Follow this simple step-by-step playbook to develop and launch an online community that meets your marketing objectives.

ONLINE COMMUNITY PLANPlaybook & Toolkit

105

Table of Contents ONLINE COMMUNITY PLAN

Introduction 04

Conclusion 27

Framework 03

About This Playbook 28

Prepare Your Company 08

12Online Community Plan

15Select Technology

19Implement Community

23Launch Your Community

25Measuring Results

stage

stage

stage

stage

stage

stage

1

2

3

4

5

6

Vendor EvaluationProject Plan

Risk Assessment

Metrics Dashboard

Community Manager Job Description

Policy & Guidelines

ROI Calculator

Budget Template

Engaging Users with Gamification

Gamification Infographic

Readiness Assessment

Strategy Scorecard

Business Case

ONLINE COMMUNITY PLANFramework

Leverage the framework below to quickly empower your organization’s online community strategy.

Click the buttons below to access all related training, tools, templates, and other resources.

Vendors Matrix

RFP Template

Driving Online Community Adoption

Launch Checklist

Consulting RFP

Build vs. Buy Decision Matrix

Content Marketing Editorial Calendar

Governance Document

IMPLEMENT4 LAUNCH5PLAN2 SELECT3 MEASURE61 PREPARE

4ONLINE COMMUNITY PLAN

Prepare Your Company

Online Community Plan

Select Technology

Implement Community

Launch Your Community

Measuring Results

1 2 3 4 5 6

Introduction

How to Use This Consulting Playbook

This playbook consists of six stages, each with a description of steps, and action items. Action items include using our premium tools and templates. Our goal for your use of this playbook is to help you:

Understand how online communities can add value in sales, marketing and customer service

Plan for the launch of an online community that integrates into your broader marketing strategy

Launch & Measure the community you develop and improve it based on the results

Helpful Hint – If you need assistance implementing your Customer Engagement strategy, contact Demand Metric to schedule a consult with an experienced Analyst: email us at info@demandmetric.com

Key Success Factors for Communities

This playbook will cover each of these key success factors and provide advice and tools to help.

Here are some of the key success factors when building an online community:

Key Success Factor Reasoning

Driving User Adoption If the community doesn’t have users, it’s not really a community

Producing Content Content is the lifeblood of any community – be prepared to produce

Enabling Technology Not all community platforms were created equal – pick a winner

Maintaining Moderation Communities require careful moderation and nurturing to succeed

Measuring Results You need to know how your community is performing to show ROI

5ONLINE COMMUNITY PLAN

What is an Online Community? What is Gamification?

An online community is a community that forms on the internet. A community is a group of people interacting,

sharing, and working toward a common goal….They also share in forums, e-mail groups, and even in the comments sections of blog posts and news articles.

Deborah Ng Online Community Management for Dummies

Gamification is the use of game thinking and game mechanics in a non-game context in order to engage users and solve problems.

Gamification techniques leverage people’s natural desires for competition, achievement, status, self-expression, altruism, and closure. A core strategy for gamifying is to provide rewards for players for accomplishing desired tasks. Types of rewards include points, achievement badges or levels, the filling of a progress bar, and providing the user with virtual currency.

Competition is another element of games that can be used in gamification. Making the rewards for accomplishing tasks visible to other players or providing leader boards are ways of encouraging players to compete.

Another approach to gamification is to make existing tasks feel more like games. Some techniques used in this approach include adding meaningful choice, onboarding with a tutorial, increasing challenge, and adding narrative.

Prepare Your Company

Online Community Plan

Select Technology

Implement Community

Launch Your Community

Measuring Results

1 2 3 4 5 6

Introduction

6ONLINE COMMUNITY PLAN

Value of Creating an Online Community

Online Communities can help accelerate almost any stage of the sales/purchase cycle:

Need

Discovery

Consideration

Decision

Review

Inbound Links/SEOUser Generated ContentPosts/Comments

Customer FeedbackSupport IssuesResponsiveness

Peer ReviewsCustomer SuccessNew Features

Public vs. Private Communities

Public communities are generally good for increasing web traffic, creating backlinks, and generating leads whereas private commu-nities are helpful for supporting customers, getting feedback, and connecting members with each other in an exclusive medium.

Early in the process, you will need to decide whether your community will be public or private.

Prepare Your Company

Online Community Plan

Select Technology

Implement Community

Launch Your Community

Measuring Results

1 2 3 4 5 6

Introduction

Communities Private Communities

Open, anyone can register and participate

Invitation-only, must be accepted to join

General market opinions and feedback

Focused feedback from users and customers

Great for B2C brands looking to reach consumers

Great for associations and member organizations

7ONLINE COMMUNITY PLAN

Outputs from This Playbook

Prepare Your Company

Online Community Plan

Select Technology

Implement Community

Launch Your Community

Measuring Results

1 2 3 4 5 6

Introduction

Stage 1 - Prepare Your CompanyReadiness Assessment, Strategy Scorecard, Business Case

Stage 4 - Implement CommunityConsulting RFP, Policy & Guidelines, Job Description, Governance, Calendar

Stage 5 - Launch Your CommunityDriving Online Community Adoption Guide, Launch Checklist

Stage 6 - Measuring ResultsOnline Community Metrics Dashboard, ROI Calculator

Stage 3 - Select TechnologyRequirements, Community System RFP, Vendor Evaluation & Selection, Build/Buy

Stage 2 - Online Community PlanProject Plan, Budget, Risk Assessment and Customer Profiles

Prepare Your CompanySTAGE 1

ONLINE COMMUNITY PLAN

In Stage 1, you will understand the value of online communities and gamification, determine your organization’s readiness to develop a community, document your goals and objectives, and build

the business case for investment.

Key steps in this stage include:

STEP 1: View Workshop on Online Communities

STEP 2: Learn about Gamification for Communities

STEP 3: Conduct a Readiness Assessment

STEP 4: Develop an Online Community Strategy

STEP 5: Build the Business Case

9ONLINE COMMUNITY PLAN

Prepare Your Company

1

Executive Summary

What is Gamification?

Key Benefits to Using Gamification in Communities

Gamification Software Vendors

Action Plan

Learn about Gamification for CommunitiesSTEP 1A

Action Item

Read our Engaging Users with Gamification How-to Guide to learn more about how to drive engagement, adoption, and user-generated content by leveraging game theory.

This How-to Guide outlines the following:

Online Community Plan

Select Technology

Implement Community

Launch Your Community

Measuring Results

2 3 4 5 6

Introduction

ENGAGING USERS WITH

GAMIFICATIONHow-to Guide

V I E W R E S O U R C E

What is Gamification?

How Gamification Works

Benefits of Gamification

Getting Started with Gamification

Popular Gamified Mobile Apps

The Future of Gamification

View Gamification InfographicSTEP 1B

Action Item

Check out this Gamification Infographic to get statistics and better understand how organizations around the world are gamifying their applications to gain traction in the market.

What is contained in this infographic?

V I E W R E S O U R C E

10ONLINE COMMUNITY PLAN

Senior Management Commitment

Alignment with Business Objectives

Knowledge of Best Practices

Planning

Staffing, Systems, and Training

Conduct a Readiness AssessmentSTEP 2

Action Item

Use the Online Community Readiness Assessment to determine how prepared your organization is to launch a successful, long-term community program.

What are the sections of the assessment?

V I E W R E S O U R C E

Prepare Your Company

1Online

Community PlanSelect

TechnologyImplement Community

Launch Your Community

Measuring Results

2 3 4 5 6

Introduction

Objectives

Programs & Initiatives

Metrics & KPIs

Timeframes and Goals

Develop an Online Community StrategySTEP 3

Action Item

Use an Online Community Strategy Scorecard to provide senior management with a one-page document that clearly outlines your plan of attack for this project.

Key information to include in scorecard:

V I E W R E S O U R C E

11ONLINE COMMUNITY PLAN

Executive Summary

Opportunity Overview & Key Success Factors

Assumptions & Decision Making Criteria

Business Impact Analysis

Risks & Contingency Plans

Recommendations

Build the Business CaseSTEP 4

Action Item

Use the Online Community Business Case to convince senior management that pursuing an online community strategy makes financial sense for the organization.

Sections of your business case should include:

V I E W R E S O U R C E

Prepare Your Company

1Online

Community PlanSelect

TechnologyImplement Community

Launch Your Community

Measuring Results

2 3 4 5 6

Introduction

Online Community PlanSTAGE 2

ONLINE COMMUNITY PLAN

By now, you should have secured buy-in from senior management to move forward on the Online Community initiative. In this Stage you will work with your team to plan your community launch.

Key activities for this stage include:

STEP 1: Build Your Project Plan

STEP 2: Complete a Risk Assessment

STEP 3: Generate a Project Budget

13ONLINE COMMUNITY PLAN

Introduction2

Online Community Plan

Project Overview

Description

Key Success Factors

Risk Identification

Event or Risk Description

Expected Outcome

Impact

Probability

Risk Mitigation Plan

Project Stakeholders

Communications Plan

Decision Rights

Approval

Build Your Project Plan Perform a Risk AssessmentSTEP 1 STEP 2

Action Item Action Item

Use the Online Community Project Plan to establish a clear project scope and decision rights and to secure executive sponsorship for the initiative.

Use our Online Community Risk Assessment tool to consider any potential pitfalls or risks that could affect your program’s success, then brainstorm ways to mitigate these risks.

Sections of your project charter should include: What is included in a risk assessment?

V I E W R E S O U R C EV I E W R E S O U R C E

Prepare Your Company

Select Technology

Implement Community

Launch Your Community

Measuring Results

1 3 4 5 6

14ONLINE COMMUNITY PLAN

STEP 3

Software Licensing

Design & Architecture

Implementation & Support

Website Integration

Staffing & Training

Content Development

Generate a Project Budget

Action Item

Use the Online Community Budget Template to forecast all costs associated with launching and maintaining your online community.

What costs should be included?

V I E W R E S O U R C E

Introduction2

Online Community Plan

Prepare Your Company

Select Technology

Implement Community

Launch Your Community

Measuring Results

1 3 4 5 6

Select TechnologySTAGE 3

ONLINE COMMUNITY PLAN

In Stage 3 you will define your technology requirements, research vendors that provide community management and gamification technology, consider the build option, invite your shortlist to submit

proposals, and make a decision about which platform to use.

The key activities in this Stage are:

STEP 1: Define Technology Requirements

STEP 2: Create a Shortlist of Potential Vendors

STEP 3: Submit an RFP to Short-Listed Vendors

STEP 4: Consider the Build Option

STEP 5: Conduct Vendor Evaluations & Make a Decision

16ONLINE COMMUNITY PLAN

General

Technical

User Interface

Marketing

Service & Training

Lithium

Jive

Telligent

Socious

Bunchball

Define Technology Requirements Create a Shortlist of Potential VendorsSTEP 1 STEP 2

Action Item Action Item

Use the Online Community Vendor Evaluation tool as a starting point to gather your technology requirements and determine whether they are “nice to have” or “must have”.

Use the Online Community Vendors Matrix to research the key vendors in the online community and gamification space and select 3 to 5 vendors to put on your short-list.

Types of Technology Requirements: Key vendors in the industry include:

Introduction

Select Technology

3

V I E W R E S O U R C EV I E W R E S O U R C E

Prepare Your Company

Online Community Plan

Implement Community

Launch Your Community

Measuring Results

1 2 4 5 6

ONLINE ADVERTISING PLAN

17ONLINE COMMUNITY PLAN

Company Information

Statement of Work

Proposal Submission Procedure

Score of Work & Requirements

Estimated Budget

Has skills to complete work

Can meet delivery timeline

Can deliver on projected costs

Provides cost-effective solution

Will support us going forward

Submit an RFP to Short-listed Vendors Consider the Build OptionSTEP 3 STEP 4

Action Item Action Item

Use the Online Community RFP Template to document your requirements for a community solution and then send this to your shortlist of vendors to get some proposals.

Use the Build vs. Buy Decision Matrix to determine whether building a solution internally would make more sense than purchasing a software product from a vendor.

What goes in a request for proposal (RFP)? What are some of the key decision-making criteria?

V I E W R E S O U R C EV I E W R E S O U R C E

Introduction

Select Technology

3Prepare Your

CompanyOnline

Community PlanImplement Community

Launch Your Community

Measuring Results

1 2 4 5 6

18ONLINE COMMUNITY PLAN

Viability – will they be in business in 5 years?

Vision – where is the product roadmap headed?

Payment Terms – can you pay monthly?

Support – is support included or an extra cost?

User Training- included in licenses or extra?

Conduct Evaluations & Make a DecisionSTEP 5

Action Item

Use the Online Community Vendor Evaluation tool again but this time to compare each vendor solution against your key requirements. Next, decide which solution to move forward with.

Key considerations when selecting a vendor:

V I E W R E S O U R C E

Introduction

Select Technology

3Prepare Your

CompanyOnline

Community PlanImplement Community

Launch Your Community

Measuring Results

1 2 4 5 6

Implement CommunitySTAGE 4

ONLINE COMMUNITY PLAN

To this point, you have developed your online community strategy and selected a technology solu-tion. Now, its time to implement the community and get prepared for launch to your end users.

In this stage you will focus your efforts to:

STEP 1: Hire an Online Community Consultant (optional)

STEP 2: Define the Community Manager Job Description

STEP 3: Develop Community Policies & Guidelines

STEP 4: Draft a Community Governance Document

STEP 5: Create a Community Content Calendar

20ONLINE COMMUNITY PLAN

Introduction

Implement Community

4

Consultants know the common pitfalls to avoid

They can bring focus to a busy management team

Some community platforms are technical to implement

To help with integration with other I/T systems

Provide extra resource If I/T is busy with other projects

Monitor activities in community and interact with members

Initiate insightful discussions with SEO value to drive traffic

Use social media to promote community and brand

Report on community metrics and performance

Inform product management about new feature ideas

Connect customer support with members needing help

Hire an Online Community Consultant Define Community Manager JobSTEP 1 STEP 2

Action Item Action Item

Use the Online Community Consulting RFP template to invite 3-5 consultants who specialize in implementing online communities to send you proposals to help you with your launch.

Use the Community Manager Job Description template as a starting point for outlining the key responsibilities of the person who will spearhead your online community program.

Why does it make sense to hire a consultant? What do Community Managers typically do?

V I E W R E S O U R C EV I E W R E S O U R C E

Prepare Your Company

Online Community Plan

Select Technology

Launch Your Community

Measuring Results

1 2 3 5 6

21ONLINE COMMUNITY PLAN

To ensure users behave professionally

To minimize risk of getting into legal hot water

To document consequences of non-compliance

To ensure a safe and productive working environment

Goals

Structure

Processes

Roles & Responsibilities

Implementation Timeline

Metrics & Funding Model

Develop Community Policy & Guidelines Draft Community Governance DocumentSTEP 3 STEP 4

Action Item Action Item

Use the Online Community Policy & Guidelines template to govern the terms of use for users on your online community and set expectations for acceptable behavior.

Use the Online Community Governance Document to outline how the community fits into the overall governance, budgeting, and decision-making structure of the organization.

Why do you need a community policy? What goes into a governance document?

V I E W R E S O U R C EV I E W R E S O U R C E

Introduction

Implement Community

4Prepare Your

CompanyOnline

Community PlanSelect

TechnologyLaunch Your Community

Measuring Results

1 2 3 5 6

22ONLINE COMMUNITY PLAN

Thought-Leadership Articles

Interviews with Subject Matter Experts

Curated Content from 3rd Party Sources

New Resources Published by Your Company

Industry News

Infographics & Webinars

Create a Community Content CalendarSTEP 5

Action Item

Use the Content Marketing Editorial Calendar to organize and plan for the content you will be distributing through your community at least 2-3 months in advance.

What kind of content can you post in a community?

V I E W R E S O U R C E

Introduction

Implement Community

4Prepare Your

CompanyOnline

Community PlanSelect

TechnologyLaunch Your Community

Measuring Results

1 2 3 5 6

Launch Your CommunitySTAGE 5

ONLINE COMMUNITY PLAN

In Stage 5 you will be focused on getting the community tested and launched to your users.

STEP 1: Learn About Driving Adoption

STEP 2: Build a Community Launch Checklist

24ONLINE COMMUNITY PLAN

Introduction

Launch Your Community

5

Executive Summary

Developing an Audience

Two Ways to Increase Community Usage

Action Plan: Tactics to Drive Adoption

How to communicate this launch to customers?

What content will you launch with?

Have you planned for any down-time?

Have all features been adequately tested?

Do you have a press release pre-written?

Learn About Driving Community Adoption Build a Community Launch ChecklistSTEP 1 STEP 2

Action Item Action Item

Read the How-to Guide, Driving Online Community Adoption to learn best practices for getting end users to use the community platform.

Use the Online Community Launch Checklist to organize all of the details surrounding the launch of your online commu-nity to ensure your launch goes smoothly.

Key sections of this how-to guide: A few things to keep in mind:

V I E W R E S O U R C E

Prepare Your Company

Online Community Plan

Select Technology

Implement Community

Measuring Results

1 2 3 4 6

DRIVING ONLINE COMMUNITY

ADOPTIONHow-to Guide

V I E W R E S O U R C E

Measuring ResultsSTAGE 6

ONLINE COMMUNITY PLAN

Now that you have launched your online community, you need to track the results of the program to deter-mine success. We also recommend that you calculate your return on investment after a 3-year period to

provide an accurate financial picture of the impact the community has made on your organization.

In this stage, you will:

STEP 1: Build an Online Community Metrics Dashboard

STEP 2: Perform an ROI Calculation

26ONLINE COMMUNITY PLAN

Introduction

Measuring Results

6

Total New Posts

% Posts with a Comment

New Comments Posted

Unique Visitors to Community

# Community Members

Leads & Revenue Sourced from Community

Demonstrate Solid Investment to CFO

Determine Success of the Community

Identify Areas for Improvement

Gain Credibility for Financial Acumen

Build Trust with Senior Management Team

Simplify Process for Getting Funding on Next Program

Build a Community Metrics Dashboard Perform an ROI CalculationSTEP 1 STEP 2

Action Item Action Item

Use the Online Community Metrics Dashboard to track your metrics from your online community and demonstrate measurable results.

Use the Online Community ROI Calculator to collect key qualitative and quantitative information related to incre-mental costs and benefits, and perform an ROI calculation.

Following are some key metrics you want to analyze: Why perform an ROI calculation?

V I E W R E S O U R C EV I E W R E S O U R C E

Prepare Your Company

Online Community Plan

Select Technology

Implement Community

Launch Your Community

1 2 3 4 5

27ONLINE COMMUNITY PLAN

Conclusion

At the end of any project, it’s always a good idea to review it and identify areas for improvement.

Demand Metric has the tools and expertise to help you build an effective online community:

Create or audit your existing online community plan and strategy

Assist with using any of the tools referenced in this playbook

Provide hands-on marketing assistance to accelerate achieving your marketing department’s goals.

To learn more, contact Demand Metric: info@demandmetric.com

ONLINE COMMUNITY PLAN

28ONLINE COMMUNITY PLAN

About This PlaybookThe ANA (Association of National Advertisers) makes a difference for individuals, brands, and the industry by driving growth, advancing the interests of marketers and promoting and protecting the well-being of the marketing community.

Founded in 1910, the ANA provides leadership that advances marketing excellence and shapes the future of the industry. The ANA’s membership includes more than 1,000 companies with 15,000 brands that collectively spend or support more than $400 billion in marketing and adver-tising annually. The membership is comprised of more than 750 client-side marketers and 300 associate members, which include leading agencies, law firms, suppliers, consultants, and vendors.

Further enriching the ecosystem is the work of the nonprofit ANA Educational Foundation (AEF), which has the mission of enhancing the understanding of advertising and marketing within the academic and marketing communities.

ONLINE COMMUNITY PLAN

About This Playbook

ONLINE COMMUNITY PLAN

Demand Metric is a marketing research and advisory firm serving a membership community of over 106,000 marketing professionals and consultants in 75 countries.

Offering consulting playbooks, advisory services, and 500+ premium marketing tools and templates, Demand Metric resources and expertise help the marketing community plan more efficiently and effectively, answer the difficult questions about their work with authority and conviction, and complete marketing projects more quickly and with greater confidence — thus boosting the respect of the marketing team and making it easier to justify resources the team needs to succeed.

To learn more about Demand Metric, please visit www.demandmetric.com

© Demand Metric Research Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

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