Episode 057 - Given Millions of Dollars We Would Invest in Content for our Community

00:00.00 michael sandoval Sort of piers over beers I'm 1 of your hosts Michael sandoval excellent hello chris how are you excellent
00:00.94 cdetzel And I'm chris detzel doing well man we were. Ah
00:16.14 michael sandoval Oh.
00:30.33 cdetzel Over there with you know
00:33.80 michael sandoval Means.
00:39.87 michael sandoval That's cool. You know every time I say it I swear it's like you're supporting the Swedish football team or something like that. Yeah
00:42.93 cdetzel Um
00:55.50 cdetzel A lot.
00:56.37 michael sandoval Aasa we were talking about 1 was a good discussion around um is community a product or is it a service right? This kind of pulls back this idea that you know um executives in an organization. Want to put things in a box.
01:13.60 cdetzel Um
01:16.50 michael sandoval So they can apply a certain um lens. Okay
01:25.72 cdetzel Um.
01:34.50 cdetzel Yeah
01:34.41 michael sandoval Right? and.
01:53.92 cdetzel Or maybe he's not trying to learn my way. He's trying to get me to conform to his way. It's certainly how that really works and and in any organization when you have new leaders and so you know the way I was presenting. You know where community is or how the things that community can accomplish. You know I was talking ah talking about it in a service type of way you know we can help 1 grow the community by x number of members because we need to really start. Um
02:41.61 michael sandoval Yep.
02:48.67 cdetzel Customer search and we want them to get their answers to the product question through Google because that's where most people search anyways. So just trying to you know I have a plan I was trying to show him that plan and and he I think he was coming out as more you know he's more product focused as in that's where he comes from um and so you know I was just trying to.
02:57.62 michael sandoval Um
03:08.33 cdetzel Understand you know? well you know Community is in this sense. Not product that ah you know I'm trying to understand it and and he was well. You know
03:22.73 michael sandoval Yeah
03:33.66 cdetzel Um
03:40.31 michael sandoval No
03:54.90 cdetzel That's it ads are all over that thing you know like people are clicking it. That's all it is. That's this huge moneymaker for them.
03:59.93 michael sandoval Yeah
04:08.63 cdetzel Um
04:20.10 michael sandoval Tiered services right? But then that's kind of a little bit outside of the community's sphere but it can be done right? gold or silver or whatever in a corporate environment. It really is a service it can I It's very difficult to treat it as a product when you have other products to sell and that's not.
04:38.41 cdetzel Yeah
04:38.63 michael sandoval This is not the focus of the company right? The focus of the company should be selling as other products. So therefore this becomes an assist right? And and and I was writing and um
04:59.52 cdetzel That's right.
05:17.20 michael sandoval 3 if you break any of those 2 rules. The community will die ah and and like and like I would put that as like my here here's my here here is my thesis like this is the theory everything I do now from here when you discuss is about these 3
05:22.89 cdetzel That's right I like it.
05:36.14 michael sandoval Golden rules of community and then I thought was like well okay
06:36.30 cdetzel Um
06:46.15 michael sandoval And so they go in phases just like we grow you know and and in each phase here's the time span for that. This is what I measure and this is the focus for that time. So I think in first 1 which was birth I put down you know and I was just brainstorming so there's a lot we can kind of do it but it was around Stability growth popularity and I call it vertical. In other words.
06:58.55 cdetzel Yeah.
07:06.10 michael sandoval You just want to like shoot like a seed right? You're going to measure number of users engagement seo to product and support. This is the case deflection piece classic community stuff and then once you feel good that you've gone in that stage then you're in the next 1
07:16.75 cdetzel Yeah
07:24.30 michael sandoval Now we're in growth this is about really and I think this is where you were just as you were leaving your old company right? Um
07:27.40 cdetzel Yeah
07:44.00 michael sandoval Of the phase and you're going to focus the same measurements as number 1 But then you're going to add what makes what? what are the measurements that make a community vibrant right? So there's a letter. There's a lot of other elements in that measurement and the last 1 pardon
07:57.22 cdetzel Like what like what.
08:03.70 michael sandoval Um
08:05.68 cdetzel Okay.
08:19.65 michael sandoval Interactions of blogs and you know Wiki articles. You know there's ah
08:25.56 cdetzel Yeah.
08:36.75 cdetzel Um
08:38.87 michael sandoval Your tacticles. No
08:44.00 cdetzel Yeah
08:57.72 michael sandoval Um
09:09.97 cdetzel Um.
09:13.28 michael sandoval Whole call deflection pieces realize you're able to evaluate the the amount of like the cost. It takes for an answer to be answered on the community versus the cost. It takes to answer somebody from the phone. It is fully integrated. It's a cell point It is. Ah
09:36.14 cdetzel Um
09:49.99 michael sandoval Extract that value from rule 2 which was the trust you had built and that trust will come value and it comes on the other side too. The the customer is getting value. The customer is getting value. Their answers are being answered. They have trust in the content that's being done there. They seem there's a loyalty about it.
10:06.66 cdetzel Notice.
10:08.81 michael sandoval Um
10:19.93 cdetzel Um
10:25.83 michael sandoval I Think you know you say you like community and understand it I want you to know that this is how I frame it and I want to make sure we're aligned and that's and he'll publish a yeah yeah yeah
10:37.98 cdetzel Yeah
10:51.55 michael sandoval Yeah
10:57.81 cdetzel You know
11:04.20 michael sandoval Well you you suffer the curse of knowledge. You know what to do and you you're already a few steps ahead and and you're like well I got to stop to like catch you up. Um i.
11:18.36 cdetzel Um
11:24.40 michael sandoval Dude you guys hired me to do this and you want me to tell you ah right? it is then you okay let me remind you? ah.
11:33.85 cdetzel Now that that was good I like that and hopefully this helps others because you know I figure if it's helping me you know I'm in this all day every day that it's going to be helping others and so that's really good advice.
11:44.20 michael sandoval Now. Yeah
12:05.90 cdetzel Yet.
12:17.20 cdetzel Yet? yeah.
12:22.10 michael sandoval But you have to understand this done and as as a part of a service not as a separate product.
12:26.90 cdetzel What do you think about? So you know if if you were to get this question was Asked. You know like if you're given millions of dollars. Let's just say to build this community. What other things could you do and what can you do and if you get it. And 3 months you know how can you um
12:49.74 michael sandoval Oh so to me
12:59.89 cdetzel Yeah
13:07.35 michael sandoval But think about it in in bigger terms like in terms of say finding an expert in the field and bringing him over and you have a professional team that video videotapes them and he just pumps out knowledge articles 1 after another and it becomes like the spokesperson for the community you have writers who are just writing out. Stuff that it becomes so much like bees to honey you become a content business is what you do if you really want to take it to another level content business that still does number 1 and 2 You're an advocate for the user because you're building content that people want what real to people want.
13:32.20 cdetzel Um.
13:45.10 cdetzel Yep.
13:46.14 michael sandoval And because you're going to find people who are advocates in the industry I e g this right money that they oh Joe he was over at some now he's over here in the community exclusively prideing content that sounds great.
13:51.22 cdetzel Yet.
13:59.38 cdetzel Um.
14:04.59 michael sandoval And then you're going to have more people than just um
14:12.73 cdetzel The true master data management. The source of all things so find some of those influencers to to write content specifically videos. Whatever.
14:23.51 michael sandoval You Yeah
14:32.19 cdetzel Yeah
15:14.43 michael sandoval Ah
15:29.59 cdetzel Yet.
15:34.10 michael sandoval Not the thing it's it is a support anchor to a larger support brand right? So They have the creative studio the Creative studio which incorporates the products but it also is about making you a better creator. Um. Getting you the answers quickly and deepening you into the product So in that Creative Studio Suite They have the community they have training they have face to face you know
15:59.47 cdetzel Yeah
16:09.59 michael sandoval Of where community can go. You can say actually my my you can even be upfront and say something funny like so what's your vision for the community. My vision community is for us and I have a community anymore and by that I mean the community is not the thing you go to but it is a It's a resource that is used for the larger support brand.
16:18.62 cdetzel This.
16:27.50 cdetzel Smooth.
16:28.90 michael sandoval And I'm creating a support brand. You know that could be another an angle you know? ah well
16:31.65 cdetzel So These guys come from intuit and turbotax so they understand in a big way of how communities should be run or at least the the opportunity that you know communities can be. You know a huge ah ah. You know value for the organization because that's exactly what Turbotex did.
16:52.41 michael sandoval Yep
17:04.99 cdetzel Yeah
17:08.38 michael sandoval Now Autodesk they haven't done what Adobe does which is to create the more of a support brand but Autodesk is definitely known because they have a strong community and they build their own content. They they have a team they build content for the community exclusively I mean we've had interviews with.
17:20.45 cdetzel Um
17:27.78 michael sandoval Ah I Want to say it was all not all of this was another company in in which this person is part of the community team was making videos. That's all she did was made support videos um
17:37.78 cdetzel Yep.
17:42.96 cdetzel No I think that you know when you look at the Al X probably Adobe and um
17:56.81 michael sandoval Yes.
18:01.81 cdetzel But it's also working with a brand like marketing brand. You know
19:54.91 michael sandoval No no as in my head. Um so I don't know if this is what she did or not but I was smiling because I love how you go right? to like or eyes go build it. Ah which I I really admire about you.
19:55.63 cdetzel What do you think.
20:04.46 cdetzel Um
20:11.55 cdetzel Well
20:12.64 michael sandoval Um. Do be ah but yes
20:26.45 cdetzel Um
20:33.90 michael sandoval Um
21:06.64 cdetzel Um
21:12.30 michael sandoval That this is the things we want to go do and there is a dollar sign each of those right? they have to understand that each of these phases is a dollar sign and as I grow that dollar sign increases and you know where that dollar sign is about its people and.
21:26.45 cdetzel Yeah
21:31.17 michael sandoval And then and then you would you may want to say hey once we reach a certain point actually going back to this the chart that I sent you this 1 as you move on to the next phase that should be a jump in people because you've grown enough.
21:37.43 cdetzel Um
21:47.43 michael sandoval To add more staff to support some of these functions and maybe kind of in that I Honestly think that what you had right? There was exactly a good community strategy like this is how I'm thinking you know this is how my this is how I'm phasing out the community. Um.
21:49.96 cdetzel Brilliant.
22:05.91 michael sandoval In these buckets. So I don't I think you're you're really very spot on.
22:06.39 cdetzel Okay
22:16.20 michael sandoval Into powerpoint. Ah
22:33.84 cdetzel Um I.
22:33.99 michael sandoval Right? making community media company. They were in a sense. We're looking at investing in how can we make it million. How can we if you were to be given a big chunk of money what it look like and I think I did spreadsheets and I think you I.
22:46.15 cdetzel Um
22:52.13 michael sandoval We could take it offline a little bit but I that may be something there for you to to think about.
22:55.81 cdetzel Kind of think about yeah that yeah I wish I had all that stuff I think that you know my big challenge is and and I'm learning and and I think that's that's a very good thing is you know as you want to get.
23:01.29 michael sandoval I.
23:15.30 cdetzel Bigger or you know you want to grow in your career. You have to be able to speak the language of your boss their bosst etc you know and and and and and build those powerpoints. Even if you're not good at building powerpoints. You know I mean I've.
23:29.22 michael sandoval Well just walking through this with you is a really great experience for you personally? um because you're doubt you reached another level in your career where you're now talking to another level up you know and I love these levels because they know if no offense to these.
23:34.11 cdetzel Um
23:40.54 cdetzel Yeah.
23:48.22 michael sandoval Guys and girls they're so they just need enough information and then they forget they move on to another problem and they come back talking like oh yeah
23:53.70 cdetzel Um
24:03.20 michael sandoval Ah.
24:11.58 cdetzel And and see who I am today and and and knowing that you really helped me kind of get to where I am right? You know I'm not saying I didn't make a lot of hard work. But you know I'm trying to I'm trying to get to your level. You know what I mean and so how do I do that? Seriously I mean in the days.
24:15.66 michael sandoval Yeah
24:29.96 cdetzel What else has worked for. You know you just stay at the same level I don't think so you know I'm a pretty driven dude and I need I need to show that I'm growing you know in a ah right way and and so having these kind of conversations to me are helpful and in your very giving of your time and.
24:34.33 michael sandoval That's it's it's kind of point. Yeah now. Yeah
24:46.76 michael sandoval So it's all fun I Love a shit that this that's.
24:48.58 cdetzel Certainly ah you and I know and and so I'm happy to give you more. Ah so and maybe next time we'll talk about some stuff that are going on with you and your org and and.
24:53.90 michael sandoval Ah
25:04.30 michael sandoval Ah
25:12.62 cdetzel Okay
25:26.80 michael sandoval Oh yeah yeah I saw that post you put on Linkedin. Yeah.
25:32.29 cdetzel So there's some. There's some things to really talk about from that standpoint about no
25:35.42 michael sandoval But what is I'm sorry this I should know this. But what does vanilla do ah Okay
25:51.47 cdetzel Ah
26:17.33 michael sandoval Um.
26:29.48 cdetzel So casefleion. All that kind of stuff is really a focus but when they've bought vanilla Forums Vanilla Forums are solely on the corporate business and so it's a huge lift for higher logic from a new or from an additional customers acquisition and.
26:42.00 michael sandoval Yeah
26:53.67 cdetzel Yeah
27:22.70 michael sandoval Yeah
27:29.31 cdetzel Yeah
27:38.34 michael sandoval Yeah
27:44.91 michael sandoval I Was gonna say it's also pipe yeah because these other guys I just mentioned or there's a you know a hundred grand for every letter in their name. Ah oh yeah
27:46.51 cdetzel Ah
27:53.48 cdetzel Yeah
28:03.75 michael sandoval Damn pleasure talk with you and until next time I'm 1 of your hosts michael sandal all right it chris talks you later.
28:07.20 cdetzel And I'm Chris Detzel All right.