As sure as crops need fertilisation to be productive, brand-side marketers are recognising they can be more successful if they harness the influence of customers to drive increases in market share. Real relationships with customers are central to building long-term success and online communities are proving fertile ground for nurturing this type of engagement. However, merely joining a community will not suffice. Brands have to become real, active contributors if they are to be considered respected and reliable sources of information. Ultimately, they must be seen as fellow members of a community, not outsiders, but that is easier said than done.
Buyers trust their peers more than marketers
Think of some recent purchases you’ve made, your last holiday for example. Chances are you consulted peer reviews on a platform such as Trip Advisor before making your final decision. You were likely curious to know how others rated their experience at a particular hotel or tour operator. Frankly, we all know it’s not enough to take a company’s word for it. The point is we trust the opinion of our peers more than marketers and increasingly they’re our first port of call in the buying process.
This presents an obvious challenge for marketers and brands that strive to be present during the decision-making process. As communities of like-minded professionals continue to grow in size and influence in both the B2C and B2B worlds, marketers have an opportunity to become trusted and active members that earn influence over a period of time. This will not happen overnight. For brands to be viewed in this manner, marketers need to nurture real relationships week by week and resist pushing their own agenda at any given opportunity.
Be present
These communities are not limited to the B2C market. Professional networks in industries such as technology, healthcare or education provide the perfect meeting place for like-minded people. If approached in the right way, they too offer brands the chance to become embedded in the consciousness of buyers. But only if they become real, active members of those communities.
Those who do no more than set up a presence within a community as a shop window, tend to be quickly sidelined as soon as it becomes clear they’re adding no value to other members. This is not a marketing tactic that will deliver results over a couple of weeks so don’t lose your nerve and revert to the traditional approach. Marketers have to commit to building real relationships based on trust that is earned over an extended period of time.
To get there, marketers will have to take an approach that’s contrary to those accustomed to selling a product. The hard sell approach has to be toned down, in favour of helping community members solve problems they face in their working day. In the same way you wouldn’t risk drowning a plant by watering it every hour of the day, don’t swamp community members with content. The key to marketing successfully within this environment is to find a balance. Relationships should be allowed room to grow organically, only then will they bear fruit. If organisations can begin to talk with people in this way they will earn the right to become a peer that is worth going to for advice. Then the sales will come, not to mention the trust, advocacy and loyalty of satisfied customers.
A two-way street
Being part of a community is a very human experience. Helping existing and prospective customers is crucial but it is important not to forget that a relationship requires give and take. Some customers will offer to help and have an impact on the products and services you provide.
Tools such as social media give customers the access that allows them to hold brands to account but many also want to be constructive with their opinions. Forward-thinking businesses welcome these opinions wholeheartedly and professional communities offer the perfect environment for turning this feedback into action. This sort of relationship breeds co-creation, where products are built with customers rather than in spite of them. If marketers are having honest conversations with the people who are buying their products, they’ll be equipped with the insight that can tailor their offering to the exact specification those customers want, not what you think they want. It’s not just the customer who can benefit from the brand’s advice in the relationship economy, it works vice versa and enriches both parties.
In the future, companies that recognise the long-term value of real engagement within communities will be the ones that take market share from their more insular competitors. Those that don’t will soon be cast aside by their customers. In the case of marketing in these communities, it is critical that you become a true and valued member. To reap greater long-term rewards marketers have to commit to nurturing real relationships.
By John Webb, General Manager EMEA at Spiceworks
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