Without a doubt, social media is now a very important part of the human experience. Currently, the number of social media users worldwide is estimated at approximately 3.9 billion, and the numbers will only increase by 2023. The wave of change in everyday life that social media spreads does not exempt e-commerce. Platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram are now fertile meeting places for companies and customers. Therefore, companies need to be more proactive in maximizing opportunities and controlling the narrative on those platforms. With the arrival of Social CRM are these goals now achievable?
WHAT IS SOCIAL CRM AND WHY DO COMPANIES NEED IT?
Social CRM is simply the integration of social networking technology into traditional customer relationship management software. It is an upgrade of the CRM system that allows businesses to manage and respond to social media interactions.
The average person spends about 2 hours and 27 minutes on social media every day. Social media has become the preferred interaction platform for billions of people. This means that conversations about your brand can happen at any time, both positive and negative. Moreover, customers increasingly see social media as the most suitable communication channel. So they expect your brand to be actively there to answer questions and handle complaints. Plus, the billions of people on those platforms represent plenty of potential customers for your business. So there are countless conversations to have and follow and insights to collect and analyze. And this is where social CRM comes in.
WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF SOCIAL CRM?
Now that we have identified the need for social CRM, let's explore its benefits. When social CRM is effectively implemented and used, these are the benefits for your business:
- Greater brand awareness and exposure
- Improved delivery of customer service services
- Improved Brand Loyalty
- Better lead generation
- Increase in sales revenue
BEST STEPS FOR A SUCCESSFUL IMPLEMENTATION OF SOCIAL CRM
The decision to implement social CRM is an important first step. Your customer support can monitor and respond to interactions. Your marketing can generate promising leads and your sales team will complete more transactions. However, if this technology is to deliver the above-mentioned benefits to your business, the implementation phase should run smoothly. Below are seven methods to guide the implementation of social CRM in your company:
SET SMART GOALS AND GOALS
As exciting as it is to start using social CRM, it's important to first explore your need for it. What problems are currently inherent in your social interaction? What improvements in customer experience do you hope to make? These are the questions your team should ask internally before investing in this technology. When these are answered, your company has established its goals and objectives.
ENSURE REAL-TIME INTERACTIONS
Response time makes all the difference in a customer's rating of their experience. Therefore, when using social CRM, make a quick response to questions and complaints at the top of your priority list.
STRIVE FOR A CONSISTENT BRAND EXPERIENCE
Your brand should strive for consistency across all the platforms you decide to operate on. You should not see your company respond quickly on Twitter, but slowly on Facebook. Likewise, you should not choose a formal tone on LinkedIn and a casual tone on Instagram. Such inconsistencies harm your brand and negatively impact social CRM performance metrics.
MAKE THE PLATFORMS ACCESSIBLE ONE BY ONE
Attempts to reach customers on all platforms simultaneously have a greater chance of failure than success. Therefore, the best approach is to start with one platform before expanding the reach of your social CRM. Doing this makes managing interactions easier. In addition, the time it takes to master the next platform will gradually become shorter.
DETERMINE KPIS
To effectively measure the success of your social CRM, select metrics from the start. There are many key performance indicators to choose from, but once you've established your goals and objectives, it's easy to decide which one to select. Then let the chosen methods form the basis for any decision to change the strategy or stay on track.
TRAIN STAFF ON SOCIAL LISTENING
A social CRM can be a complex tool in the hands of people who don't understand its functionality. Train your staff in the use of CRM, especially on social listening. This includes using relevant keywords to find important interactions. Mastering social listening is key to fast response time and lead generation, making it critical to your CRM social strategy.
INVOLVED INFLUENCERS
To succeed with your social CRM, it is important to involve the power players. In this context, however, influencers don't just refer to people with a large following. It also refers to loyal customers who already have a positive impression of your brand. They will be vital to your transition and success on any social media platform.
In short, social CRM is here to stay and Ecommerce brands should embrace it. The implementation can be difficult, but the workload should be significantly reduced with the above strategies in mind. Make the decision to socialize today CRM to your tech stack and reap the benefits that follow.
