In July, Get Satisfaction and the Incyte Group collaborated to publish a white paper titled: To Monetize Open Social Networks, Invite Customers to Be More Than Just “Friends” (Conspire coverage here). The paper argues that while platforms like Facebook are useful for making online connections, real social revenue comes from advancing these connections into branded customer communities.
“Because a customer community is owned and managed by a company and contains valuable social knowledge that has been vetted by advocates and employees, marketers have more flexibility to address customer needs based on their stage in the customer life cycle,” reads the report.
If it’s a conversation that tickles your fancy, you’re in for a treat. An infographic illustrating the white paper’s messaging was kicked out just a few days ago. Statistic-y highlights include:
- 81.1 percent of consumers go to a company website to learn more about a product or service
- 32.1 percent of consumers participate in branded communities because they’re interested in receiving important information more quickly
- 42.1 percent of consumers would be willing to freely advocate a product or service on a branded community
As we mentioned before, since consumer communities are still developing, it’s unclear if they are truly the missing piece. Regardless, with customers now being just as vocal — if not more so — than company messages, and certainly more impactful, I believe we will continue to see a rise in fair exchanges. A digital community is certainly a great way to achieve that. You can view the full infographic by clicking on the image below, or visit Get Satisfaction’s blog post here.
