When you think about online communities you may think of message boards, blogs, Facebook, and other forms of social media – but if you really want to go from good to great, you should also think about ways to encourage your community to connect offline.
                Below are three examples of very different organizations (one political, one in the sports realm, and one in retail), which have each thought outside of the box in order to take their online communities to the next level.

Political: My.BarackObama.com

                When Barack Obama’s Presidential campaign launched its community site, they saw an overnight boom of 1,500 groups formed online. While this is quite remarkable in its own right, this was not when the magic happened.  Of those groups and the thousands that formed later on, many were silly, and only loosely connected people with a thin interest in common (like “Barack Fans in the Colbert Nation”, which united Obama supporters who were also fans of Stephen Colbert, or “Wine Lovers for Obama,” among many others.)
                The magic happened when the campaign encouraged those groups to set up offline in-person meetings.  So, while some of those groups remained as purely online interest groups, others across the country started setting up local meetings, using the tools provided on the website.  These tools were simple: the ability to post an event and invite people; the ability to search for users by ZIP code; the ability to use a listserv to email your group members; and the ability to post to your group’s blog page.  These three tools were enough to allow leaders to emerge from all across the country, and to take some ownership of the campaign in their own communities. They met each other in person, exchanged ideas, and started to recruit more people through carefully planned offline activities. These offline meetings were what turned those early Obama supporters into real communities – communities, which would be ready to do some serious heavy lifting for the campaign when the time came.  And the secret was giving people the online tools they needed to connect offline.
                It should be noted that part of the vibrancy of these groups came from the fact that they did not always march to the beat of the national drummer – in a remarkable show of trust, the Obama campaign gave them the latitude to take some real ownership, and campaign activities in Northern NY farm country were often very different than campaign activities in Chicago, which were in turn different from what was going on in Dallas. This may not have been exactly what the professional staff wanted, but they had the good sense to recognize that you can get a lot more out of people if you allow them real ownership.

Sports: www.syracusecrunch.com

                The Syracuse Crunch Hockey Club is the minor league affiliate for the Columbus Blue Jackets.  Their website includes news, multimedia, blogs and photos. Their “Crunch Alerts” keep fans up-to-date on all the latest news, trades and promotions.   Their Twitter feed (http://twitter.com/SyracuseCrunch) cross promotes information from the website and elsewhere, and their Facebook page has thousands of fans.  These are all a baseline, but what makes their online community building great, is the wonderful attention they pay to engaging and bringing these same people together offline as well.
                Recent examples include very publicly honoring the Jamesville-DeWitt Little League team for their 10U CAN-AM Tournament championship, holding a barbecue for their season ticket holders, and a contest just for their Twitter Followers.  (Incidentially, when some Facebook fans yelped that they were being ignored, someone from the Crunch organization replied right away, and a similar contest was set up for Facebook fans almost immediately.)  Fan forums are held every year, and the organization listens hard to what the fans have to say.
                Even though hockey season is only part of the year, community building season lasts all year round: in summer the Crunch host youth street hockey games open to kids between 5 and 15. A golf outing is held for media and sponsors, and throughout the year various player events, such as celebrity bartending, raise money for charities.
                By putting in the extra effort both online and offline, the Crunch have been able to build a strong local community of supporters, which is good for them, but which also adds value to the larger community around them. 

Retail: Harley Davidson: http://www.harley-davidson.com/wcm/Content/Pages/HOG/HOG.jsp?locale=en_US

                One might not think that a retail business would have the cultural power to form a network of local organizations all across the country, but that is just what Harley Davidson has been able to do.  And, the community pull is so strong that they are actually able to charge people for membership.  The slogan on the owners section of the website is “NO ONE UNDERSTANDS YOU LIKE FAMILY,” and the company culture strongly reinforces this idea in several ways.
                  On the national site, users can create an online profile, where they can plan rides and share them with the online community.  Members are encouraged to share their stories, encourage others, and join a local owners group. 
                Searching on the locator for the Rochester chapter reveals an upcoming “Biketoberfest” event, a Fall Foliage ride and a chapter meeting.  Searching on other cities reveals a patchwork collection of very active local websites with their own community events.
                By using a few online tools, like personalized accounts, the ability to post stories, or map a route, Harley Davidson has been able to cultivate an online community of owners.  But, only by taking it to the next level and actively encouraging people to ride together and form real offline associations and friendships, have they been able to create the strong-as-family sense of community, which adds so much value to their brand, and which adds tangibly to the enjoyment of their owners.

                So, what can your organization do to break out of the box?  Efforts do not have to be nearly as elaborate and labor intensive as the stellar examples above, but consider what sorts of nudges you could provide to your online community to get some of them to meet face-to-face.  Perhaps it would involve hosting a networking event.  Sometimes just planting the suggestion is sufficient – a simple form that allows members of your community to post their own event, along with the encouragement to do so, may produce surprising results.  The important thing is to think beyond the virtual world, and to understand that a true community is not totally directed from the top.  Once you let go and to extend enough trust to your community members to allow them to take some ownership, you might be amazed at what they can do.

                Gaining high quality links to your website content is a great way to direct more visitors to your site and improve your ranking with the search engines.  Below are five ways to build inbound links without buying or trading them.

1) Post good, relevant content and make it easy to share. 

                There is no substitute for providing specific, high quality information that your particular target market might need and then making it easy for your readers to share it with others.  The more targeted and useful your content is, the more likely you will be to cultivate the right audience for your site, and the more likely you will be to generate lots of good links to your site.  See the "share this" link at the bottom of this post for a good example of how to make it easy for readers to share your content. Share links can be automatically generated - just ask your account exec about adding this functionality to sections of your site if you do not yet have it.

2) Post high quality comments on relevant blogs and message boards and link back to your site when you do.

                The key here is picking the blogs and message boards most closely associated with your area of business/expertise and making relevant, valuable comments.  This gets you the right audience, and helps to reinforce your company's particular expertise.  You should be staying up the key conversations in your industry in any case, why not establish yourself as a contributor when you do?  Make sure that when the option is offered, you input a link back to your site, either as part of your user profile, or as part of the comment you are submitting.  

3) List your URL in your LinkedIn profile, Twitter Bio, Facebook, etc., and ask your employees to do the same, as appropriate.

                LinkedIn and Facebook both have high page rankings, which means that links from those sites are treated by the search engines as more significant than most.  (See previous LS blog post for details on making the most of LinkedIn for this purpose: http://www.logicalsolutions.net/BLOG/post/Using-LinkedIn-for-Business.aspx) 

4) Get listed on trusted sites that offer links to businesses or organizations in your niche.

                Are there trusted sites that offer selective links to sites in your area of specialty? This is different than paying for links in large indiscriminant listings.  Links from trusted sites, with selective recommendations, are far more valuable, both to users and to the search engines.  For example, if your site is for a history museum, a single link from the Smithsonian would be worth far more than dozens of directory listings alongside a laundry list of other organizations.  

5) Write press releases and always include a link to your site when you do.

                When your company or organization does something notable, write and distribute a press release documenting the where/when/how and why.  When you do, always include a link back to your site.  You never know when a media outlet might pick up your story, and run the link as well.  Sites for local newspapers, magazines, television and radio stations tend to have relatively high page rankings.  Any links from those sites can bring in a lot of visitors to your site and improve your page ranking in the process. Don't forget listings for your events in community calendars as well, as these can reach a wide audience. 
               
If you focus on quality, offer good information and resources, and stay vigilant about getting the word out, the links you cultivate will not just increase your rankings with the search engines, but will also help you to engage a larger, more loyal audience for your site.

During the past few years, my work in the political realm has caused me to become a quasi-public figure.  Not what one would consider "famous," but publicly visible enough in a particular realm to know that there are certain things I should not do or say online.  If you do a Google search on my name and city (Syracuse), you will find enough information to realize that any bad behavior on my part would embarrass not just myself, but my company (LogicalSolutions.net), my Congressman (once upon a time I was his director of New Media), and even my President (I was the Central New York Coordinator for the Obama campaign and an elected delegate).

I mention this, not because others of you might have the same particular history (you probably don't), but because all of you nonetheless share the same situation, even if you are still young and in school, and even if you have never given a media interview.

With the recent explosion of social media, each of us needs to give some thought to the content of our online reputation, not just for the sake of those whom we represent now, but with an eye toward the people and groups we may aspire to represent some day.

I like to tell people that in order to gauge where your personal line should be on those items, you should think not of the immediate audience to whom you are speaking, but of the person whose respect you would most like to earn.  Then, think of how your online messages, photos and comments would appear to him or her.  In today’s world, he or she surely will have access to more of it than you might like to think.

Language
Are you using language online that you might be embarrassed about in front of that person or organization? 

Alcohol or Drugs 
Do you allow people to photograph you in situations in which you are, or appear to be impaired?  Many young people make this mistake, thinking that their friends are the only audience they need to care about.  Not true!  It is very hard to roll back years of circumstantial evidence that you might have a drug or alcohol problem. Employers and others are finding more ways every day to build a fuller picture of who you are.  Do you really want those beer-pong photos from college to be part of that picture?

Anger 
Do you express opinions online when angry that you might later wish you could take back?  Sleep on it first!  Ask yourself not, "is this justified with regard to the target of my unhappiness," but rather, "is this message, something I want associated with my name for a long time in the future?"  Your online messages often say more about you than they do about the object of your rant.

Build up the Positive
You may not be able to eliminate all the youthful indiscretions of your online past, (although it certainly does not hurt to politely ask someone to take down a particular photo), but you can begin to build a solid foundation for the future.  There is no time like the present to start putting out the kind of messages and information that you will still feel good about years in the future.  What are you passionate about, good at, altruistic about?  These are the elements of an online reputation that highlights what is best about you.  These are the kind of messages that you will never have to explain awkwardly to your children, employers, or anyone else important in your life.

Your reputation is one of your most valuable assets.  Protect it as if your future depends on it - it does!

Many people do not know that Google Maps allows you to control the map listing for your business.  You can claim your company, move the map marker to exactly the right location, and list a range of information, including category of business, phone number, hours of operation, a link to your website, description, and up to 10 photos.  It even lets you create a free online coupon.

http://www.google.com/local/add/businessCenter

Make sure your company and website are on the map!

     Ask any politician what truly makes a person or organization powerful and they will tell you:  a large and effective email list.  What is true in politics is, in this case, also true in business.  Your email list is a powerful tool for connecting with your existing customers, potential customers, partners and allies.   

     So, how can you build up your base of supporters and get more people tuned in to your message?  Below are several strategies for building up your list and keeping people connected to your organization.

 Make it Easy to Sign up, and Add Some Value 

- First, make sure that people know why they should sign up for your list.  Can you let them in on exclusive offers?  If you have information that others want, perhaps you can offer it to your loyal subscribers first, before the press or the general public.  Politicians love this tactic – and frequently make big announcements to their email list first, thus giving people a reason to stay on through multiple rounds of fundraising appeals. 

- Include an opt-in opportunity on the front page of your website.  This serves two purposes: first, it makes the signup easier to find, and second, it makes the URL easier to print and remember.

- Once you have added an opt-in on the front page of your site – include it on every form on your website.  Signing up for a download?  Registering for an online forum?  Filling out a feedback form, or customer satisfaction survey?  Each of these transactions should offer an opportunity to check a box and sign up for your email list.  

 Add Signup Opportunities to Your Electronic Communications:

Press Releases:

Consider including information and a link to your newsletter in your press releases.  If you have cultivated relationships with reporters, they may want to be on your list, and you should encourage them to sign up. 

Consider adding a link within any confirmation emails you may routinely or automatically send out, whether they are purchase receipts, reminders, or “other.”

 Encourage People To Sign up Using Printed Materials: 

Business cards:

Consider including a “sign up for our newsletter!” line and URL on your company’s business cards.  Every card that is given to a new contact is a chance to get an already interested person on your list.

A sign at the cash register:

Our friends at the Collamer Stop-N-Shop down the street from our Syracuse office do this - and add value by emailing customers their lunch specials.  Do we eat there more often because of that - you bet!

What better audience could there be than people who are already paying to do business with you?

 Let Employees and Supporters Help You Spread the Word 

- Consider adding a “Subscribe to Our Email Newsletter” line and link to employee email signatures.

- Train call center employees, sales people and anyone who routinely deals with clients on the phone to ask clients and prospects if they would like to be added to your list – and to talk up the benefits of signing up. 

      As many of you know, during the Presidential campaign, I had the privilege of working with the Obama campaign in Central New York.  When we needed to increase our email list for “Syracuse for Obama,” we printed up 25,000 business cards, with easy instructions for supporters who wanted to get on our email list.  We made sure all of our volunteers had a stack of the cards and instructions to give one to anyone who expressed an interest in getting involved, or just learning more about the local campaign.  In this way we built the largest grassroots email list the campaign had in New York State, outside of New York City.  Businesses can do this too.  You would be surprised by how effective this can be at trade shows, or anywhere else you might meet someone with an interest in your company or your products. 

     Nothing makes an email list shrink faster than sending too many messages, or messages that are not targeted to the specific, stated purpose of the list.  Keep your messages focused on the shared interest, whether it is your specials and promotions, news about your company, your clients, or your mission.  In today’s world most people get too much email – don’t give them a reason to consider your messages to be spam or bacn (email you signed up for, but no longer read.)

     Make sure your messages are “CAN-SPAM” compliant: that people can easily unsubscribe; can tell who you are and contact you if needed; can tell from the subject line what your message is about; and that you observe other details that make for responsible use of email messaging.  For specifics on CAN-SPAM see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CAN-SPAM_Act_of_2003.

     Good email management software is absolutely indispensible for properly managing your email campaigns.  A good selection should allow you to easily manage your users, including: segmenting your list by interest area; personalizing messages using first names or titles; monitoring who has opened your email, and who has forwarded it to a friend, clicked through on a link, etc; allowing you to keep on top of defunct email addresses and bounce-backs; and allowing you to smoothly integrate your website email capture with your actual real-time list of contacts.            

     One great product for this, which I have worked with, and which we recommend to our clients, is "Lightning Email."  See for details: http://www.lightningemail.com/

Finally… make sure you actually use your list.  Spend some time at least once a month collecting information of value to your customers or supporters and actually send it out.  If you construct and send useful and informative messages, you will build loyalty, familiarity, and opportunities for return business.

This past month Twitter passed the New York Times in online traffic, reaching 14 million visitors, a large percentage of whom are between 25 and 54 years old, (see http://blogs.reuters.com/mediafile/2009/03/30/twitter-older-than-it-looks/).    The odds are pretty good that some of those people are your clients or potential clients.
 
One way to guage this is to start listening:  Use the twitter search or monitter.com to find out what others are saying about you, your competitors, and your market space:
http://search.twitter.com/
http://monitter.com/
 
Is there an active conversation going on about your business?  If so, it might be wise to become a part of that conversation.

Reserve an online name that makes sense for your business - it is free, and you don't have to use it, but at least you know someone else won't take it.
 
Some reasons to not pursue a Twitter feed: It does require the time and attention of you, or someone you trust with your company's online reputation.  What has been said online, cannot be un-said.  Also, time spent dispensing pearls of wisdom online may be time diverted from more personal attention to clients -- it is not a substitute for good old fashioned customer service.
 
If you do decide to use Twitter, be sure to promote your feed - add an icon and link from your website, email your customers and let them know where to find you.  And, when they choose to follow you - follow them back.  See what they are saying, and reply to them when they message you.  If you offer them information they can use, or even just an ambient sense that they know you better, the payoff may be in more loyal customers, who will keep you in top of mind when they need one of the services or products you provide. 
 
If you decide not to - make sure you don't forget that the need for online reputation management does not disappear because you are not publishing yourself.  Keep an ear to the ground and respond in more traditional ways to what people are saying about your company.  Make sure your website content reflects the concerns of your customers today.  If you do this, you will get more visits, and serve your audience more skillfully.