Social media experts will tell you, and theyāll make a pretty good case too, that it is the golden key to unlocking meaningful customer relationships and the gateway to surprising and delighting them over time. So how does social media do this? Well all it takes is to listen, be part of the conversation, curate great content, run native advertisements, and oh yeah, be transparent and authentic. Done and done. Well, wrong and wrong. Social media isnāt going to save…
L.L. Bean: The importance of relationships in CRM and social in CSR
This is a story about the bond between a brand and a customer and the importance of relationships to do good things together… Guest post by Steven Gadecki, Director of Digital Marketing at SONY Pictures Television – Follow him on Twitter My story begins when my mother bought me an L.L.Bean backpack when I first started attending Broome Community College (BCC) in Binghamton, NY. Little did I know at the time that this backpack would become the catalyst for the…
Small Business Strategy: 10 Trends to Watch
Part of an ongoing series dedicated to small businesses As you read this, the business landscape is shifting right under your company’s foundation. How customers make decisions, how they discover, communicate, and share, how they influence and are influenced, is evolving considerably. In fact, customer behavior is not only changing, itās fragmenting and opening the door to new touch points. Your business will now have to compete for the customers you know and additionally, a new breed of customers that…
Businesses not Making the Pivot from Lip Service to Social Customer Service [infographic]
Social media changes everything. Marketing, sales, customer service, they’re no longer departments, engagement is now a way of business. As the impact of social spreads through organizations, questions arise about the role social ultimately plays in customer service and overall customer experiences. For the past three years, good friend Brent Leary and the folks at Social Media Today have produced The Social Customer Engagement Index. It examines how companies are using social tools for customer service and, more importantly, how…
The 4 C’s of the Conversation Company: still a long road ahead for most companies
Guest post by Steven Van Belleghem (@steven_insites) One of the key challenges in the social business/conversation world is: how can companies honestly be customer-oriented. In my research, I learned that four pillars help companies to move forward in this challenge. These four dimensions are: Customer experience, Conversation management, Content marketing and Collaboration with clients. Customer Experience: people love to talk about your service and your products. It is the key driver of consumer conversations. Conversation: the story of my previous…
Are you connecting with your new generation of customers…Generation C?
As youāll no doubt read here over and over again, social media is important to your business. If you donāt engage on Twitter, Facebook, or Youtube, youāll eventually go out of business. At least thatās what the experts will have you believe. Fear tactics are not so much as effective in business or defining customer relationships as they are at creating a sense of [contrived] controversy. I must be honest with you however. While social media is indeed a game…
In Social Media, the Customer is Always Right – Right Now
Frank Eliason and I have known each other for many years. We’ve shared the stage on many occasions, he’s made an appearance on Revolution, and most importantly, I’m proud to call him a personal friend. Frank has championed the adaption and transformation of customer service during his time at Comcast and at CITI. Never one to shy away from sharing his opinions, he’s certainly bullish on where service needs to be as a function and a philosophy versus where it…
10 Trends to Beat Digital Darwinism
The digital landscape continues to undergo a significant shift that will have profound effects on business this year. The challenge is that hardly any business leaders noticed. Thatās not their fault however. Even through the impact of technology on business and consumer behavior was widely reported, in depth reports on what to do next or how this will affect their business specifically were scant at best. Iām sure you heard it from āexpertsā everywhere, āYou need a Facebook brand page!…
Social media is about social science not technology
In 2007, I wrote an article entitled, “Social Media is About Sociology Not Technology.” It’s a statement that after five years (and counting), I thankfully continue to see shared every day on Twitter. As time passed and experience matured, I amended that statement to now read, “Social media is about social science not technology.” Why did I change such a powerful statement? I believe that it is not only stronger now, it is also truer. See, sociology is just one…
Season 2 Finale: How Yamaha invests in new customer experiences
This is it…the Season Finale! And, what a way to end Season 2 of (R)evolution…. In this episode, Yamaha shares what is by far the most expansive view of disruptive technology’s impact on business infrastructure and culture on the show to date. What you’ll see is a genuine discussion withĀ Jeff Hawley and Rick Williams of Yamaha explore how an already successful business is exploring new opportunities to better define the customer experience before, during and after transactions. It comes down…
