This is a subscriber-only article. Join Entrepreneur+ today for access

Learn More

Already have an account?

Sign in
Entrepreneur Plus - Short White
For Subscribers

A Community of One's Own Why social CRM may make more sense than Facebook

By Mikal E. Belicove

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

While the herd mentality drives many entrepreneurs to stake their claims in the Facebook community, it is important to consider whether it makes sense to build your own customer community--independent of Facebook and integrated with your company's website and customer relationship management system.

Online community software and services

Building your own customer community is not cost prohibitive, and plenty of tools and services are available to help companies large and small get started. Check out the following platforms:

. Lithium
. Ning
. Jive SBS
. BuddyPress
. Liveworld
. Leverage Software
. KickApps
. Pluck
. BlueKiwi

Yes, Facebook represents a huge potential market and offers several free community-building features, including Groups, Fan Pages, Targeted Advertising and Facebook Connect. But relying solely on Facebook or other third-party social networking platforms for community building and word-of-mouth could be a mistake. After all, you don't own Facebook. What's free today may not be free tomorrow. And everything you build on Facebook stays on Facebook, drawing traffic there instead of to your website.

Launching your own online community initiative offers several potential advantages that may help you attain your customer-engagement goals more efficiently while providing you with more control over the community you build, as well as a better way of establishing and tracking ROI:

Editor's Pick

Related Topics

Leadership

Why Most People Fail at Giving Presentations — and How to Make Your Next One Successful

Here's what I learned guest lecturing at Stanford: You can become a better presenter by following the "Two Points per Hour Rule."

Business News

Kevin O'Leary Says to 'Survive the Rest of Your Life' You'll Need This Hefty Amount in Your Bank Account

The "Shark Star" explained the concept of passive income based on interest rates.

Growing a Business

10 Creative Content Ideas Inspired by Gary Vaynerchuk to Break Through the Noise

Vee stresses the importance of building lifetime value by capturing audience attention first before chasing immediate conversions.

Side Hustle

This Millennial Dad Just Wanted to Help His Daughter Care for Her Bearded Dragon. Then His Cricket-Breeding Side Hustle Exploded — Earning $27,000 in One Month.

It wasn't Jeff Neal's first attempt at a side gig, and before long, the "prototypical millennial side-hustler" realized his product had major potential.

Business Process

50 Simple Questions to Ask Yourself Before the New Year

These questions, focused on branding and business growth, can help brands capitalize on past events and help you plan for the year ahead.

Leadership

If You Want People to Follow You, Stop Being a Boss — 8 Steps to Truly Effective Leadership

Understand the key differences and embark on the journey from boss to leader with these eight vital steps. This article unveils how to inspire and lead teams with passion and purpose.