The document summarizes the key findings from the 2015 State of Community Management research conducted by The Community Roundtable. It finds that communities are more successful when organizations invest in people and professional development for community managers, see advocacy programs as more than just a checkbox by making them multifaceted and valuable for advocates, and focus on quick wins to improve engagement like defining community value and improving new member onboarding processes. Looking ahead, the research expects to see more consistency in community management roles and skills, and for the field to be recognized as an important 21st century job skill within 5 years.

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State of Community Management 2015
Rachel Happe & Jim Storer
Co-Founders
The Community Roundtable
In partnership with

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Research
Advisory
Training
Benchmarking
The Community Roundtable today
TheCR
Network

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1. About the State of Community Management
research
2. SOCM2015 Demographics
3. Communities in 2015
4. Key Findings
5. What’s Next
Agenda
www.communityroundtable.com

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About the State of
Community Management
(SOCM) Research

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SOCM Research Goal
www.communityroundtable.com
Demonstrate the value of community management
• Define the discipline
• Provide objective data and research
• Evolve with and push the practice
• Partner with members to generate shared value

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Why is this research important?
Passion: Realizing potential
Belief: Communities effectively realize
human potential by supporting
and challenging individuals
Truth: Control is for amateurs
Superpower: Simplifying the complex

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Why is this research important?
Passion: Opening doors
Belief: Community practitioners are natural
sharers operating in what's traditionally
been a command and control
environment
Truth: Knowledge is power.
Superpower: Uncovering connections.

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Evolution of the State of Community
Management
www.communityroundtable.com

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SOCM2015
Demographics

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Research Demographics
www.communityroundtable.com

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Where are you in your community journey?
Poll
www.communityroundtable.com

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Research Demographics
www.communityroundtable.com

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Research Demographics
www.communityroundtable.com

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Communities in 2015

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What are your Biggest Challenges?
Poll
www.communityroundtable.com

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Accelerators
• Online communities are now common
and there are many good examples
• A growing cadre of individuals that
understand how to build successful
communities
• Resistance is more practical and less
philosophical
• Engagement tactics are well
established
• Operational approaches that support
shared purpose are emerging
Inhibitors
• Tactics and operational approaches
are not evenly adopted
• Big gaps between community
aspirations and the investments
required to realize those aspirations
• Resistance to hiring resources
• Lack of executive understanding of
networked business models or how to
effectively engage online
• Lack of understanding of how to
create, apply and measure the ROI of
shared value business models
• Still often seen as a technology issue
Communities in 2015
www.communityroundtable.com

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Strategy
• A business model that generates significant shared value
Operations
• Policies, governance, tools and metrics that reinforce and support
emergent contributions from stakeholders
Tactics
• Content, programming and engagement approaches that encourage
and reward participation
17
Communities need aligned strategy,
operations & tactics
www.communityroundtable.com

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Key Finding #1
Strategy: Invest in people and systems,
not just platforms

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Key Recommendations
www.communityroundtable.com
1. Provide ongoing professional development so
community managers can work smarter and more
effectively.
2. Ensure adequate community staff so that strategic
planning and growth can be addressed.
3. Invest sufficiently in community teams so that the
community is integrated across functional areas of the
organization, increasing its visibility and value.
4. Refine systems to provide incentives and support for
community engagement.

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Investing in resources enables better
planning, alignment & integration
www.communityroundtable.com
Investment results in:
• Community
management
standards
• Executive engagement
• Measureable results
• Better business
integration

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More community resources enable
integration & governance
www.communityroundtable.com

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Professional development resources
pays off
www.communityroundtable.com

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Key Finding #2
Operations: Advocacy Programs are
More Than a Checkbox

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Key Recommendations
www.communityroundtable.com
1. Invest in multifaceted advocacy programs, which
address multiple types of advocates and continuously
deliver value.
2. Provide advocates with recognition and exclusive
access.
3. Use advocate programs to create a formal feedback
process into product groups.

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More than a checkbox
www.communityroundtable.com

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Invest in multifaceted advocacy
programs that deliver value
www.communityroundtable.com
Best-in-Class programs
include the basics, but
also offer opportunities
with business value:
• Access to early news
and
information
• Opportunities to provide
input and feedback
• Access to executives
and
the community team

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Advocacy and community maturity
www.communityroundtable.com
• Communities with formal advocacy programs also were
more likely to:
– Be able to measure value and ROI
– Have documented the value of the community for members and
the organization
– Have an approved strategy and roadmap, and include
members in strategic planning
– Communities with formal advocacy programs scored higher
than others on every competency

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Advocacy and engagement
www.communityroundtable.com
35%
27%
33%
31%
36%
37%
18%
18%
13%
11%
11%
10%
5%
8%
6%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
No
program
Informal
Formal
InacLve
Lurker
Contributor
Creator
Collaborator

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Advocacy and engagement
www.communityroundtable.com
35%
27%
33%
26%
31%
36%
37%
32%
17%
18%
13%
16%
11%
11%
10%
14%
5%
8%
6%
11%
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
No
program
Informal
Formal
MulL-­‐Lered
InacLve
Lurker
Contributor
Creator
Collaborator

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Key Finding #3
Tactics: Quick Wins Exist to Improve
Engagement

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Key Recommendations
www.communityroundtable.com
1. Define your community’s value.
2. Build or improving your new member welcome
process.
3. Invest in community management training and
coaching.

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Mature communities define value for
members & the organization
www.communityroundtable.com
Business
Objectives
Member
Objectives
Shared Purpose

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Welcome programs encourage quality
engagement
www.communityroundtable.com

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Professional development for staff
enables maturity
www.communityroundtable.com
• Coaching/external
advising
• Conferences
• Degree programs
• Fee-based online
courses
• Membership network

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What’s Next

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1-2 Years
• More consistency in job descriptions
and roles
• Differentiation between levels of
community reporting; tactical,
operational and strategic
• ROI templates
• Increase in engagement from
executives
• Better and more training options
5 Years
• Use case specific research, training
and measurement models
• Methodology to assess community
management skills and gaps
• Improved online engagement literacy
• An understanding that community
management is a critical 21st century
skill, not just a role
• Evolving business models that
support a community-centric
approach
The Community Management
Outlook
www.communityroundtable.com

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Use this Research

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How to use this research
www.communityroundtable.com
1. Educate Stakeholders
2. Plan Roadmap and Budget
3. Prioritize Resources

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Thank you!
www.communityroundtable.com