Full RSS Feed
Receive
the Free CMSWire NewsletterThere is no shortage of means for engaging in the social media landscape, and engage we must, goes the current industry imperative. But best practices are in short supply. Here are some guiding thoughts as we pick our way through the social engagement woods.
We're Engaged! Our Intimate Relationship with the Web
The word “engagement” implies a connection between two parties. It's personal, it's distinctive — it's everything the Web is becoming in the wake of the social computing boom. These days not being tuned into your audience is a communications and relationship disaster.
"…consumers that actively engage in the use of social media tend to feel more in control of relationships and more positive about their connection with organizations in general," explained Michael Hulme, Professor, Institute of Advanced Study, Lancaster University, in a recent article.
More importantly, organizations are slowly but surely discovering that forming and cultivating online relationships is the key to consumers' hearts. That is, establishing and continuously nursing these connections is crucial for business success.
"By providing an online community in which you can engage your audience in conversations with other like-minded people, you strengthen their bond with your brand," offered Anna Van Sligtenhorst, Telligent's director of product management.
Finding Your Audience
It's impossible to count the number of social engagement tools out there — there are just too many. They serve difference purposes, perform different tasks, integrate in different ways, etc. And while options are great, having so many means you really need to dig deep into your needs before you start shopping.
Daniel Kraus of Leading Results gave a talk a couple of months ago at SugarCon 2010. He discussed the importance of differentiating between your target customer and your ideal customer. We all know what a target customer is — it's the customer that you intend to reach with your business. Unfortunately, limiting yourself to just one group can be a disservice.
"An ideal customer is someone that is profitable, values what you do, refers you, etc," Kraus said. "Contact 8 to 10 of them and ask why they chose you. What did you do that they valued most? What is unique about your company? If you have defined your ideal customer, then you know where to engage them on the social Web."
In the same vein, Sitecore's Lars Birkholm Petersen recently pointed out that sometimes it's a good idea to start your engagement process by talking to yourself, not your customers. That is, before you start thinking about how you're going to engage your audience, know exactly what you want to get out your new relationships and what your organization's related policies and practices are. This will provide critical focus and structure for your limited resources.
Habits You Can Bank On
Once you've identified where your audiences are it's time to engage with them, which brings us to obstacle number two: finding a balance.
In the business world, one of the main challenges with combining social software and content management is maintaining a level of control that is appropriate for an enterprise and specific to business needs. To ensure that you don't fall victim to bad practices, keep the following in mind:
Continue reading this article:
Email It
