While LinkedIn may be the most popular online B2B customer community, there are actually 100+ online communities serving just about every major industry or vertical, including travel and hospitality, technology and healthcare. The important thing to keep in mind here is that these niche communities are comprised of people who are also B2B decision-makers. Thus, they would appear to offer a rich source of leads for just about any B2B marketer.
The hard part, of course, is figuring out how to mine these communities for qualified leads while optimizing time and financial resources. In other words, you don’t want to be hanging out all day in these communities in the hopes of landing a stray lead or two. That being said, there are a few strategies that have proven effective:
#1: Content
The heart of any B2B customer community is the content being created. That’s why B2B decision-makers decide to visit these communities – they are able to get ideas, insights and perspectives they can’t find anywhere else. Moreover, they are getting these ideas and insights from people just like them, which makes them trusted and valuable resources.
That’s what opens up the opportunity for B2B marketers. If you are able to contribute valuable content (and not just promotional content), then you can make a real addition to these communities.
#2: Conversations
And it’s more than just adding a lot of the content to these communities and hoping for the best. No, you have to become an integral part of these forums by answering questions, responding to concerns and holding conversations with users. This is where you can demonstrate true thought leadership, since you are answering the questions that are top of mind for leading B2B decision-makers. Over time, that helps to build trust, authority and authenticity – three of the most important factors for prospects to consider you as a potential vendor.
#3: Sponsorships
Most B2B customer communities also provide sponsorship opportunities. In some cases, such as communities sponsored by American Express, Cisco and Adobe, the entire community is what’s sponsored. But that also takes a lot of commitment and financial resources. Instead, a more effective approach might be choosing to sponsor specific forums within the community that have the greatest impact on your core business. This is not only less time-intensive (you do not have to play as active a role within the communities), it is also more financially accessible.
#4: Market intelligence
Finally, these B2B customer communities can be a valuable way to learn what your competitors and customers are actually talking about. What are they doing that you are not? And what types of questions and concerns are continually being raised that seem like they need a solution or answer? That’s where the “market intelligence” factor comes into play. By monitoring conversations, you can develop a lot of smarts about what types of messages will resonate with prospects and customers.
Ultimately, the key to any good marketing strategy is to go where the customers are going. If they are hanging out in online B2B customer communities, then that’s where you need to be also.
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Dane
Dane Cobain is a published author, freelance writer, book blogger, poet and (occasional) musician from High Wycombe, UK. Before going freelance, he worked as a social media marker, now specialising in writing about publishing, technology and marketing.