Zappos.com recently created a subscription-based forum, Zappos Insights, which gives people advice and information on how to become successful business leaders, based on Zappos’ success. Although this type of forum is not designed to gain more customers, it does keep people talking about Zappos and gives the appearance that the company has a leading strategy for business.

Crutchfield.com (see Figure 8-2), an online electronics store, gives members the option of discussing issues regarding specific products right on the site. It’s all about bringing the discussion back to the company; users will discuss these things regardless, so the company might as well be in control of the discussion. For instance, if I’m debating which LCD TV to purchase, I can hop on to the Crutchfield.com forums and see what other customers are saying. Crutchfield has a ways to go toward incorporating this activity and relating it directly to its product offerings; however, it has certainly taken a step in that direction.

RHDJapan, the largest high-performance, original, and after-market equipment auto parts provider online, has created a community around its site with its MyRidez competition and discussions. Figure 8-3 displays the RHD MyRidez page. Not only does it recruit users to demonstrate how to install and upgrade vehicles, it has also made the page fun by asking users to submit photos of the finished vehicle and then offering a monthly prize to the winner after all user votes are submitted. This type of forum can yield a lot of activity and engagement. It has also created a means to get useful information to users about specific products and auto parts installations.

Other sites try to use forums to start a discussion about a specific brand. Ideeli.com, shown in Figure 8-4, starts a forum discussion for every “sale” it generates. The sales offered on the site are generally a specific collection for a designer. Users can ask questions and get answers from specialists, as well as other customers, about the designer and the products offered in that particular sale.

The Crutchfield forum
Figure 8-2. The Crutchfield forum
The MyRidez competition and RHD community
Figure 8-3. The MyRidez competition and RHD community
The Ideeli.com forum, which allows users to discuss products in a particular category
Figure 8-4. The Ideeli.com forum, which allows users to discuss products in a particular category

It is difficult to ignore the importance of Facebook and its hundreds of millions of users. To measure engagement on Facebook, you should track:

  • The number of fans (subscribers) to your Facebook page

  • The number of daily or weekly visits to your fan page

  • The number of mentions of your business or fan page

Facebook, like any social media website, will broaden your company’s reach and access if you use it correctly. It also helps further your interaction with users. Like with any social media activity, Facebook will help keep your company current. It’s important, however, to see who in your target market uses Facebook (by looking at Facebook demographics information and trends), which will help you understand how to position your Facebook page. For example, some service companies are well aware that their target market is not on Facebook (or will not use Facebook to search for them), so they use their Facebook page to provide information and to connect people in the industry. On the other hand, a specialty gifts ecommerce store, for example, may find that its target market is present on Facebook and ready to make a purchase, so this store uses its Facebook page to display best-selling items, further engaging and persuading users to make a purchase.