You no longer need to wonder what social media and marketing have in common. The signs are everywhere and it is almost impossible to imagine one without the other, as they have been so successfully integrated over the years.
We have seen an evolution into the modern era of Web 2.0, in which hundreds of millions of people are connected online, and modern social customer relationship management (CRM). Business has made the move online and is moving today at the speed of the World Wide Web. One thing is certain. The size of the world seems much smaller as a result.
But how can social marketing really help your marketing efforts?
Quite frankly, your marketing efforts will not amount to much without some serious investment in the care and feeding of proper social networking form and etiquette. The information age is a brave new world and many businesses not adapting to new technologies are becoming lost in the shuffle. There are few businesses today that can really afford to dismiss the importance of a strong Internet presence in today’s marketplace.
This means, in order to maximize your marketing potential and successfully reach as many potential customers and actual customers as you can, you must utilize the full scope and reach of social CRM. For some, particularly those who embrace technology, this realization is exhilarating. For those who resist technology and the new wave of social marketing and cling to the old standards for CRM, it can spell extinction.
But the real question you want answered is how do you go about it?
Social media and marketing work so effectively because social media is personal. It’s taking the old door-to-door approach to a virtual level. It’s far less invasive and more often than not, people invite you right into their Twitter accounts, RSS Feeds, Facebook, and MySpace pages.
This is not your parents’ method of doing business and that is the reason that new companies are zooming past the staid old cornerstones in the marketplace. Many older, more established businesses are slow to change and afraid to get to the real heart of the matter when it comes to social media. It’s the reason why one relatively new and unheard of car company walked in during the recent recession and turned tried and true car companies on their rear axles. They made it personal. They brought themselves down to the human level of mere mortal consumers. They understood the needs and concerns of car buyers and addressed them. As a result they sold more cars than any other car companies during that time and forced the other car companies hoping to compete to match their offer.
Social media can enable you to deliver a message; if you manage to connect with your audience while sending that marketing message you are going to need an extensive CRM support system in place to help you keep up with the growing demand for your products and/or services.
Make sure, before you launch a massive social media and marketing campaign, that you have multiple avenues for customer contact available and that you are fully prepared for the potential onslaught of business coming your way.
