Public message boards, blogs, social networks, and media-sharing sites often garner thousands of page views each day. Those page views represent a baseline level of interest, assuming that the visitors actually take the time to read and/or watch the content on the site. But if the measure of brand engagement is consumer-to-consumer and consumer-to-company interaction, it’s important to look not just at page views, but at the rates and volume of actual postings by unique visitors. How active are these viewers in terms of creating and adding to site content? Are they contributing to the conversation, or are they simply passive observers? Is it possible that a smaller, more intimate environment may in fact promote higher levels of customer participation and engagement? Is it possible that traditional marketing strategies – the idea that you need to reach millions in order to ultimately engage deeply with a few hundred – are inefficient?
In this paper we will report on a study that demonstrates the effectiveness of small, private online communities in generating high rates of customer engagement with the sponsoring company or brand. When a few hundred members are participating on a regular basis, the quantity and quality of the content is deeper and richer than from large public sites, with a dramatically more rewarding member experience. For companies that truly want to connect with their customers, smaller may in fact be better.
The Current Study
The current research leverages proprietary data on member activity in communities built and facilitated by Communispace Corporation. Our aim in conducting this research was to investigate participation rates and trends in these communities, and explore how various characteristics of individuals and communities might drive these trends.
About Communispace Communities: Unlike public communities, private customer communities are generally branded, password-protected sites where a few hundred (typically 300-500) invited members spend a period of months (and sometimes years) brainstorming ideas, offering advice to one another and to the sponsoring company, sharing experiences, commenting on market trends and helping the company figure out business issues. Several facilitators guide the conversation and help bridge the gap between customer and company. They provide a means for companies to be continuously in touch with their customers, gain consumer insights into their needs, lives, and preferences, and engage community members around their brands.