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Research
Marketing & Online Communities 2007
1 Jun 2007, Bill Johnston
The Marketing & Online Community research study was initiated in June of 2007. The study was conceived as an investigation into the current state of marketing to online communities, from the perspective of both the online community host, as well as from
the perspective of a marketer.
Bill Johnston (Forum One Communications) sent approximately 300 survey invitations to marketers and online community professionals in our network of executives and practitioners. We received 60 completed surveys. Participants included large software companies, large community destination sites, niche community sites, platform providers and interactive marketing and advertising firms.
We discovered early on in the research process that while community hosts and practitioners were willing to share their experiences, most marketers were not. After several in-person interviews, it became clear that most marketing and advertising
agencies have not met with great success in their community marketing efforts, and are unwilling to talk about their experiences. What limited success marketers have had is generally viewed as proprietary knowledge within the agency, and is closely guarded.
The content in this report reflects the willingness of community hosts and practitioners to share their experiences. Content from the marketer’s perspective is proportionally less, but the insights provided are still of high value.
Highlights
- Marketing Activities (page 8): a list of community marketing tactics that
- community hosts engage in;
- Effectiveness of Marketing (page 10): feedback on the most effective
- marketing tactics;
- Policies and Requirements (page 11): Host policies that marketers must
- adhere to;
- Advice on introducing Marketing to a Community (page 15): Best practices
- from community hosts;
- Marketing Tools and Techniques (page 20): Techniques and advice on
- effectiveness from the Marketers perspective;
- Advice from Marketers (page 23): Marketers share best practice advice on
- marketing to communities.
Download (PDF, 1.03 MB)
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