To be successful, Web sites need a loyal audience that returns again and again. Besides creating useful, lively content and updating it regularly, one of the best ways to keep people coming back is to create a sense of community.
Post announcements View photos Have service-related discussions Make recommendations Post events Share thoughts Meet others with similar interests or questions
Therefore, although our client does not wish to build any online communities at the present time, we have thoroughly explained the concepts and benefits with him. Once he is confident enough to pursue this idea, we will be happy to assist him in the process.
Over the Internet, a community can be generally described as finding a way for users to communicate with each other, whether this is in the form of real-time chat rooms or participating in forums. They are a means by which people can communicate with others who share a common interest. In the context of our project, however, the online community will not only bring people together, but will also be specific in answering business needs, such as customer service.
At this time, Mr. Jao, Co-Proprietor of Cultures Restaurants Inc., has decided to delay the building and implementation of online communities to his website for a few reasons. First of all, the concept of e-commerce and its role in the business’ marketing / advertising strategy is still quite new to him. Secondly, he has not given much thought to the types of communities he would create and who is target audience would be. Finally, the factor of devoting resources to the project also plays a role in his decision at this time. In general, our client feels that he would like to get a “feel” for the website – once it has been implemented – for a certain amount of time before he feels comfortable and confident enough to make any further decisions. His main concern at the present is simply to make his restaurant and the menus they offer available to the public via the Internet.
However, we recommend that once the site reaches a certain level of maturity, the concept of online communities should be re-examined again. We have explained that online communities work for the same reasons traditional communities work—because the relationships members form, the information they gather, the entertainment they view all provide immediate value and comfort. For businesses, Web communities provide tightly targeted audiences for higher ad rates, more efficient merchandising, excellent word-of-mouth publicity, and customer loyalty.
Once Mr. Jao is confident about the idea, the next task at hand is to determine what sort of communities he would like to create, as well as the medium in which its members would communicate. In an earlier meeting, Mr. Jao explained that his restaurant currently does not provide sponsorship to any charities, organizations, and so forth, but expressed an interest in doing so in the future. Therefore, we recommend that once he does, he could base his community on that. Supporting a great cause can foster all sorts of passionate people who share the same convictions.
We have also recommended the following as potential ideas for Mr. Jao to consider when deciding what medium to use when building his online communities:
