspective of online commuity best practice, the Depend® site is a great case study. The purposes of the community are obvious from the first moment you arrive:

* Introduce the gender-specific product innovation
* Explore and celebrate the different perspectives of men and women
* Invite people into a friendly connection with others who have similar experiences

A diverse set of smiling faces greets users, communicating the culture here: This is a community that doesn’t talk in whispers. Real live Community Ambassadors are pictured front and center, with profiles of these active, engaged people—three or four of whom friend a new user upon registration. Featured articles on family & friends, volunteer activities, and recreation kick off the up-beat tone and invite user comments. On all the informational pages (for women, for men, for caregivers), excerpts from the discussion boards, via the LiveWorld API, feature current conversations. The Depend® community users themselves are supportive and generous with tips and advice, so new users will likely feel quickly at home.

We congratulate Kimberly-Clark and their partner Fullhouse on the appealing, promising, and community-centric launch. We’re also proud to have been involved in the background.

One of our community managers was just telling me about an initiative she’s working with one of our clients. The idea is to to create a program around a core set of engaged users with the aim of then opening up the community to an expanded set of people. Because this community has a specific purpose to change behavior for the greater good, the intention is to inspire and energize the active users to welcome, orient, and even mentor the newcomers. It’s a great way to seed a new community while simultaneously creating the conditions for leaders to arise.

Numerous of our clients have taken similar routes to start up their online communities. Typically, they start out with a relatively small subset of their customers who have connected themselves to the company in some way—taken classes, offered feedback, made requests, subscribed to newsletters, submitted content to web sites, or even just corresponded by mail. Occasionally they’re people who have a closer relationship with the company, whether through higher-level paid services or rewards programs.

Usually it’s the positive experience that companies have with these folks that leads the organization to want a connection with a broader community. The specific objectives for the envisioned community vary—insight into product use, customer support, more people viewing ads, more purchases. But the intention generally involves bringing people closer and listening to them toward a better customer experience. And at the center of the plan is this population who’ve already declared themselves in some (sometimes small) way as interested parties.

In the planning stages, the marketers detail how they hope the community will work and how they expect people to interact with one another and with the company. Then, from the subset of customers they’ve identified as potentially interested, they extend an invitation to participate in a Beta or pilot stage. In the cases we know, responses have been gratifying—from 25-40+%—and certainly much more than one would expect from typical direct response. As people sign up, the company provides more information about the community’s purpose through expert content or focused projects and activities. Participants are also made aware that they’re part of a core group invited to help with preparation of a welcoming environment for an expanded community to follow. The company may convey some type of badge or status, which helps to encourage accountability and quality contribution.

Sometimes the initial community is private to begin with, accessible only by the initial population. A particular project may be associated with this group, in the process of accomplishing which the community becomes a nicely seeded conversational venue populated by individuals who’re expecting to welcome others and continue the community growth. Typically, leaders emerge—people who are articulate participants, usually talented conversationalists, and thus producers of content that appeals to other potential members of the community. It’s a great model for enlisting help in seeding a young community with authentic contributions from engaged participants.

With the capabilities available now for integrating with broader social networks (e.g. Facebook Pages & Connect), a company can make it easy for the pioneer population to spread the word, increasing the network effects of people inviting their friends to a community where they’ve already taken a stake.

At a conference a couple years ago someone asked me what I looked for in a client. My answer was “commitment.” We used to hear from people who just wanted to put up a message board and then walk away, assuming community would happen—no understanding or attention span available for what it takes to develop it with purpose, trust, and personality. I haven’t run into that as much in the last couple years. Most people approach with a much greater understanding of the resources, persistence, and attention it requires to get closer to their customers.

Prospective social media clients now have a greater understanding of the commitment involved. They’re aware that appropriate skills and experience may not exist within the organization, and that community management can’t be assigned to a person who’s expected to do it in addition to another job. They know why they want to develop community around their companies, and they’re asking for more exact ways to measure what they’re looking for.

Overall, companies are also more willing to be comfortable with negative comments about their products or services. In some of the more fear-based discussions we had a couple years ago, we saw a tendency toward requesting previewed moderation. Increasingly, the word is out that progressive companies welcome constructive criticism, want to hear it, know that it happens whether or not they hear it, and if it’s happening where they can respond to people, that’s all to the better. Conversations now more often emphasize escalation paths and proper response than on fear about negative comments. We see more integration with customer service and support, and more participation by people higher up in the company.

Increasingly there’s a better understanding of the role good moderators can play in facilitating conversation, and also in the importance of employees being consistently in touch with and on top of what people are saying in the communities--what they’re asking for, what they’re talking about. They worry less about users running into offensive comments because they know users can ignore people they don’t like. Plus today’s features for social networking make it possible for users to decide exactly with whom they’re going to have connections in any event. Everyone’s more savvy, less wary.

Clients increasingly appreciate the value of the content that people create around their brands. They want better ways to bring it forward and make sure it gets noticed because they know this supports leadership in the community and brings in more quality content.

The purchasers of social media are also now users of it, and that makes a huge difference.

Facebook has announced yet another brand-friendly product that lets companies take advantage of the mammoth Facebook network effects. They’re calling it Live Stream Box, and it’s intended to run alongside streaming video, games, presentations, and other web events. Users log into the Live Stream Box via Facebook Connect and their comments are published into the box as well as into their profiles and their friends’ activity feeds. The Facebook posts then link back to the Live Stream Box.

Using events as acquisition tools is a great energy generator, but unless companies use broadcast media to promote them, audience numbers are sometimes disappointing. Using the Live Stream Box in conjunction with Twitter, companies now have a good way to draw people in in real time to experience an event as it’s unfolding. Because the draw mechanism involves people sharing with their friends, a built-in sociability supports it. Plus the centralized comments connect individuals to new people who share an interest, supporting community building around the brand, product, game or event.

The challenge will be to take the connections created by a Live Stream Box event and turn them into a retention tool. Facebook Connect won’t provide email addresses, so the sponsoring event producer will need to program and participate in a way that channels people toward a continued connection—whether that’s a Facebook brand page, a private branded community, or some other venue where they can stay involved.

It's another useful innovation by Facebook that makes it more attractive for companies to get involved and stay involved with them as a component of a Web-wide marketing strategy.

I guess I’m stuck on the Facebook track this week. Here’s something else they’ve done that makes Facebook more attractive and less constrained for brands:

Up until this week, you could categorize individual friends, but not brand pages, into lists. For example, I’ve created a Family list (which I read first), a LiveWorld group, a Favs group, and then, if I have time, I read the rest of the Newsfeed. Of course I wanted to add our LiveWorld page to the LiveWorld group; couldn’t do it. Brand pages were just a different animal. What this meant to a brand was that its fans who use friend lists might rarely see brand updates.

Now, however, fans and friends are both connections. Assuming that your profile and your status updates are set to Everyone, you can add any kind of connection into your groups. This morning I added our LiveWorld page, and other brands I’m connected to, into my lists. Now I’ll see their updates much more often.

Less important for brands, but quite useful for individuals, is that the Publisher (the main widget on your page that allows you to add content) now allows you to decide who sees the specific content you’re loading. Again, assuming that your profile and your status updates are set to Everyone, you can add content of any type, click the lock icon on the upload widget, and specify to whom that content should appear. If you’re using friend lists (like the ones I mentioned above), you can click Custom and specify which friend lists should see the content. This should make for more meaningful updates when the relationship context of your updates is relevant.

We're excited to be having our first LiveBar event in San Francisco in a couple weeks. Joining us is Jory Des Jardins, media consultant and one of the founders of BlogHer, speaking on the findings of the BlogHer 2009 benchmark study, as well as several hot-button issues around how women embrace social media. Among them, monetization, privacy, recent changes to the FTC's disclosure guidelines, fundraising/social awareness, and political change through social media. You can register for the event here: http://livebarsf.eventbrite.com/ .