What can sector-specific online communities offer?

Most marketers are aware of the opportunties presented by the mainstream social media platforms, but what of sector-specific online communities? Alex Blyth investigates

Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn dominate social media to such an extent that you would be forgiven for thinking they were the only platforms out there. But in fact there are many sector-specific online communities that B2B marketers are using day in, day out to very good effect. Many see these communities as the future of B2B marketing. 

“B2B communities are not new,” says Rebecca Newton, chief community and safety officer at online gaming company Mind Candy. She has been involved in online communities since she ran AOL’s communities in the early 1990s.

Newton adds, “In the late 80s and early 90s, there were only B2B communities,” she explains. “Perhaps the most notable was Java Forums from Sun Systems. In the past few years, the area has taken off as more B2B marketers grasp the potential of global feedback and information sharing.”

Unsurprisingly it is the technology sector that has led the way, but marketing, business development and HR have not been far behind. Some, such as Cisco’s Small Business Support Community, have been created by companies around their own products and services. Others such as the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors’ online communities have emerged from professional or trade bodies, whereas CEO forum Critical Eye has been set up as a commercial enterprise in its own right.

Potential benefits

So what do sector-specific online communities have to offer B2B marketers? Some see them as free or low cost sources of information and collateral, others as an opportunity to raise brand awareness, generate leads, test and develop new products, or simply provide enhanced customer service.

Tom Dunkerley, MD of Sift Media, which runs nine sector-specific B2B online communities including Accountingweb, HRzone and PublicTechnology, says, “The best way to use our communities is just to join the conversations and participate, but it’s also possible to do this in a more structured way. For example, we recently ran a Lloyds TSB Banking forum in which an expert from Lloyds TSB answered people’s queries about business banking.”

Getting it right

However, as you approach these online communities you need to ensure that you add genuine value. Cathal Smyth, managing director at corporate communications agency, The Group, says, “Think back to the various empty chatrooms on B2C websites where attempts at community-building failed before people realised that a product or brand plus a new technology does not make a community. And the difficulty with tapping into an existing community is that if you don’t want to be seen simply as a spammer, you have to work hard to demonstrate value and expertise.”

He adds, “My advice to B2B marketers is to understand that this is a two-way street and if you expect to benefit from a community you must also invest in meeting the needs of that community. All communities need members who participate, so what is the pay-off that you’re giving to busy people to do so? In your own life and work, which communities do you participate in and why? And what benefits do you gain from membership? And if the answer is ‘very few’ or ‘none’, then ask yourself why that is.”

It is a significant investment of time, so you need to be sure that the community you join or create will also bring you benefits.

Steve McGrath, managing director of digital production house Big Dot Media, is sceptical about these smaller online communities. “Many of these so-called online communities are no better than glorified blogs or job boards,” he argues. “There are definitely some industry-specific online communities that are helpful to their niche industries, but in general if you want to expand your network with the greatest efficiency, stick with one of the main social networks.”

The future

It is indeed important to pick the right community and to approach it in the right way, but despite McGrath’s reservations, there seems little doubt that B2B marketers are producing promising results from engagement with these communities.

For example, Suzanne Hewitt, director of PR agency Hotwire, says, “We encourage our banking and finance sector clients to use the Finextra online community as a platform for demonstrating their expertise in the market. We have web analytics data showing that Finextra blogs are effective at driving traffic to clients’ websites, blogs, LinkedIn or Twitter profiles.”

As more and more B2B marketers become aware of these possibilities, usage will grow and that will bring its own challenges. Newton advises, “Moderation is important to B2B communities to avoid spamming, trolling and soliciting, but as these communities grow it will be impossible for this to be done by humans.”

Newton also advocates the use of automated moderation services from Crisp Thinking, and it seems likely that more and more communities will need to look to these services.

In a 2010 report, Gartner predicted that by 2014, 20 per cent of business people will rely on social media rather than email as the primary vehicle for interpersonal communications.

Rather than waiting for the social media bandwagon, the smart marketers are acting now to build their reputations on these community sites.

 

Six of the best online communities

1. Doctors.net

Doctors.net.uk offers doctors a forum for discussion, as well as frequently updated editorial content. Created in 1998 by doctors for doctors it now has 182,000 members. It is free for them to use and revenue comes from the Government, as well as nine out of 10 of the world’s largest pharmaceutical companies.

In May 2011, Doctors.net.uk launched Networks in Health, an international network of more than 600,000 doctors around the world. In terms of the future, Doctors.net.uk plans to provide mobile apps through which doctors and other healthcare professionals will be able to access medical news, conference highlights and educational quizzes while on the move and at work.

2. AccountingWeb

Launched in 1996, AccountingWeb now has 240,000 visitors each month and 100,000 registered members who are allowed to post questions and comments. Accountants and financial professionals in SMEs use it to solve their accounting problems, partly through reading editorial content, partly through posting questions for their peers to answer. It is free to join and is funded by advertising.

3. IngenuityWorking.com

Mobile computer manufacturer Psion launched IngenuityWorking.com in March 2010. The community is aimed at the company’s customers, partners, employees and suppliers. There is a public area where there are more than 8000 discussions, customer support forums and a number of active blogs, as well as a closed partner zone that enables Psion’s distributors and resellers to crowdsource ideas and share their individual news and successes.

It has more than 12,000 registered users and more than 60,000 visitors per month.

Jonathan Brayshaw, global leader, digital communications and social business at Psion, says, “The community is free to use for all participants as our strategy is to enable our stakeholders to stand their business on the shoulders of our community. We are already exploring how we might monetise the community in the future to the mutual benefit of the company and its partners.”

4. iStockphoto

iStockphoto, launched in 2000, has two main branches to its community: the artists who contribute their photographs to the marketplace, and the buyers who tend to be creatives, designers, marketers, publishing houses, media
and bloggers.

There are around 100,000 artists uploading some 65,000 files a week, and there are more than six million buyers who between them download a file every second of every day. The community also uses the forums to talk to one another and share ideas and tips on photography.

5. Businesszone

Sift Media bought Businesszone five years ago and has since developed it into one of the most vibrant online communities for the UK’s SME population.
It has 100,000 profiled members posting 30,000 comments every month, and 350,000 unique visitors a month. It is free to use and generates its revenue from advertisers.

6. Dell Communities

Dell Communities launched in 2006 and now has close to two million registered community members globally, and participation in the tens of thousands every month. Business people use it for online technical support and information, advice from experts on product usage, and, through IdeaStorm, to offer input on future Dell products and services from Dell.

Bill Johnston, director of global online community at Dell, says, “The community platform and engagement programmes are constantly evolving. We will continue to listen and understand where our customers want and expect us to be in the social ecosystem.”

 

Related content

Access full article

Propolis logo white

B2B strategies. B2B skills.
B2B growth.

Propolis helps B2B marketers confidently build the right strategies and skills to drive growth and prove their impact.