Social Media Marketing

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c h a p t e r

2 :

THE N

EW R

OLE OF THE C

USTOMER

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•    Overlay the moments of truth with a feedback channel audit: Where are the

gaps? Where do the channels overlap? What feedback do you have that shows

how you are performing at these points?

•    Establish a baseline of customer experience and priorities to improve: Based on

the above, align efforts with your business objectives and set out a plan.

•    Establish a regular process for reporting: Use the associated metrics for each

step in the process along with your plan to keep your larger (cross functional)

team updated. “No surprises” is the best surprise.

Put these ideas together and you have the basic value proposition for Social

CRM, in the context of a new role for the customer, in a participant-driven business:

By understanding who among your customers is influential, by noting who is at the

center of a specific conversation, and by developing relationships with these people, you

create the opportunity to more deeply understand why they feel—positively or nega-

tively—the way they do. You can use this information in a forward-looking (proactive)

rather than reactive manner to drive innovation and to ultimately shape the conversa-

tions in ways that benefit rather than hinder your business.

Looking at Figure 2.2, you can see that the product or service experience cre-

ates a conversation, one that is often directed or intended for a specific audience and

which often exposes or suggests an opportunity for innovation. This is the new role of

the customer, expressed through its impact via the traditional CRM process, integrated

now with a social component.

AWARENESS CONSIDERATION PURCHASE

Figure 2.2 The New Customer Influence Path