From Merriam-Webster’s online dictionary, social media is defined as “forms of electronic communication (as Web sites for social networking and microblogging) through which users create online communities to share information, ideas, personal messages, and other content (as videos).” Merriam-Webster states that the first use of the word was in 2004 and the word “social media” was added to the dictionary in 2011. In such a short period of time, social media has essentially gone “viral”. “According to a recent study conducted by Edison Research on social media behaviors of modern users 58 million Americans are hooked to social media sites and use them on daily basis. This has risen to 22% against 18% in 2011.” (Corelynx, Importance Of Integrating Social Media To Your CRM)
As social media continues to evolve and quickly transform, companies are facing major decisions on how they should integrate social media into their corporate strategies, both internally and externally. Unfortunately, there isn’t a perfect solution or an exact number of steps a company needs to take in order to have “successful” social media efforts. Everyday a new platform is released, privacy policies change, and best practices are adjusted. So how exactly can a company make the most of this new social era? Here are some tips that will hopefully be helpful.
As social media continues to evolve and quickly transform, companies are facing major decisions on how they should integrate social media into their corporate strategies, both internally and externally. Unfortunately, there isn’t a perfect solution or an exact number of steps a company needs to take in order to have “successful” social media efforts. Everyday a new platform is released, privacy policies change, and best practices are adjusted. So how exactly can a company make the most of this new social era? Here are some tips that will hopefully be helpful.
1. Don’t be social for the sake of being social.
It is very important to have a well thought out strategy and goal for your social media efforts. Just because there a multiple platforms: Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, LinkedIn, Vine, Google+, the list goes on, doesn’t mean you have to be using every single one. It is better to do a few things well, than to spread yourself too thin and fail across all the platforms. Additionally, it is important to remember that each platform requires more investment from you or your team. A lot of people and companies fall into the trap of believing the hardest part is getting up and running. In reality, maintaining a successful social media strategy requires a lot of work as well- it is an investment. I would even argue setting it up might be the easiest part.
2. Plan. Plan. Plan.
Take a step back and ask yourself why you believe your company should be social. What value can you add to your customers’ lives and how they interact with your company? What insights and benefits are you hoping to gain as a company? Where are your customers currently engaging in social media? Why are they engaging in those platforms and what information are they seeking or sharing? The more you can align your social media strategy with your corporate goals as well as the desires of your customers, the more successful you will have with your social campaigns. Don’t forget to integrate your social strategy with your other marketing practices- you want to create a seamless campaign across all your media channels: email, print, web, etc.
Take a step back and ask yourself why you believe your company should be social. What value can you add to your customers’ lives and how they interact with your company? What insights and benefits are you hoping to gain as a company? Where are your customers currently engaging in social media? Why are they engaging in those platforms and what information are they seeking or sharing? The more you can align your social media strategy with your corporate goals as well as the desires of your customers, the more successful you will have with your social campaigns. Don’t forget to integrate your social strategy with your other marketing practices- you want to create a seamless campaign across all your media channels: email, print, web, etc.
3. Features and Tools.
With a strategy in place you can begin to think about the “tools” you will need on your social platform. For example, do you want to share a lot of photos with your customers? Do you want your customers to share photos with you? Do you want to create two way dialogue? (Example: company-to-customer and/or customer-to-customer) Will you provide customer support through your social channels? If yes, how do you plan to integrate it into your current customer support structure? If no, how do you plan to direct support questions to the right location? Further, how can you prevent support questions from ever being asked on your social channels? Think proactive, not reactive when it comes to your customers posts. A reactive social response plan is one that is not scalable as your customer posts and activity increases.
4. Platforms.
Once you have a better grasp on the social tools/features you need, you can begin thinking about the platforms options. Take time to research the current social channels that are available and pay special attention to the ones your customers are using most. For each channel, think about how you can provide and gain value. You also should consider whether you want to create your own “social space” within your company website. This could be a discussion forum, blog, or even an entire online community. A couple companies that deliver these solutions are Jive Software and Lithium.
5. Insights
At the end of the day, you need a way to capture insights about your customers and the health of your campaigns. If available, sit down with your Business Intelligence or Data Analytics group to work through what information you plan to capture, how you will capture it, how you will measure success, and what your plans are for the data. Depending on the size of your company, you may want to invest in a tool that integrates social channels with your current CRM platform. Check out Salesforce.com.
6. Whats Next
We are only getting started! A couple things you will want to do next is make sure your solution is scalable, determine how to enable your employees to be social, encourage engagement from your customers, and eventually try to build an “unpaid army of customer advocates.” (Owyang, How To Create A Customer Advocacy Program)
We are only getting started! A couple things you will want to do next is make sure your solution is scalable, determine how to enable your employees to be social, encourage engagement from your customers, and eventually try to build an “unpaid army of customer advocates.” (Owyang, How To Create A Customer Advocacy Program)
Sources:
- Framework and Matrix: The Five Ways Companies Organize for Social Business by Jeremiah Owyang, Posted on April 15th, 2010
- Importance Of Integrating Social Media To Your CRM by Corelynx Inc, Posted on February 14, 2013
- How To Create A Customer Advocacy Program by Jeremiah Owyang, Posted on July 12, 2010
