Social media is a set of highly interactive technology tools that leverage the fundamental human desire to interact with others.  This includes technology like blogs, forums, wikis, bookmarking and tagging, RSS feeds, widgets, podcasts and, of course, social networking platforms such as Facebook.  Using social media tools, on-line communities are created that allow individuals to get information, opinions, solutions and ratings directly from each other rather than from vendors. Hosting your own on-line community is a great way increase customer engagement in an environment where you own the information and manage the conversation.

Define Success Criteria

Like any other business program, social media initiatives should have clearly defined success criteria which should relate to business goals and objectives.  ROI should be tracked and measured using on-going and relevant metrics.  Too many social media initiatives focus on the power of the technology, not understanding that technology is no substitute for strategy, and that social media tools are just one part of an overall customer outreach plan. And, we must not forget that our employees are also active social media users, and often a primary touch point for customers. This is why ISM offers a review/analysis and preparation process for a company's Social Media Employee Guidelines.

Add Value to CRM with Social Media

For organizations that are or have already invested significant amounts of time, effort and money in their CRM systems, social media tools add value.  At the intersection between CRM and social media is Social CRM: the ability to harvest information from social media, integrate it with the customer profile, and use that expanded profile to better personalize customer service, marketing messages, and sales offers.  This personalization is made possible by the development of powerful digital marketing tools for email marketing and campaign management.

ISM Approach

ISM brings its 27-year signature approach of integrating people, process and technology to the world of social media.  We believe that social media tools must be part of strategic customer intimacy and outreach strategies, integrated with organizational marketing plans, and clearly tied to business goals and objectives.  Our tightly integrated Social Media Services offering ensures that an organization gets the greatest benefit out of these powerful tools and techniques while enhancing their overall relationship with customers and prospects.