Guest Post Contributed by Lyuben Georgiev

The Internet changed our life forever. Network allows us to communicate in a way that we could not imagine a few years ago, to discover an infinite amount of information just a few clicks away. We turn to the web in every aspect of our lives – entertainment, knowledge and demand for various opinions. We are looking for advice on what to buy, where to buy and even who to buy it. In fact, according to recent findings 60% of all people use social media. Furthermore, 93% of consumers in social media feel that the various companies should have social media presence and they want a strong relationship with companies from whom they buy, and companies already understand themselves and seek new ways to communicate with customers.

Social Customer Relationship Management (CRM) must establish communication through joint experiences.

Social customers expect companies to go beyond the frequently askedquestions, they want to be involved in a meaningful exchange of information in the process of open conversation.

Social CRM adds the missing modifications to the  areas of the traditional. The focus is undoubtedly on people, but not by abstract entities, that one may control. The idea of social relationships is that to understand that the clients want to feel important and valuable for business, not the business to feel its customers as important. This means that social CRM is driven mostly from the content for the client rather than the data for it. It is centered around communication and not around the processes, focuses on people and communities rather than on operations.

When a content is in proper format, making it easy to consume from the target audience of companies increases the likelihood of early action by the client –  to start a conversation with the company. Whether it will be a post on blog with podcasts, YouTube videos – attractive content is a key pillar of social CRM strategy.

Finding ways to automate the creation and distribution of content is a processthat is also very important in Web 2.0 world. Maintenance of infrastructure and promotion of a specific subculture in customers and its partners is a very good way to “automate” the creation and distribution of content – they’ll make it on her behalf. Therefore, finding creative ways to push relevant content from followers will increase the impact of the company and increase its capacity for successful social CRM strategy.

Social CRM is not a substitute for traditional management of customer relationships. It just adds another dimension to this activity of company management and works best on the solid foundation of traditional CRM, including easy access to centralized customer database. Important processes are also and monitoring of events and coordinate activities, sales and marketing.

Takes time to understand the social rules of conversation on the web, to earn the respect of an online community. Many companies try to use Web 2.0 tools to deliver Web 1.0 marketing messages – that could seriously harm the reputation of the company. You should always bear in mind that the company must be involved as a collaborator and an accomplice – this is the fastest way to earn the respect of society and to realize the possibility of it to share thoughts, experiences and knowledge. This is the best way to turn clicks into calls and conversations into lasting business relations.

About the Author: Lyuben Georgiev currently works for WebCRM – A leading CRM Vendors in Europe. You can also find him @lyuben88 and read some of his interesting tweets.