Social Media Marketing

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SOCIAL CRM AND B
USINESS D
ESIGN

The Elements of Social CRM

Table 9.1 shows the fundamental components of a typical Social CRM program along
with a handful of representative examples, broken out in boxes that parallel the basic
processes of engagement. Noteworthy with regard to Social CRM are the many ways
it is similar to the relationship (or lack thereof) between social media and traditional
media. Social CRM is not a new type of CRM but is rather a fusion of the principles of
CRM—data collection around a specific customer or transaction, analysis and projec-
tion of a next action with regard to that customer—with the norms and technologies
that are associated with the social elements—like collaboration—that are associated
with Web 2.0.

P Table 9.1 Representative Elements of Social CRM

Social Activity Platform Examples CRM Function

Listening Alterian SM2, Radian 6, Rapleaf, SAS

Social Media Analytics, Nielsen |

BuzzMetrics

Collecting raw inputs, organizing conversa-

tional data, and quantifying primary con-

versational measures including volume and

sentiment.

Responding Twitter (external), Yammer and

Socialtext’s Signals (internal), Socialcast

and its integration with SharePoint

Managing a basic, participative process:

Listening, understanding, responding, asking

questions, and acting.

Connecting BuzzStream, Rapleaf Faceconnector,

Lotus Connections

Identifying specific influencers and linking

more information about them—at their

option—to listening and business data.

Collaborating SalesForce.com, Lithium, Socialtext,

Lotus Notes (internal), SharePoint and

Socialcast

Tapping the ideas of influencers and the sug-

gestions of customers to improve products and

services, and thereby manage conversations.

Referring again to Table 9.1 and the general ascension in engagement as a busi-
ness moves from listening to collaborating, if the approach taken to Social CRM is
a new way to collect customer data and then use that (only) to push a sales message,
the result will be at best suboptimal. At worst, it will be an outright failure in the
same way that using social media sites to push a marketing message are less effective
or downright harmful when compared with directly participating in social activities,
alongside and in support of customers. Social CRM is different from traditional CRM,
and “social” is a big part of that difference.

Social CRM: Engagement Drives Innovation

Social CRM and its potential for driving beneficial change and innovation are built
around the underlying engagement process. Social CRM brings to that process the
same sort of discipline and quantitative rigor that (traditional) CRM brings to sales
programs and customer relationship efforts.