Networked business models are the wave of the future as we extend collaboration, knowledge sharing and networking beyond the corporate firewall to customers, partners and suppliers. Focusing resources on optimizing your relationships with these stakeholders can make you more resilient and adaptive to shifts in the market.
This whitepaper explores the business value of an online community from the perspective of connecting with those outside the organization, in order to respond to market needs, through co-creation and collaboration. Discover real life examples that illustrate the benefits of business social software, including: connecting employees, partners, customers and suppliers to bring products to market faster; improving customer engagement and access to market intelligence to build brand loyalty; and delivering superior customer support to create deeper and more trusted relationships with customers.
The Social Marketplace: Extend Collaboration,
Knowledge Sharing & Networking to Customers,
Partners & Suppliers December 2009
Marketplace Communities
Contents Contents ............................................................................................................... i Introduction......................................................................................................... 2 The Internet Affect - Web 2.0 ....................................................................... 2 Online Communities ........................................................................................ 3 Marketplace Communities ................................................................................... 4 Marketing-Engaging Customers to Build Brand Loyalty ........................................ 5 Social Media Marketing-The Web 2.0 Medium is the Message .................... 5 Managing & Protecting Your Brand ................................................................. 7 Customer Support-Delivering Superior Service.................................................... 8 Streamlining Customer Support to Ensure Retention...................................... 8 Promoting End User Productivity & Customer Feedback to Increase Competitiveness ........................................................................................ 9 Partners-Accelerating Innovation ..................................................................... 11 Capitalize on the Ideas, Insights & Domain Expertise of Your Partners ......... 11 Implement Quickly and Affordably ..................................................................... 13 Technology ..................................................................................................... 13 Deployment ................................................................................................... 13 Culture ........................................................................................................... 14 Conclusion-the C-Level Perspective .................................................................. 15
Property of IGLOO Inc. All rights reserved. i Marketplace Communities
Introduction
Most companies today, regardless of location, size or industry focus struggle with the same things:
1. Vital corporate knowledge being trapped in information silos like email inboxes and structured information systems like ERP and CRM (knowledge). 2. A limited understanding of organizational expertise (talent). 3. Creating their connected but globally dispersed workforce (relationships).
These issues hamper productivity, decrease corporate capacity and
cripple the pace of innovation.
The Internet Affect - Web 2.0 Over the last 10 years the Internet has changed our lives forever-
both from a social and a business perspective. Currently we are in a
technology phase that the experts call Web 2.0 - a set of new and innovative tools that take us beyond simple
browsing, searching and publishing of static web sites. These new Web 2.0 tools enable us to actively
participate, publish and interact with others on the web quickly, easily and at little or no cost.
Web 2.0 technologies are quickly changing how organizations, institutions and enterprises innovate, collaborate
and share knowledge. New user-driven networked business models, practices and processes are emerging
where collaboration, contribution and sharing are promoted and rewarded within an organization. This cultural
shift is just starting to transform old hierarchical-driven organizations into interactive, vibrant online
communities that are more agile, productive and competitive. Corporations, associations and academic
institutions are rethinking old business models and evolving their cultures to include Web 2.0 technology to
compete in an emerging global knowledge economy.
What is interesting is that many companies do not realize that networking is not a new concept in the business world. Business users have been networking for decades, long before anyone had ever heard of Facebook or Linked-In. From the daily telephone... [download for more]
