Six (wait, Seven) Questions Every Company Should be asking themselves now related to Social Media

Guido Oswald, in his blog post, Are Facebook and Twitter just new channels? makes the assertion that Facebook and Twitter might revolutionize CRM as we know it.

I would argue that Social Networks are primarily another lead generation source, and is rapidly becoming THE MEDIUM by which customers prefer to use.

The fundamentals have been around for a long time. Customers want to have a conversation about what is important to them and will align themselves with individuals and companies that best meet their needs with a valuable solution. The technology has enabled this to happen as never before.

The statistics are staggering. The next chasm to cross is how to transition those social media conversations into the transactional based CRM (which by the way is important, too), and at what point?

Either way, the questions below are pertinent for all companies to ask themselves. I would add the the list – “How Can I get my customer base talking to each other, and then listen, learn, and/or engage or intercede at appropriate times?”

Adapting to the new consumer behavioral patterns leads us to what I call a CRM 2.0 strategy any other term will do as well as long as it has the same meaning and results.

New questions must be asked:

1. How can I have a meaningful conversation with my customers?

2. How can I engage customers to take an active part in this conversation?

3. How can I leverage the knowledge and willingness of customers?

4. Does my corporate culture allow meaningful conversations what changes are required?

5. Do I know the little aches and pains of my customers? Are they dealt with?

6. Who are my customers and where / whom do the talk about products and services?