Create a User Community for Your Online Business

In the online world, more companies are adding virtual community meeting places to their websites or social media sites. Mostly, these places take the form of forums, discussion boards, support boards, or entire communities, where people can gather and discuss issues.
You may have had the experience of turning to someone in a department store and asking a question, only to discover that you were talking to a fellow shopper. Or perhaps you overheard a conversation and directed another shopper to the correct aisle to find the item he was looking for that day.
User interaction is a common aspect of the retail industry. Customers have the same interest, which is why they are in the same store together. They can talk about their interests and how the products affect them, and even share tips about good and bad purchases.
Online businesses provide a place for active discussions as well using social media, such as a Facebook page, LinkedIn group, or even a Twitter chat group.
You, as a business owner, can enjoy many benefits by connecting your clients:
1. Customers may be quicker to respond to a new customer’s question or concerns and can provide detailed answers.
2. Customers have one more reason to spend time — and their hard-earned money — on your site rather than someone else’s.
3. When browsers and customers hear about the potential uses of your products from other customers, they may be more inclined to purchase those products themselves. Since they are already on your site reading about a product, your site is their first choice for making a purchase.

4. By keeping an archive of customer communications, you build a knowledge base of questions, answers, and experiences that can help solve customer problems in the future.
You can find many free forum and community software tools. Search the major search engines for a tool that works on your web server’s operating system (search for a forum program or an online community program). Talk to your web designer or IT team to see if they have access to any off-the-shelf discussion board or online community software.
One way to encourage people to get active right away is to create specific events around a particular day or time. Uncover your new chat room software by hosting a Town Hall or an open meeting with the CEO or a visual board member, where customers and public browsers can ask questions and receive instant responses.
You or any employee can host a workshop where they explain a new feature or product being launched on your website.