subject: 3 key approaches for an effective positioning of online business and social CRM [print this page] 3 key approaches for an effective positioning of online business and social CRM
In a world where 80% of children under the age of 5 are using the internet, it is highly unlikely that there are many business that you are aware of which have no internet presence. Mostly all businesses from the western hemisphere have a website or web presence.If this story ends with just the mere culmination of having a website being enough; then there would not be a place for online marketers, social media gurus or other marketing companies, therefore the website is just the start of the journey of being an online company. To ensure an effective online presence, you firstly need to understand the battlefield before entering it. You need a good understanding of your customer and what they are about, with the invention of web 2.0 (Social media etc.), customers have the liberty to make their voices and presence more visible than ever before. You need to establish a two way communication with your customer and ensure that you are always readily available to help them. There are three key places where people are interacting with your brand on the internet 1. You website Which you have prepared for them and they have visited you through different means 2. Your presence on different web portals i.e. Facebook and Twitter, these are created on a site where your customers also share the same platform presence 3. Where people are talking about you behind your back, where you don't have a direct presence. From aninside out approach you should have a capable website, content, design and an effectual way of bringing more people to your website. You can use search marketing, online PR or social media marketing for this. But having a website is still a one way approach where visitors are reading or watching what you have posted. The key is to have web content that is interesting, engaging and to the point. With so many mediums and websites no one has the time to read too much detail regarding what you do. So be clear, effective and concise.
From theoutside in approach, you should make a presence on the social media platforms where you can attract the maximum amount of fans and followers by presenting them with engaging, entertaining and useful information; sometimes monitory rewards through discounts can be enticing. An example where this has worked effectively is if you join GoodPrint an online printing company on Facebook , you will get a 25% discount on all orders placed through this medium. The difference here with social media is to be online and ready to talk with your customers all the time.This means 24/7 two way communication, unlike your website where once you have posted some information you can go back home and sleep quietly. The final approach is theout and out; this is the most challenging approach for any business. Apart from your website and social media platform there are many places where people are talking about your business and you cannot reach them at each and every place due to limited resources. But as the saying goes with every problem there is always a solution you can always leverage the presence of your brand advocated to make an impact. In this blog I previously mentioned the company GoodPrint, even GoodPrint will not be aware of this communication, but I am sure some of you will use their Facebook presence and discount in the future.Ultimately you need to combine and use your website, social media and other communication and engagement strategies to increase the number of advocates who can back your business in a positive way.
To adapt these approaches effectively and implement solutions to make an effective online presence, businesses are required to use web analytics, social media analytics and CRM in an effective combination called Social CRM. Businesses should understand the need of following trends on the likes of Facebook or Twitter and change their communication strategies for the future. Old styled CRM cannot help much where businesses are relying on one to one contact with the customer. In today's world every customer and business is connected in some way, shape or form therefore businesses are required to change their strategies accordingly. Social CRM can be the answer of all from fans, followers to customers and advocate alike. Atal Malviya ODiMaX Limited (www.odimax.com)
