Social Media and Online Community Posts From Around The Web

Every Friday I post links to a few of the blog posts that I read during the week that I found interesting and insightful.

Included in this week’s round-up is a discussion about why some private online communities fail; added insight into the ROI of social media; a primer on the latest refresh to Facebook Insights; new data on the increased use of social media by corporations and big business; and a look at how community management works in health care.

Why Private Communities Fail

Private online communities are not about enabling members to connect and friend each other. Customers and members already have tools to follow and keep in touch with people. Private online communities are about providing the content, resources, and discussions to help members or customers become more successful in their jobs and lives.

Social Media and Return on Ivestment: Some Clarity

What is the ROI of social media? asks nothing and everything at once. It begs a response in the interrogative: Just how do you mean? In instances where either educational gaps or a lack of discipline prevail, the vagueness of the question leads to an interpretation of the term R.O.I., which has already led many a social media “expert” down a shady path of improvisation.

A Fresh Look At Social Insights and Marketing Funnels

In my opinion, the most important change is that Facebook is finally treating brands like true marketers on their platform, opposed to just brand evangelists hoping to make lots of friends and have a big happy conversation. Facebook now allows you to track individual campaigns with more granular detail – evaluating which posts are receiving the most engagement, allowing you to optimize around topics much easier.

New Study Shows Companies Are Getting Serious About Social Media

Companies stated that they were actively involved in creating customized content for social media. To this end, 96% said they’d be increasing their investments in that area. 57% said they are actively hiring new creative and editorial talent and community managers are in high demand.

Community Management in Health Care

The community manager in a highly regulated industry learns how to establish a sense of urgency and prioritize steps needed to foster the change required for a scalable community management strategy.

Think there’s something missing from this list? Leave a link in a comment, or tweet me @BenLaMothe!