The Big List of B2B Online Customer Communities is the most comprehensive list of online B2B customer communities in the world. It includes big companies, small companies, foundations, and non-profits. We first created The Big List in 2011, featuring 94 communities …and the findings went viral. In 2014, we initiated the process again and the list grew to 126. For the 2016 edition, we are pleased to note that identifying new communities is no longer a challenge! In fact, online communities are now a mainstay of competitive advantage for many B2B firms. So, rather than create a database this year, we analyzed the list of 126 to see how they have changed over time.

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THE BIG LIST 2016
Your Comprehensive Guide to B2B
Community Trends

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About This Study
In the early to mid 2000’s B2B online communities were just starting to emerge.
They were vibrant exciting places where customers and partners came together to
learn from each other and better understand complex purchase decisions and get
support. And, most of them were Leader Network’s clients!
• Fast forward to 2011 when our team created a list of the largest, most robust
B2B online communities. We named it The Big List of B2B Online
Communities. 94 communities were featured…and the findings went viral.
• In 2014, we initiated the process again and the list grew to 126 -retaining
those that continued to thrive and adding new communities that were
dynamic, reputable and engaging. The result was the largest go-to list
available anywhere.
• For the 2016 edition, we are pleased to note that identifying new
communities is no longer a challenge! Instead, they are a mainstay of
competitive advantage for many B2B firms. So, rather than create a database
this year we analyzed the list of 126 to see how they have changed over
time.
These are our findings…

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Key Trends
• Communities are driving competitive advantage for many B2B firms. The fact
that more than 40% of the communities that made the Big List 2016 are
thriving supports our long held observation that a solid foundational strategy
well executed is a winning combination.
• Successful communities spawn more communities. 11% of communities from
The Big List have proliferated into multiple communities under the same
brand in the past two years. What was once a single, stand-alone community
has become a portfolio of multiple, connected communities that are featured
on the organization’s web site.
– This suggests that the company’s initial foray into communities was so
successful they were inspired to create more, and differentiate them.
Federated communities were mainly found in large enterprises.
– Many are operated under a single online community Center Of Excellence
with shared success measured, standardized best practices, consistent
content and professional facilitation teams.

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Key Trends II
• Many of the less successful communities are shifting to focus on content
creation and publication. Notably, the communities with member-generated
content had greater engagement than those that used it as a marketing
channel.
• A new B2B community business model is emerging. Among the
independently run communities (not branded by a single organization) many
include corporate sponsors for specific forums.
• Inconsistent care makes for an incomplete customer journey. Our research
shows that 35% of communities are supported, but unevenly.
• Abandoned communities are a big liability. Nearly 10% of the online
communities from the Big List are no longer carefully managed or visibly
updated.
• Gating may promote customer intimacy. 5% of the B2B communities on The
Big List have changed their community model from open to the public to
private – creating members’ only communities that require approval to join.

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The Big List of B2B Online Communities 2016 Benchmark
How the communities on The Big List have evolved….
Alive & Thriving Supported
but uneven
Rolled into
federated model
Abandoned or
gone
41%
35%
11%
8%
Newly gated
5%
52% of the Big List Communities are excelling (active & thriving plus rolled into federated.
N= 126

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Active & Thriving – 41%
• These communities have experienced meaningful growth.
• They have active, visible facilitation by professional community
managers.
• Content is updated regularly and the members in the directory (when
present) often shared bios and photos.
• Members seem to be familiar with each other and consistently offered
peer-peer support.
• Take Action: These communities should seek additional opportunities
to deepen their strategic alignment to impact core operations for
competitive advantage.

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• These B2B communities still exist since last we reviewed them
and it is clear they are run by their sponsor organization.
• However, the level of care is not consistently present to convey a
positive customer journey.
• While the right elements are in place – content, information and
discussions, there is evidence to suggest that they are not being
nurtured and run the risk of member abandonment and
reputational harm for the organization.
• Take Action: They are not without hope! With a strategic
intervention, they can become productive, and once again be
an asset to the members and the company that launched them.
Unevenly Supported – 35%

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…would your community find itself in
the unevenly supported category?
If yes, here are some key questions to
ask yourself:
Do member questions
go unanswered on the
community?
When was the last time
an editorial calendar
was followed to refresh
content?
Is the community
adequately staffed and
respected internally?
How long would it take
your organization to
notice the community
had a technical
problem?

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• Federated communities are usually found in larger organizations
and are characterized by a variety of topical communities under
a single umbrella.
• These communities from the Big List experienced meaningful
growth over time because they possess the scale and efficiencies
to fuel best practices.
• They have active, visible facilitation by professional community
managers.
• Content is updated regularly and the members in the directory
(when present) often share bios and photos.
• Members seemed to be familiar with each other and consistently
offer peer-peer support.
• Take Action: A Center of Excellence is recommended to ensure
consistent governance, success measure and best practices are
shared across all communities.
Federated Model – 11%

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• Nearly 10% of the online communities from the Big List are no
longer carefully managed or visibly updated.
• Many of the communities in this category have numerous
unanswered questions, spam in the forums, aged content and, in
some cases, members voicing concern about their lack of
support.
• Unfortunately, abandoned communities are a significant liability
for the brand and reputation of the organizations they are a part
of.
• Take Action: As customer communities are a front line
experience for prospective and current customers, it is strongly
recommended that brands invest in reinvigorating these
communities or develop a strategic take-down plan.
Abandoned – 8%

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• 5% of the B2B communities on the Big List have changed their
community model from open to the public to private, members’-
only communities that require approval to join.
• Notably, many of these communities have created splash pages
that actively market the business value of joining and provide
information about the membership but keep the discussions and
interactions behind the firewall.
• This shift suggests a small but growing trend for B2B firms to
seek greater customer intimacy by creating gated spaces for
deeper knowledge exchange on a peer-peer and peer-company
level.
• Take Action: Due to this recent shift, the business and
operational model should be reevaluated to ensure the
community is high value to members and the sponsoring
organization.
Newly gated – 5%

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B2B Community Scorecard
Would your community belong in the Active and Thriving category of this report?
Is it supporting your strategic agenda? Could you be getting more value?
Yes? Our Online Community Scorecard is a research-based, 70-point diagnostic
that evaluates your online community’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and
threats. In just three weeks, we benchmark where you are today – and uncover
opportunities to strengthen your community, ratchet up engagement, and
complement your critical operational processes.
TM

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ABOUT LEADER NETWORKS
Leader Networks is a research and consulting firm that helps companies
use digital and social technologies to gain competitive advantage. We
work alongside our clients to develop digital business strategies, launch
new digital products and business models, create and grow online
communities, and craft social selling campaigns and operations. Our
efforts pay off – by enabling organizations to better engage their
customers, drive new product and service innovations, reduce costs, and
boost shareholder value.
Whether you’re a CMO or line-of-business-executive, you need a
dedicated partner who can guide your team to make smart, data-driven
decisions that lead to digital business success. That’s who we are. That’s
what we do. Learn more about how we help you reach your goals.

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Social Business Research, Strategy & Operations
Vanessa DiMauro
CEO
92 Richmond Road
Belmont, MA 02478
617.484.0778
vdimauro@leadernetworks.com
www.leadernetworks.com
©2016 Leader Networks. All rights reserved.
Digital and Social Intelligence for Competitive Advantage
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