Optimistic Rebel

My experience supports this premise written about by Ben McConnell and Jackie Huba in their book Citizen Marketers—roughly 1% of your site visitors will create content within a democratized community.

I know what you’re thinking: “1%?! You’ve got to be kidding me! I’m not going to waste my time…”

Well, don’t miss the section I’ve highlighted in the excerpt below. The operative phrase—Over time:

To some marketers, the polar opposite of the 1% Rule — the Law of Big Numbers– might doom any decision to dedicate resources toward a democratized community. Should it? Not necessarily, although any community organizer should be prepared to accept the reality of slow, incremental growth, not a big, Hollywood-style opening.

It would appear that small groups of people often turn out to be the principal value creators of a democratized community. Over time, their work fuels widespread interaction that engages the non-participating community and attracts new ones. If continually nurtured, the community can become a self-sustaining generator of content and value…

What are your expectations for the blog you’ve just launched?

The 1% Rule: Charting citizen participation: Church of the Customer Blog