Lithium Technologies, Jive, Bazaarvoice, and Acquia top a new Forrester evaluation of “social depth platforms” — community platforms that help marketers deploy online communities and related social capabilities on company-owned websites and microsites. “These platforms are helping marketers transform their static, company-centric websites into dynamic, customer-centric destinations that enable up to millions of users to interact, create content, and engage with a brand on its own community website,” writes Senior Analyst Kim Celestre in her new report.

In this Forrester Wave evaluation, Forrester examined nine vendors based on 57 evaluation criteria across each vendor’s current offering, strategy, and market presence. The evaluation shows:

  • Lithium Technologies maintains its position as a Leader thanks to a combination of marketer-friendly admin console and community features, its social marketing thought leadership, and its breadth of marketing platform integration, all of which provide marketers with a cohesive end-to-end solution.
  • Telligent Systems, Get Satisfaction, and Pluck offer competitive options, but usability and integration capabilities vary widely, ranking these vendors in the Strong Performer category.
  • Livefyre and Mzinga are Contenders, for marketers who need no more than the minimal set of discussion features.

“Community platform features such as discussion boards, ratings and reviews, and forums are now table stakes, and this has led vendors to seek new ways to differentiate,” notes Celestre. “The vendors that led this Forrester Wave stand out in three areas crucial to marketers: customization of features, integration with other marketing platforms, and robust analytics.”

For more information on this Forrester Wave evaluation of social depth platforms, visit the Marketing Leadership blog here.