Why Should Your Company Adopt Social CRM?

The following summary is from TechnologyAdvice, a free website service saving small business owners time on finding the right crm lead management software, marketing automation tools, SaaS platforms and much more.

In this Business Technology Whiteboard video session, TechnologyAdvice Content Manager Zach Watson covers the basics of Social Customer Relationship Management, or Social CRM. He outlines why all companies should care about Social CRM and the three general methods that companies employ when using social media as a customer relationship management tool.

Traditionally, CRM refers to collecting prospects’ data in order to better target them so as to get them into a sales funnel and move them toward a purchase. Social CRM is a bit different because on social media the customer, rather than the company, controls the conversation. Of the millions of social media users in the U.S., 90 percent expect brands to have a social media profile. The ones that leverage Social CRM the best are those that respond and take a “customer-centric approach” to meeting their consumers’ needs.

Often, companies believe that posting marketing content on Facebook, Twitter, or the dozens of other social media channels is enough. Yet 60 percent of American social media users expect companies to interact with them through social media. Consequently, companies need to understand and deploy Social CRM tactics in order to be effective and successful in converting social media follow to real-world dollars.

Three Methods for Social CRM

Social CRM can be broken down into three broad categories:

1. Text Analytics and Social Media Monitoring – Using Social CRM software, a company can specify what keywords it wants to follow, whether that’s the name of its own product, the company name, or even their competitors’ names. The CRM tracks those keywords and alerts when the brand is mentioned online, allowing the company to see real-time reactions and quickly engage with social media users. Such online conversations help companies position themselves as experts in their field or as a helpful resource, as well as taking a proactive stance against negative feedback.
2. Paid Media – This CRM method is more traditional in nature, though it takes on a modern look when social media is included. By using the data it has accrued about its prospects, a company can pay Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIn to show highly targeted ads in users’ newsfeeds.
3. Granular Data – Lastly, Social CRM can take advantage of accruing granular data about consumers and their habits based on the company’s social media interactions with its customers. A company can add social interactions to its list of email and phone interactions in order to gather a more robust view of its customers.

Social CRM can be an invaluable tool in a marketer’s toolbox, providing a customer-centric approach that allows companies to get to know their customers on a one-to-one basis. Social CRM isn’t just software; it’s a methodology that all companies should put into practice on a consistent basis in order to better serve their customers.