CRM and Social Networking: Part 2

Earlier we explained how social media and CRM are connected, because they are both designed to build connections and maintain relationships. Yet most businesses run their CRM campaigns incorrectly on social networking sites, letting their customers lead the conversation and providing very little value to the customers. Although many individuals have adopted social media with open arms, companies are slowly starting to take advantage of these services.

Even fewer are using them correctly, with most starting their social media efforts simply because it has become a buzzword in the business community. Microsoft released their own theories on building relationships with social media in an article titled “ CRM and Social Networking – Engaging the Social Customer .” In the article, they outlined the following three strategies for improving the effectiveness of your social networking CRM campaign.

Integrate it With Your Current CRM Strategy – The first tip outlined in the article is to consider social media a wing of your current CRM strategy, rather than its own unique project that may or may not get full attention. Whatever you currently use to manage customers according to your market research, so should you use what you learn on these social media sites. Use it to Enhance Your CRM – Social networking allows you to explore new avenues that may not have been available with your previous CRM model.

So while you should consider social media a wing of CRM, you should also look for new ways to take advantage of social media to make your CRM model more effective. Use Both of Their Strengths – Once the two have been fully integrated, your next step is going to be playing to both of their strengths. Your current CRM practices are still important, while social media has its own unique features that can help you listen and respond to your customer’s needs.

If you have the tools to manage a social media CRM campaign, there is clearly a potential to drastically improve your relationship with your customers. But you must be willing to dedicate yourself to integrating it into your current CRM model, playing to its strengths, and communicating with your customers so that you lead the conversation and enhance their faith in your company and its products. Only then can you fully take advantage of all that social media can add to the way you manage your customers.