A recent edition of the MarketingProfs newsletter featured an article by Adam Boyden on transforming customers into a community. Boyden pointed out that when your customers feel they are part of a community, they visit your website more often, provide feedback, and recommend your products and services to people they know, all of which businesses can benefit from.
In essence, the transformation from customer to community develops through understanding the common interests of your costumers, then creating content—news, informational tips, applications, video or audio files, etc.—tailored to those interests. Useful content makes both you and your company relevant and trustworthy.
Once you’ve created your content, don’t bother waiting around for your community to find it. Use media channels, blogs, community toolbars, and social networks to bring it directly to them where they congregate with like-minded people. Useful community-building sites:
• Create a branded social network on Ning.
• Simultaneously update all of your social networks on Ping.fm.
• Encourage your community to spread the word using ShareThis and Digg.
User-generated content has become a valuable part of the web experience for millions. A recent Emarketer survey estimates that nearly 60 percent of internet users are already involved in the user-generated content trend, and that number is predicted to grow. The amount of user-created content on the web is also growing at an astounding rate. The number of user-generated content creators is now estimated at 82.5 million. This translates to 42.8 percent of internet users now sharing their thoughts and creativity online.