Social Media – New Age Marketing

Social CRM is the integration of social networks with Customer Relationship Management (CRM) to help focus on the customers.

During the advent of CRM, company’s primary focus was on the Sales, Marketing, Service & Support. But with the emergence of social networks like Facebook, Twitter etc., companies are now shifting their focus on the customers to build better connection and customer relationship. Customers like to share information through their social networking profile like phone numbers; likes, dislikes etc. and customers always update this information on a periodic basis. Social CRM links your customer information stored in your CRM with the customer’s public profile on the social networks that customers maintain.

Customers are the focal point for the companies in Social CRM. Companies using CRM usually interacts with customers through telephone, email, post which is limited if the customers details are not updated and moreover it’s a one way interaction and is only useful for email campaign, tele-calling etc. With Social CRM, it’s a two way interaction, the companies interacts with customers through social networks & is possible to collect updated information, can take feedback as customers have public profile and happy to share information. Through social networks, companies can know the feedback of their products from customers or wannabe customers. Social networks also help companies to discover what customers are talking about their company. Sometimes customers interact/discuss with other people on these social networks and convey the performance, feedback of your product to them. So social networks will also help in bringing new customers to your fold. Social networks are a common ground for discussion for the customers.

Social CRM is more like interacting with customers, putting customers first & centre of the business and streamlining your business strategy. With proper understanding of Social CRM, companies can plan and can define customer -centric strategy.