Online Community Engagement: A Solution to Higher Sales

Online Community Engagement: A Solution to Higher Sales

In an increasingly competitive environment, companies are looking for better ways to connect with their customers. It’s clear that the old methods are not working very well. A recent study finds that 50 percent of companies struggle to reach the right buyers and to understand their customers because they don’t have the right data or don’t know how to use it properly. But the report, a “thought leadership paper” by Forrester Consulting, commissioned by SAP, offers a solution.

Online communities are one specific way businesses can better understand and support current and new customers. Their user-generated content, such as buyer ratings and reviews, and Q&A discussion threads are recognized as superior in supporting buying decisions. Marketers now believe that online communities have the right information about consumers, reach them at the right time, and provide access to user-generated content. So businesses are now prioritizing online community as a tool for higher sales.

I’m John Howell for 3BL Media.