Good morning: Are communities the future?

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Good morning, Marketers, and are communities the future across all verticals?

I was just reading about some results from a survey conducted in the U.K. last month by Amity, a platform that creates in-app social experiences. 72% of consumers are likely to return to a brand that creates strong online communities. Now, let’s apply a little critical distance. It was a survey of 500 consumers, a small sample; and Amity’s in the business of building digital communities.

Nevertheless, the trend strikes me as plausible. And it is no doubt yet another of the seemingly infinite series of trends accelerated by the challenging health, social and political environments we now inhabit. Consumers want to feel valued (nothing new), they want brands to share their values (a newer and growing trend) and they want experiences not just products; authentic engagement, not just transactions.

Here’s the twist. Those facts don’t just apply to consumer brands any more. B2B buyers too have had enough of just being sold to; being upsold, cross-sold…sign on the dotted line. And with subscription models widespread, it’s easier than ever to look elsewhere. Smart B2B brands are thinking about communities too — and customer lifetime value both at the account and business level.

Kim Davis

Editorial Director

Shorts

People. Bazaarvoice, the UGC management platform, has announced the appointment of Zarina Lam Stanford as CMO. Stanford comes from Rackspace, where she was Chief Communications and Marketing Officer. She has also held executive appointments at IBM and SAP. 

No code. Scott Brinker sees the expanded use of no code/low code apps and automations as pointing to a need for meta-management of digital processes. “Big opportunity for digital process meta-management in a Big Ops environment.”

Quote of the day. “I love seeing more companies prioritize mental health days, company shutdowns the last week of the calendar year, and other proactive efforts to encourage much-needed downtime.” Matt Heinz, President, Heinz Marketing Inc.

About The Author

Kim Davis

Kim Davis is the Editorial Director of MarTech. Born in London, but a New Yorker for over two decades, Kim started covering enterprise software ten years ago. His experience encompasses SaaS for the enterprise, digital- ad data-driven urban planning, and applications of SaaS, digital technology, and data in the marketing space. He first wrote about marketing technology as editor of Haymarket’s The Hub, a dedicated marketing tech website, which subsequently became a channel on the established direct marketing brand DMN. Kim joined DMN proper in 2016, as a senior editor, becoming Executive Editor, then Editor-in-Chief a position he held until January 2020. Prior to working in tech journalism, Kim was Associate Editor at a New York Times hyper-local news site, The Local: East Village, and has previously worked as an editor of an academic publication, and as a music journalist. He has written hundreds of New York restaurant reviews for a personal blog, and has been an occasional guest contributor to Eater.