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Get your sewing needle out–it’s time to weave community objectives into the core of your company

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Business objectives are a key aspect to any company. Therefore, it is important to keep in mind that business objectives for a community must be established at a strategic level within the organization. The more aligned your community’s business objectives are to the company’s overall objectives and value proposition, the greater the potential for benefit and return.

Now you may be thinking to yourself, how exactly can your company identify powerful business objectives for the community? A focus on a few essential questions is helpful:

  • How can online community support your company’s differentiators?
  • What are the top strategic objectives of the senior leadership in your company?
  • What are the company’s core values?

Answering these questions can lead to business objectives that are substantive for internal, employee-facing communities and external, public-facing communities.

Examples of business objectives for internal communities include:

  • Attracting and retaining new employees
  • Capturing and utilizing tacit knowledge
  • Breaking down departmental silos and increasing collaboration
  • Creating an empowered workforce
  • Increasing innovation
  • Creating a more customer-centric culture
  • Driving sales by empowering employees with real-time market intelligence

Examples of business objectives for external communities include:

  • Leveraging the expertise of the workforce to gain credibility in the marketplace
  • Becoming the definite place to come to for information
  • Improving market responsiveness
  • Establishing strong ties with customers

A prime example of a company that is interweaving community objectives into its strategic objectives is Psion, a 31-year-old ruggedized handheld device manufacturer based in London. Psion uses its online community, IngenuityWorking, as the primary avenue to realize the CEO’s strategic vision: to invite customers and partners to work with the company to improve product performance, customization, support and marketing. IngenuityWorking has become a key enabler of Psion’s corporate strategy; the community hosts approximately 13,000 registered members; 50,000 monthly visitors; 6,000 discussions and 1,000 distinct technology articles. Now, the community receives more hits than the company’s website and Psion outperformed its 2009 revenue and operating profit.

World class communities are not constructed overnight. It takes time, strategic thinking, and an effective plan. Making sure that your organization is linking community objectives to corporate objectives is just one stepping stone and is the first of seven key components that I will share with you.

 


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