THIS! "What is their greater purpose within all the other channels our customers can interact with? Should a brand run its own? Would it be better to support an independent third party run community? There are lots of questions to consider. However, there is also room for a unique branded space which offers exclusive content access and experiences. Conceived with care, brand-owned communities have a reason for existence. "
I completely agree with you here, Adrian. Companies need to think carefully about the value of their branded community to the members and ensure they are consistently delivering on that value. Otherwise, members are likely apt to find other, more independent spaces to gather. Digital community members are very savvy these days and don't want to participate in a branded community just because. Value provided is everything.
Thanks for reading. Maybe I should be clearer that I think people are making that conclusion without directly saying “forums are dead “. For example your own quote : “ However their role is narrower to primarily support communities in specific sectors.”
This is where we have to disagree. I think there are still multiple places and areas for it. My concern has been how many forum communities are deployed and how it’s thought about within the ecosystem. There is much work to do - but opportunities exist!
I guess we'll see. Either we'll see forums still being deployed by brands beyond the primary support function or we'll see them narrow to primarily the support function. I'm betting on the latter, but I'm open to being proven wrong.
"What needs a rethink is community and social media. These should not be separated into silos. Greater cooperation needs to happen from the social and community professionals on the team. What do these experiences look like in an omnichannel experience? The hub and spoke model of the owned community having insider access and content is still viable - but requires cooperation, thought and planning. Territorial community building is not the future."
This sounds good in theory and at a high-level, but can you provide more tactical advice on what you mean by this?
I go into this deeper in the book, but essentially, you can plan for a cohesive strategy where community and social teams work together to cross post and pollenate each channel. Not working separately. Usually this works best when both community and social teams share similar management.
THIS! "What is their greater purpose within all the other channels our customers can interact with? Should a brand run its own? Would it be better to support an independent third party run community? There are lots of questions to consider. However, there is also room for a unique branded space which offers exclusive content access and experiences. Conceived with care, brand-owned communities have a reason for existence. "
I completely agree with you here, Adrian. Companies need to think carefully about the value of their branded community to the members and ensure they are consistently delivering on that value. Otherwise, members are likely apt to find other, more independent spaces to gather. Digital community members are very savvy these days and don't want to participate in a branded community just because. Value provided is everything.
I agree with everything but the "forums are dead" or 'community platforms are dying' aspect of this.
I've read everyone's comments on it so far and haven't seen a single person say that.
Forums have a major role to play in the future. However, their role has largely narrowed to primarily support-based communities in specific sectors.
Hey Rich
Thanks for reading. Maybe I should be clearer that I think people are making that conclusion without directly saying “forums are dead “. For example your own quote : “ However their role is narrower to primarily support communities in specific sectors.”
This is where we have to disagree. I think there are still multiple places and areas for it. My concern has been how many forum communities are deployed and how it’s thought about within the ecosystem. There is much work to do - but opportunities exist!
I guess we'll see. Either we'll see forums still being deployed by brands beyond the primary support function or we'll see them narrow to primarily the support function. I'm betting on the latter, but I'm open to being proven wrong.
"What needs a rethink is community and social media. These should not be separated into silos. Greater cooperation needs to happen from the social and community professionals on the team. What do these experiences look like in an omnichannel experience? The hub and spoke model of the owned community having insider access and content is still viable - but requires cooperation, thought and planning. Territorial community building is not the future."
This sounds good in theory and at a high-level, but can you provide more tactical advice on what you mean by this?
I go into this deeper in the book, but essentially, you can plan for a cohesive strategy where community and social teams work together to cross post and pollenate each channel. Not working separately. Usually this works best when both community and social teams share similar management.