Craig Newmark - Craigslist, Photo: PLATON (wired mag)

The memory of sitting at a small presentation from Craig Newmark stands out to me because it was not only a lesson in how to build community, but it is a lesson that pertains to all things web. For instance, there is still a very pervasive and unrealistic mindset that if you have a Facebook and Twitter account, send out and email a few times a month to your database – that you are thus executing a good digital marketing plan. There is a lot of talk about there about tactics this, strategy that.

Building community means going beyond one-way communication.

If we look around the web it’s very evident that many companies consider social media marketing as putting a post or two up on your Facebook page about something going on at your business or a special you are having. “15% off your next purchase if you mention Facebook”. It’s not that there is anything wrong with this – offering a special on Facebook is fine. But if you look closely you’ll realize that the conversation is going only 1 way. There is not a lot of effort to reach out to people on social media or other and have one on one communication. And this is exactly what Craig Newmark was talking about when he brought up this concept of building online community over a decade ago.

Find a way to create back and forth communication between you and your customer, you’ve broken a barrier. Find a way to get your customers talking to each other under your foot, you’ve created community. Golden.

But creating interaction doesn’t just happen. It takes a lot of leg work. One of Mr. Newmark’s more memorable comments was that ‘he’ (meaning, him alone) physically had to stimulate conversation and force interaction. For example, one guy wants to sell stuff from his apartment because he is moving, and Craig sees others that are looking to buy such and such. Mr. Newmark described how he had to work hard initially to put these types of people in touch because most people we’re reluctant to interact. So not only was he a constant presence in the community he was building – he was playing the host!

And I think this idea holds true in all aspects of online ommunication and a company being able to reach out to its customer base. It’s not always about you talking to them, it’s also about you creating conversation among your customers. Here are some key points to consider when you consider the idea of building community.

• It will not happen overnight.
• It will take a lot of time and effort.
• It is not something you leave alone, it is a moving vehicle that you have to steer.
• You can get good at it.
• The potential benefits are great.
• There are no shortcuts

Though things have changed quite a bit with social media, people will need a reason to come back to your site and continue to interact. How do you accomplish this?

Think of it this way, if you are able to get others to interact in your arena – be it Facebook, a forum or email newsletters, Twitter, your blog…etc – you are creating connections via your brand. People will remember this if you are providing value. By giving people a reason to hang out near your company online, you may just find that your intermitten sale or product offer doesn’t fizzle out as often. And better yet, the more you get to know your customers you may be able to more effectively target them based on their interests. Word of mouth is powerful. Offer something to a small group of people – they will tell their friends.

Seth Godin, another big name in the digital space has addressed this topic on several occasions. He refers to ‘tribes’ or groups of people that help build your brand. Though leaders. (More about this concept and book here.)

Though social media is often portrayed as a place where good things happen auto-magically for all businesses – especially the ones that know how to “leverage social media” (ughh). The truth of the matter is that it’s mostly a place where people hang out and talk about themselves or share things that interest them. It takes effort and clever campaigns and posts  to get people’s attention.

So breaking into this space and making it worth it for your business is no easy task. If you’re savvy enough to create a great campaign or hire an agency to help generate ideas and execute campaigns great! Buf if you are going to go it alone without prior experience, remember that it won’t happen overnight. Asking your receptionist to post to Facebook and Twitter once in a while is not the answer.