Online Communities vs. Social Media

Is Free Actually Free? 

Have you considered creating a private community or group for your organization? Well, you are certainly not alone. Leaders from nearly every industry are slowly realizing that creating a dedicated online space to foster ongoing dialogue with audiences is no longer a ‘nice to have,’ but a mission critical initiative. So, the question then becomes “what’s the best way to build an online community?” The easy answer is to use a free public social media platform and create a group, but is that the best answer? Take a look below at a few of the reasons why using Facebook, LinkedIn or Twitter may not be the ideal solution for your organization.

Distractions

This has to be the most under-discussed downside of social media and associated groups. Your organization’s messaging is competing with the world’s largest brands, plus your member’s friends, family, colleagues, teammates, pets, hobbies and much more. Stories, posts, photos and videos fly through personal feeds in the blink of an eye and the stream of content is endless. Being able to capture sustained attention in that type of environment may not be realistic. 

Branding

If you communicate with your members on a traditional social media platform, you are at the mercy of that entity. Let’s use Twitter as a recent example. Many users have indicated that they will no longer use Twitter due to their change in leadership. If that platform is your primary community tool, the end result could certainly be perceived as negative for your organization. 

Volatility

If you communicate with your members on a traditional social media platform, you are at the mercy of that entity. Let’s use Twitter as a recent example. Many users have indicated that they will no longer use Twitter due to their change in leadership. If that platform is your primary community tool, the end result could certainly be perceived as negative for your organization. 

Unengaged Bots

Face the reality: traditional social media platforms are chock full of inauthentic accounts and non-human users. This reality often equals out to an unengaged audience that provides no real value, outside of vanity metrics on a report. 

Looking for more information? Check out these online community stats and facts. 

* 76% of internet users participate in an online community. 

* Companies are also jumping on this trend – A Forrester report found that 60% of businesses own a branded online community. 

* And what else brought about this rise in demand and popularity of dedicated online communities? A general discontent with traditional social media platforms certainly has played a role: About two-thirds of Americans (64%) say social media have a mostly negative effect on the way things are going in the country today.

* 71% of respondents had felt offended by posts, comments, or pictures they had seen on social media.

* Gen Z in the U.S. trust community sites (48%) almost just as much as traditional news sources (51%), and notably more than social media sites (36%).

From the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic, there was an 81% uptick in online community engagement. 

* Brand experience is also a big reason why users choose to engage in online communities – 82% of community site visitors said they would be welcoming of brands who choose to participate in communities: people want to engage with the brand community and 4/5 are ready to immediately become a part of them.

* What purpose are people trying to fulfill when interacting with an online community? – 77% are discovering new things. 66% are connecting with people who have similar interests, respectively. 

* 75% of respondents of branded communities agreed or strongly agreed that the community has helped improve customer experience.

* 88% of community professionals admit to communities playing a critical role in achieving their company’s mission, and 64% admit that online communities have helped them improve business decision-making. 

* 57% of those with a branded community said that the community has led to an increase in brand SEO.

* Online communities are growing, and fast! Revenues from the internet communities market was estimated to have a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 24.3%: revenue increases 1/4 times every year.

* 41% of communities have 2-5 full-time people on their teams working on developing and improving engagement, which is a signal that communities are growing in importance.

* Another sign of maturity is that 88% of organizations have at least one dedicated community manager. 

* 65% of professionals say that the budget for communities over the next few years will see an increase.

Interested in building your very own online community for your organization? Contact us to learn more.