As anyone who reads my posts is aware, I am a huge advocate of using collaborative technologies internally in organizations. However, I have yet to talk about the advantages of creating an online community with customers.

 The main reasons companies cite for not doing so is the time investment and potential of people making negative comments about their company. Unfortunately, as any blogger will tell you, both of these stereotypes are true. However, in my opinion, the advantages far outweigh the costs in this case, and here's why:

You can't ignore the truth- Ticked off customers are going to bad mouth your company virally and possibly online, whether or not you have an online forum, blog, etc. However, if you have an online community, it gives your company another opportunity to provide a solution. Maybe the customer service associate was having a bad day, or maybe employees weren't informed about a certain product defect. Whatever the reason, having another chance to rectify the situation may change a customer's perception of your company.

People are already talking about your brand online- If you don't believe me, check out http://search.twitter.com/ and type in your company's name. You might as well get in on the action or lose dissatisfied customers to your competitors.

Increase brand loyalty and engagement- In a world of increasing competition and declining brand loyalty (depending on the industry), if customers know there is a place they can go to directly discuss ideas for new products, improvements to existing products, customer service issues, etc., your company gains serious credibility, assuming you provide solutions to legitimate problems. To see an example of this, check out Starbuck's forum, My Starbucks Idea, where customers submit ideas on topics ranging from products to experience, to community involvement. There is also a section entitled Ideas in Action, where associates discuss how they are implementing solutions to some of the problems. Whole Foods also has a great discussion forum where employees will answer questions and add input on a variety of topics. They also have their CEO write blog entries, which I thought was pretty cool. These communities can help attract potential customers and engage and invigorate your brand for current customers.

Keep customers informed- These discussion forums are also a great place to inform customers about new products, services, initiatives, community events, etc. The possibilities really are endless to how far you can take it.

Don't forget the good!- If your company has a good reputation, you are missing the opportunity to have customers endorse your products and services. At my company, we get great letters from people impressed with our service. If these messages are put online for others to see, it would be great for associates and customers alike!

Social media is not as scary or confusing as it's made out to be, if you think of it in the context of a conversation in a less rich medium than face to face. The bottom line is, with people's hectic schedules, they may not have the time to wait in line to complain or compliment your brand, but may from the convenience of their home computer. I recently attended a great presentation on Social Media by Rich Brooks, President of Flyte New Media,  and he thought most brands would have a social media presence within the next few years. I would agree with him because of the extensive list of companies who already do, such as Apple, Adidas, Dell, H&R Block, Pampers, Samsung, and Toyota. (To check out more, follow this link). What are you waiting for?