Are you ready for SOCIAL MEDIA CRM?

NEW YORK - April 2, 2015 - PRLog -- By Stéphane Amarsy and Yoni Elmalem, Inbox America.
Originaly published on NOV 1. 2011 – Reedited in April 2015

Have you noticed we hear about social media every day?

Of course there are the amazing success stories of Facebook -- with its 1 billion users worldwide -- and Twitter with more than 300 million members. Who could have foreseen the impact they have generated today? This lightning growth has greatly transformed the habits of internet users and --by extension-- those of the advertising industry.

This phenomenon affects almost every developed economy: on verage 70% of internet users belong to at least one social media. A fundamental question arises: How can companies integrate this new media in its customer relationship strategy and establish their social media presence?

Over the past two years a behavior change sustained driven by technology (smartphones and tablets) is born: passive video consumption, "comfortable" internet access from virtually anywhere (bars, friends, sofas, ...), resulting in more quantitative "social interactions".

Meanwhile, expectations towards brands have increased. More engaging content, unforgettable experience, and perks are expected, analyzed and evaluated by users. However latest trends like a decreasing use of Facebook by young people (under 18) can be noticed in developed countries, which indicates that we might have reached a plateau.. Primary members are turning away from traditional social media in favor of even more specialized or professional ones. This phenomenon is even stronger for brand pages. The reasons are simple: lack of interest in the brand, too many publications, irrelevant messages ... Haven’t you noticed this happening yet?

Social media have become -for any company- a powerful tool which needs to be actively fed.
They offer an unprecedented way to address the expectations of customers and prospects. Social media help consumers better understand an organization purpose and mission; give access to exclusive information about a brand and its events; allow to express opinions on a business; share ideas and finally fulfill the desire to demonstrate one’s commitment to a brand’s values.

But some brands remain cautious. If customers have always been a communication medium for brands, social media multiply this behavior thanks to real-time, extended lifespan of messages and the totally uncontrollable viral effect which goes with it. Yet some brands are still cautious: they fear the lack of guarantee success; suffer a deficit of trained staff and lack of reliable measurement tools. Advertisers should be aware that we are already in a mature use that requires them to switch from social marketing to “Social Media CRM”.

Why should you prepare for Social Media CRM?

A competition on the “time allocation market”. On social media , you (and your company) are facing new competitors on the “attention span market”. In other words, your brand is competing on the market of “time allocation”against your consumer’s center of interest: their relatives, their iconic brands and favorite global sports or showbiz stars.

How can your “brand” survive against such an intense competition?
To get a significant benefits from social media, it takes more than a “viral campaign” or some “fans’ recruitment campaigns”. You must perform “Social CRM” which involves many stakeholders in your organization by starting to bring together audience monitoring, social monitoring and CRM and finally by setting an ambitious and differentiating strategy.

The legal uncertainty about what is private and the public on social media makes most companies cautious on how to process the available information. Companies have just finished addressing the definition of the “single / individual customer” that is experiencing the concept of virtual self!

Our feeling at Inbox, is that this search for unicity must not be done too quickly. Of course, the legal uncertainty is a reason for this feeling, but not only: a person creating an avatar did for a personal privacy reason which must be acknowledged; it is the credibility of the company to respect that choice.

The challenge is therefore to consider any physical or virtual person as an individual as such, and thus, autonomous with its own behavior and its own relationship. This is the essence of Social CRM.

By extension, social media become another channel in the relationship. It is time to question ourselves and plunge into the Social CRM. We are witnessing a fundamental shift that is profoundly changing relationship marketing.

This is an opportunity for all of us provided we are ready to innovate and not just to adapt our technical expertise. Companies must continually support this evolution without prejudice or misconceptions and without knowing what will be the future of social media either but by focusing on quality, innovation, dialogue and sustainability of the relationship.

So, are you ready for Social Media CRM?!

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