Yes, You Can Use CRM and Social Media to Build Trust

When it comes to marketing your brand, trust goes a long way. While fewer and fewer consumers trust online ads — only about 13% do — there are other strategies you can use to build a connection with potential customers. Meet CRM. Also known as customer relationship management software, CRM is a powerful tool that helps you get to know your customers and deliver meaningful and highly targeted marketing messages.  A big component of the success of CRM comes from social media integration. With this feature, which more and more CRM platforms are offering, you can see what your contacts are talking about on social media and respond appropriately Here are some examples of how you can use social media monitoring through your CRM to uncover valuable sales opportunities:

A Contact Has a Question You Can Answer

So maybe one morning you’re perusing a past client’s CRM profile and you see that he recently asked a question on Twitter. And it’s one that you can answer! Now, your company might be the furthest thing from his mind, but as soon as you impress him with a stellar answer (with supporting resource link), you’ve instantly gotten on his radar. He might not instantly turn around and buy from you, but he will think about you more. Just continue to deliver value by paying attention to his stream (and those of others) so that you can be there when someone needs help.

A Contact Has a Major Life Event

A contact got a new job and announced it on LinkedIn. Or posted pictures of her new baby. Most people don’t expect brands to reach out when they experience one of these life events, but so much the better when you do. This is where simple customer nurturing comes in handy. You’re not trying to sell; instead you simply share your congratulations or comment on how adorbs that baby is. Again, it’s about building trust, not pushing for the sale.

You Become a Cutting-Edge Resource

Spend a little time seeing who your contacts follow on social media, and you’ll quickly see patterns that you can use to your advantage. Maybe they follow some of the top news sites in your industry. From that, you glean that many of your contacts want cutting-edge industry news. You live and breathe your industry, so why shouldn’t you be able to deliver just that to your customers? You can start incorporating whatever your contacts are looking for in your social stream, but you can also add it to your blogging calendar, as well as your email newsletter. Deliver value on every level.

You Know Your Customer Better

You don’t even need to log into your company’s Twitter account to benefit from the social media component of CRM. Simply reviewing those streams, you can take notes within each customer profile to better deliver targeted communication. For example: your customers probably don’t give you their birthdays when they make a purchase, but Facebook will tell you. Make a calendar item for each contact’s birthday, and set a task for next year to send something special for the occasion. Leveraging social media from within CRM makes you a trusted partner with your contacts, and increases your sales as a result.