Communities Of Purpose

As the online world matures, social communities are splintering into groups, with consumers becoming smarter about how and where they spend their time. Shared interest communities and communities of purpose - those with a single aim, or goal - offer brands a great way to target previously hard-to-reach consumers with a very specific demographic profile, need, or interest. This paper, focuses on communities of purpose: what they are and who is using them (and how); questions brands should answer before setting up a specialist community; the issues facing community managers; and - importantly - how to overcome those issues, and manage a community of purpose effectively.