By Kristi Grigsby, Neighborhood America
Here's what you'll learn in this article:
1. That social media can and should be measurable;
2. That creating a warm and welcome environment can help make your social media campaign a success.
New Year’s resolutions are upon us, and for many of us those resolutions will include taking off a few pounds or vowing to find time in our busy schedules to get back in shape.
Rewind the tape to a year ago. As the year 2008 rolled around, Rodale, a global media company focused on health and wellness, faced a compelling business proposition: Complement its popular Men’s Health magazine with an online community to help its readers fulfill those resolutions - and monetize that activity. And monetize they did. The publisher reported a 10x return on investment in just six months.
This success story was recently named a finalist in the 2008 Forrester Groundswell Award competition, recognized for excellence in delivering measurable business value. The original award submission can be viewed here. Neighborhood America is proud to support this initiative, and we share our perspective below on the top three lessons learned from the ‘Belly Off! Club’.
1. Resist the Temptation to Run Amuck
Rodale did not launch a purposeless website and then expect visitors to find something compelling about it. Instead, the very genesis of ‘Belly Off!’ began with a clear purpose wrapped around a very targeted audience.
Foregoing the urge to be ‘all things to all people’, ‘Belly Off!’ established clear expectations for its site visitors upfront – and delivered. Club members expected to discover useful tips for losing weight, encouragement from their online peers, and a safe haven for sharing their own personal struggles and triumphs. And if they happened to be exposed to a relevant advertisement along the way (a weight loss product, for example), it was a highly targeted message that was welcomed rather than being intrusive.
Starting with a strategic business plan that is centered on goals with measurable outcomes enables you to focus your efforts where you’ll reap the most return – for both your audience and your company.
2. Remove the Fear Factor
Imagine…photos of bare, bulging waistlines. It doesn’t exactly conjure up visions of sugar plums, does it? (Especially when you consider that ‘Belly Off!’ members collectively shed over 58,000 pounds of belly fat!) So why would 79,000 grown men be inclined to publish such personal endeavors…on the Web of all places?
Rodale’s Men’s Health provides a great example of the importance of creating a welcoming environment where members are shielded from the emotional criticisms that can accompany unmoderated social communities. The ‘Belly Off!’ community brought together men who shared a similar mission, supported and encouraged one another, and created a strong bond of camaraderie. In doing so, they came to trust the self-moderated environment that Rodale had created.
Through ‘BellyOff!’ we learn the importance of creating a safe environment where members are not intimidated and instead are willing to share their experiences and content – which ultimately fuels the very livelihood of the community.
3. Remember that Money is not a Four Letter Word
M-o-n-e-y. See, five letters. Far too much of 2008 was spent pretending that social media is about feel-good relationship and not dollars. Sure, you want to create a stellar community and provide your members with a valuable experience. But this is business. And now more than ever, business is about optimizing the returns you see from your investment.
Rodale’s success drives this lesson home. In just six months, ‘Belly Off!’ achieved:
• 79,000 registered members…
• Sharing 13,000 stories…
• Fueling 6,000,000 page views…
• Driving an ongoing stream of advertising revenues…
• Delivering a 10x ROI.
While I’m not at liberty to share figures and certainly cannot speak on behalf of our customer, apply that metric to your own business. With that kind of ROI, a theoretical investment of $200,000 yields $2,000,000 in revenues. Now that’s a marketing success that I’d love to report back to my CFO. How about you?
If you'd like to receive the full case study, feel free to email me by clicking here.
Kristi Grigsby leads the marketing efforts for Neighborhood America from its headquarters in Naples, Florida. She can also be reached at www.Twitter.com/KristiGNA
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