I came across this interview from John Nese of Galco’s Soda Pop Stop in Los Angeles and it absolutely lit up my eyes with excitement. Not because of his website (it is nothing more than an eyesore) or his (nonexistent) social media strategy but rather the innate passion and sense for storytelling that makes for winning small businesses and great social media strategy. John’s passion for unique sodas with diverse tastes such as cucumber, rose and every variant of root beer and cola just captures your attention and calls you to explore what he has to offer.

Galco’s Soda Pop Stop is the perfect case for a small business that could thrive through social media. I have seen similar cases in the pets and baby industries and it is amazing how these communities explode and become advocates for the business. Of course the roadblock for small businesses is time, resources and a plan to put together any kind of campaign.

I would hate to see Galco’s watch this one from the sidelines as they have so much potential. Do you know any small businesses that have an equally passionate community?

If they send me over an email at daniel@orangerhinomedia.com telling me why they have the most passionate community, I will offer to take them out for lunch and get them started with a sound social media foundation from me and the boys at Orange Rhino Media.

Who are your favourite small businesses using social media?

It seems every single brand or marketing campaign seems to have the goal of ‘reaching out’ to their community.

I think the community approach to brand management and brand experience in principle, shows that more corporations are prioritising the customer relationship or at least seeing the opportunity in doing so. However in reality- far too many approach it as a marketing gimmick rather than an integral part of business strategy.

What I have found as a consumer and in my observations of several brands is that far too many companies approach many of these campaigns with a fundamental misunderstanding of the motivations of the members of the community and the role of the brand as a part of that community.

The sad truth is that many companies spend millions on developing online communities that fail dismally. The motivation seems to be: “lets create a community so our customers can all talk amongst each other and discuss how great we are”. Is it really any surprise that they fail?

The problem is that in an age of information overload where attention is one of the scarcest resources, your customers don’t want to split their time on yet another destination online if there is no benefit to them.

Brand communities fail because they don’t understand the fundamental motivations and needs of their customers.

Brand communities are not about what you want them to do, rather marketers need to understand why the members of the community are motivated to 1) connect with other members of the community 2) connect with the brand 3) what role the brand needs to take to provide value and facilitate those interactions.

For brands managers that have ‘controlled’ rather than facilitated conversations for decades and where open or uncontrolled conversation has been equated with fear and failure, this can be quite a significant shift in perceptions.

Freshbooks connects freelancers to work together or find jobs, Harley Davidson creates an community for motorcycle owners and Vertical Response has a community for email marketers which helps them share tips and best practices.

The common thread is that these brands have influence on their community because they own the conversations. They own the conversations because they create an environment that facilitates the fundamental needs and motivations of their community. The community members took ownership because it directly assists them and provides value.

Who are you customers and who is your community? Are you providing value and engaging in the conversation or just trying to farm email addresses?

Photo credit, CBGB Hoser