Feature Articles

The days of companies erecting huge stone walls to keep the competition at bay are over. With the invention of social media, transparency is all the rage. But sometimes a company needs more than a public forum to connect with its fans, employees and customers. What’s needed is a private online community.

Benefits of a member community for employees include:

- Creating a place where professional networking is possible without outside distractions or embarrassments

- Internal career postings

- Member profiles

- Idea exchange in a secure environment

- Group pages that can be invitee only (perfect for sections within your organization)

- Wiki pages allow for employee input

- Surveys and polls for gauging employee opinion

- Blogging

- Calendar (group and company)

- Ability to access the company document repository (house all documents electronically)

- Manage other social networks through your network

Benefits of a member community for customers include:

- eCommerce storefront

- Access to employee/corporate blogs surrounded by your branding

- First-to-know information dissemination

- Maintaining member profiles

- Discounts for your product

- Polls and surveys (tap into the thoughts of your most loyal customers), use as an R&D tool

- Connection to company feels exclusive, increases loyalty

- Professional networking opportunities

- Access to job postings

- Open communication between you and the customer, surrounded by your branding

- Manage other social networks through your network Benefits of a member community for the company include:

- Ability to harness and report on information gathered

- eStorefront, sell product and logo pieces directly to consumers

- Internal job postings and networking, recruit the talent you already have

- Offer exclusive deals to customers

- A forum with which to meet and exchange with your most loyal supporters

- Easy and efficient data management

- Multiple member types allowed; base permissions on member type

- Robust content management system

- Maintaining a corporate calendar

- Central location for all content and connection surrounded by branding

- Control over community; your information belongs to you

- Manage volunteer and fundraising efforts online

- 24/7 access

- SaaS format; access anywhere there’s a web connection

- Delegate admin responsibilities easily and as often as you like, among however many admins you need

- Maintain staff listing

- Giving a voice to your company through blogging

If your customers have found you on public spaces already and wish to connect with you, you know they have a great interest in your company and product. Now it’s time to bring them into your world.

Use those public sites to drive traffic to your private online community, where the information belongs to you, is managed by you, is surrounded by your brand and reflects your goals and mission. Don’t leave something as important as your social and corporate connections to a site that is free and out of your control. You are at the mercy of another’s privacy policy and data security is questionable. You need to protect and monitor what is yours and that is impossible to do on open social networking sites.