The Ever-Growing Role of Social Media in Your CRM Strategy

Since the rise of the internet and the digital era, the world of business has changed beyond all recognition. This sweeping change has affected businesses of all sizes, from the mighty conglomerates to the all-important SMEs. There’s no doubt that you’ll have embraced this change with regards to your promotional channels: email correspondence, a website, and online ads all form part of this strategy. But what about CRM? If you thought that your digital presence and the way you manage your customer relationships weren’t linked… think again. Let’s take a look at how social media can transform the effectiveness of your CRM strategy almost immediately.

The blurred lines of social media

One of the most unusual aspects of social media is the way in which it blends our personal lives with the world of business. Consider your own Facebook account (if you have one); it’s likely you have a number of ‘real life’ friends that you keep up-to-date with via the site, but it’s also possible that you’ve ‘Liked’ one or two brands you’re a fan of. This is where the lines start to blur. Social media is essentially a form of opt-in advertising; and because of that, it can be an incredibly powerful tool for customer relationship management. There is a real sense of engagement and connection between Facebook users and the accounts they follow, despite the fact that it’s very much indirect and low-impact for the business. Let’s examine this aspect a little more closely.

Social media: A one-size-fits-all solution?

As you’ll know if you use a software-based CRM solution like AutoVu, a comprehensive customer relationship management strategy is far more in-depth than social media could ever cater for alone. However, it does have its benefits. For example, if you don’t yet have any form of CRM system in place, social media can (at least temporarily) take the place of direct communication from your business. Imagine you’re a new customer that’s just purchased a large quantity of widgets, enough to warrant you being described as a high-value client. The weeks go by and you hear nothing from the business -- so how does the story end? Well, more than likely you’ll never buy from them again. Spin the story with social media and it may play out differently. While the phone calls and emails still aren’t coming in, you’re seeing posts from the company on Facebook and Twitter – and potentially engaging with them on that level. Whilst rudimentary, this form of communication may be enough to keep your interest long enough for that second order.

The value of real engagement

Likes and comments are all well and good, but is there any real value in social media interactions? The answer is… well, it varies. That’s not very conclusive, but the truth is that social media’s value is really dictated by engagement. To bolster an existing CRM strategy (or to bridge the gap while you set one up), social media can be somewhat effective in keeping clients, both existing and prospective, engaged with your product or service. This could be in the form of special offers exclusive to social media followers, or even something as simple as asking your audience’s opinion on a potential new product. The heart of these exchanges is engagement, and that should always be your aim with social media. Is it a replacement for fully fledged CRM systems? Absolutely not – but it can certainly add a little seasoning to what’s already there.