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Social Media Engagement Is A Big Part Of CRM
By Chris Richardson
Staff Writer
Article Date: 2011-04-27
Fostering continuing relationships with existing customers is an important aspect of CRM. As more and more people depend on social media to function as their primary web presence, engaging them on their social media outlet of choice is a sound strategy.
With that in mind, it's no surprise that businesses are increasing their use of social media platforms to engage their customers. A recent poll conducted by Really Simple Systems, a European-based CRM provider that uses cloud-based computing, suggests CRM is a task that's easier to accomplish with social media. In fact, their study reveals that 62% of small businesses engage in social media to service existing customers.
Of their study, Real Simple Systems offers this reaction:
From a sample of 862 respondents - the majority from small and medium-sized organisations with less than 50 employees - 62% report that they now use social networking in everyday business. The research also shows that 92% of those using it do so to keep in touch with existing customers, whilst 78% are using it to find new customers.
The majority of the respondents engage their customers on the familiar social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter. However, the findings suggest another powerful tool for customer engagement: LinkedIn. In fact, the survey indicates its respondents actually use LinkedIn more than Facebook (83 percent to 72) to conduct their "social business;" although, the thought of unsolicited CRM-related messages coming to an existing customer's LinkedIn inbox sounds a bit intrusive.
Apparently, however, the service is merely used to create connections with interested customers. In regards to Facebook, the strategy hasn't changed. Simply create a page related to your business and invite visitors and customers to "Like" the product page. Once the service is "liked," businesses can engage their fans directly in the form of a Facebook wall post.
All things considered, if you own a small business and you aren't leveraging social media to engage your customers, you're missing out on an increasingly-powerful tool in regards to customer relationship management.
About the Author:
Chris Richardson is a search engine writer and editor for WebProNews. Visit WebProNews for the latest search news.
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