12 Tips for Successfully Managing Global Social Communities

Social communities have the potential to completely transform online businesses. More businesses are recognising this and social media marketing budgets are forecast to double in the next five years.

Many international companies have realised that online communities offer a way to close the gap between them and the consumer – providing them with a chance to present their organisation in a more personable, human manner.

These communities can also provide an incredibly valuable source of feedback from customers about various areas of a company’s product or service, allowing companies to continually expand or improve their offering.

The traditional ‘broadcast’ model of marketing to consumers is increasingly being replaced by a two-way exchange of ideas. Burying your head in the sand is no longer an option as people share their views about your brand in an environment which is difficult to monitor and manage, and impossible to completely control.

Managing a community in a single country or language may be tough but managing many global social communities across multiple countries and languages is even more challenging. Below are some tips to increase the likelihood of your online community being successful in your target market while minimising the risk of social media mishaps or failures that might damage your brand.

Establish a purpose

Before you launch your online community you should always establish your goals and objectives. This will ensure that your approach produces the desired outcome for both your business and your customers.

Think about why your community is being established in the first place. Is it to create awareness of your products or services in a new territory? Or is it because your customers are using social media as a customer service channel and your brand would like to offer enhanced online customer service support?

Be aware that online communities are two-way conversations and forcing your brand messages on customers may be putting them off. So listen to what they’re saying and participate in the conversation while always being aware of your objectives.

Choose your platform wisely

Facebook may the global leader in social networking with over a billion users worldwide. However, Facebook is not the biggest social platform in many countries.

For instance, in Russia, the biggest social media network is V Kontakte and in China, QZone has the largest number of users. So, before embarking on a Facebook brand page development project, check where your target customers are and select the network has the greatest reach. Users are more likely to engage with your community if the platform is familiar to them. Similarly, if users do engage with your brand on their preferred platform they are likely to send messages which are seen by their friends, family and colleagues, which further increases your reach.

Speak the local language

Rather than having a single page for all of the regions in which your company operates, it is strongly advised that you get local language support and tailor your social communities to suit the needs of your target audience. This means speaking in their local language.

Many users in your target market will not speak English (or whatever language your customers speak in your domestic market). Furthermore, users will become disengaged if your community has people speaking lots of different languages on the same page. For local language support, always choose native speakers who have lived (or still live) in the country who have a deep understanding of local customs and values. This will help prevent sending messages or sharing content that might cause offence.

Set up community rules

This may seem draconian and not in the spirit of social community interaction, but it is wise to establish some basic rules before letting your customers loose on your brand’s social channels.

Rules can make both you and your customers feel safe and secure. If you lay down rules around the use of offensive language, bullying or other negative behaviour, then you will be justified in deleting posts or banning people who simply want to cause trouble. However, you need to ensure that all your community members are aware of the rules and if you are forced to ban anyone or delete any posts, you make it clear that these were in violation of the rules to which everyone has agreed.

Be aware that your rules may change depending on the culture and language of your target audience. For instance, if you’re operating in the Middle East where the majority of users are Muslim – you may want to avoid talking about food during Ramadan and avoid discussing alcohol or pork completely.

Develop a social media policy

Aside from unruly community members, your staff should also be informed of acceptable online behaviour when interacting within the social community. This can be done by developing a social media policy – outlining the dos and don’ts of online community interaction.

You may also want to consider conducting ‘war games’ – scenarios undesirable behaviours and other potential issues of concern. This will allow staff to be better prepared for such scenarios if they occur in reality.

Be wary of a one-size-fits-all policy. Social policies should adapted to the local culture – banning behaviours and language that is unacceptable and encouraging those that are welcome in the target region.

Allow time for the community to develop

Business leaders, in general, have become more educated about the issues and challenges faced by organisations when attempting to reach customers through social channels. However, the ‘if we build it, they will come’ mentality is still prevalent.

Be aware that a good community of loyal fans takes a long time to develop and needs constant care and attention in order for it to grow. So, take your time and don’t expect miracles. If you’re launching a community in a new region then be willing to wait even longer for it to develop.

Participate

Participation is the key to the success of your online community. However, It is unlikely to develop if you don’t interact. So start conversations, ask questions and share items of interest. Establish yourself as an expert in your niche, sharing the knowledge that you possess and encouraging feedback from the community. After all, this is probably why they joined.

Be responsive

You need to treat your social community members with the respect they deserve – after all they may be your most avid brand advocates. So make sure you’re responsive and answer their questions or address their concerns as quickly as possible. Being attentive to their needs will make them feel valued and allow them to create a positive impression of your brand – one which they are more likely to share with their friends, family and colleagues.

Don’t shy away from critics

Remember that it’s not enough to simply respond to the positive posts. Make sure you are addressing the negative ones too. Sometimes it’s sufficient to correct any factual inaccuracies in a critic’s argument. Other times you may need explain things in more detail in order to educate your community members. However, if your company is at fault, you’ll need to apologise and rectify the mistake as quickly as possible.

It’s not all about you

In their attempt to reach business goals, companies often treat their online communities as just another marketing channel. This means posting an endless stream of promotional messages which many users may find off-putting. So, share content from other sources and ask your customers to get involved with providing feedback on your products and services. This will help increase engagement and allow you to grow your community organically.

Respect local culture

While the Internet is undoubtedly connecting people from different cultures around the globe, cultural expectations of online communities vary widely. Expectations of privacy, for instance, are drastically different depending on local culture.

The British are known for being very open-minded and keen users of webcam dating, while Germans (though keen online daters) are much more shy. Similarly, Japanese users are notoriously private and often hide behind avatars and celebrity names online. They tend to avoid sharing and prefer to communicate in private communities.

Companies should respect these differences and offer a tailored service to ensure that local users feel comfortable participating in these online communities.

Pay attention to time zones

Operating your business across multiple geographies and time zones can prove a challenge. The best times to target users with content in one region may not necessary be the best time in another. Similarly different types of users may interact with content at different times.

It’s good practice to attempt to discover the best times to share content with your community through experimentation. Try posting different types of content at different times. Over time it should be possible to identify the best day (or time of day) to engage your community, further increasing the likelihood of success.

12 Tips for Successfully Managing Global Social Communities