VIDEO: Microsoft's Mel Carson on building online communities

Carson, who started his digital career as an editor for search engine Look Smart in 2000 before ending up at Microsoft in 2005, shares his experience gained building and managing a thriving online community for Microsoft.

When asked how brands should go about building an online community, Carson said it is important to keep an actual strategy in mind. Brands really have to think about what they want out of an online community whether it be sales leads or feedback, and then find their audience, not just on Twitter and Facbook but engaging in blogs and connecting on Linked-In.

Carson adds the golden rule for managing a community is listening and engaging. There are too many brands out there that just broadcast without offering opportunities for feedback. “The more engaged a customer is with you, the less likely they are to be spending possibly engaging with your competitors,” he said.

When asked about common mistakes marketers make on social media, Carson refer to “return on in-action”. He adds companies that are not involved are missing a trick as there is so much data available for brands to use.