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How can Company Representatives Engage with an Online Community?

To be effectively adopted, this new marketing channel demands that you analyze how you communicate with customers, and challenges how you traditionally measure the success of this communication. In general, classically hard outcomes such as complaints resolved or sales achieved are used to measure communication success. Participating in an online community initially offers less tangible benefits. For example, it may enhance the value of the knowledge socialized within the community to the benefit of both customers and companies, or improve the reputation of a brand.

The starting point is to recognize that you will have to adopt a new approach to communicating with customers - an approach that challenges many of your traditional assumptions about customer relationship management. You will need to accept that the power and position that you naturally project into conversations and interactions with customers are counter-productive when interacting in this new channel. You are advised to remodel your ingrained communication patterns. Customers welcome natural speech through an individual human voice rather than a scripted corporate monologue. Discussion forums and online communities facilitate this kind of interaction.

For those most unsure of how to start, the best place is to take the position of the customer. Participate as a customer in forums discussing things you have an affinity to or feel passionate about (a sport, cars , music). Join in, contribute to the discussions and make time to do it regularly. You will quickly get a feel for the tempo and social 'Netiquette' within the groups. These will be variable so don't expect to replicate them in discussions about your company, but you will see a range of examples of how to do it and how not to. Critically evaluate the exchanges that take place and reflect upon how effective they could be in relation to the forums your company could participate in.

Consider the contribution made by the Managing Director in Figure 4-4:

'May I first introduce myself as the group managing director of Company X? I have read the many comments on this forum relating to Company X fly lines with interest.'

The Director succinctly establishes his position and invites himself into the discussion. It is extremely pertinent that he doesn't just ' barge in' and start to sell his product. Note the heavy use of first person 'I' and complete lack of references to the corporate line or 'what the company says' throughout the entire posting. This man has power within the organization, but he projects it very subtly, almost with a suggestion of, 'You may want to hear my opinion, but you don't have to.'

He then moves quickly to establish the background and balance of opinion in the postings. He accepts the problem. He demonstratives a willingness to validate the customers' experience and offers empathy with their issues. He then moves swiftly to the defensive:

'I accept that large numbers of fly fishers purchased fly lines which were sub standard and did not offer the performance promised . In 1995, I became the MD and the company was completely restructured with the focus placed firmly on long term R & D, thorough product testing and relentless quality control procedures.'

However, he just manages to avoid a 'yes, but' followed by a corporate line which may alienate customers as it demonstrates a lack of empathy and a negation of their experience.

He then switches to a pitch that borders close to a direct attempt to market the company voice in the community. He is walking on the edge of acceptance and rejection based on the customer's evaluation of his credibility to make such statements. It is a signature of this posting how swiftly it moves through these phases. It is fast, but not slick in an obvious manipulative way. He retains a genuine voice of concern and natural tempo throughout. It reads like a stream of consciousness, rather than stock phrases from a brochure.

The second to last paragraph in the post is perhaps one of the most significant. The Director invites others in. From an early pitch that engages the individual, he suddenly switches to the onlookers in the crowd and seeks to pull them closer to the action:

'To prove the point I would be happy to provide a FREE fly line to the first 30 people who respond on this forum with their details and fly line model required.'

He is challenging the community on conventional measures of product performance, but also challenging the community to increase their collective knowledge of these products through their interaction. This is real skill with unmistakable echoes of marketplaces of the past. The director moves beyond the attempt to develop a personal conversation with customers to developing an inherent right of focus within the community. He is seeking to host the dialogue, as distinguished from controlling it, and is increasing his importance as a credible central voice within the community.

To judge whether he succeeded, consider the responses and again witness the importance of the first person 'I' in the customer evaluations quoted:

'I appreciate the line sent. Am unable to test for a week or so but a comment on the dispatch. I received the line within two daysThat's up there with the best of them for delivery service.' (Posting No. 86)

'I am extremely impressed with a Managing Director who is so in touch with his customers and the obvious faith he has in his products.' (Posting No. 95)

'I would have no hesitation in recommending this line to any other angler.' (Posting No.100) (Fish and Fly Messageboard, 2000)

If this does not convince you, consider the closing words of the Director himself:

'I would like to thank the visitors to this forum for their feedback. I have learnt a great deal from the discussions and thank you all for your input. Most of all, I have confirmed my position that our reputation lies purely with floating lines produced prior to 96.'

'I have learned from this forum that trial products are the best way to convince people of the performance of our fly lines. Thanks for your comments, as you can see, they make a difference.'

What is most significant is that nothing will make a customer happier in a discussion forum than the words, 'Sorry I got that wrong... let me try to put it right.'




Contemporary Research in E-marketing (Vol. 1)
Agility and Discipline Made Easy: Practices from OpenUP and RUP
ISBN: B004V9MS42
EAN: 2147483647
Year: 2003
Pages: 164

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