We have a guest post today from Katy Boos of Big Sky Communications. She writes about using social media for your customer programs. It’s a topic we recommend customer reference managers and executives have in their plans, either originating initiatives from their customer reference program or leveraging what has been set up by other groups within their company. Enjoy…
At the recent Customer Reference Forum in Berkeley, CA, the most buzzed-about topic was social media. Customer reference professionals are asking: what role can/should social media play in customer programs? What types of social media should I integrate into my customer program? Should we have a Facebook page? Should we be on Twitter? What about YouTube videos?
At the beginning of 2009, Forrester conducted a research study which showed that 95% of technology decision makers surveyed were using some sort of social media. Given that statistic, customer reference managers need to find smart ways to leverage customers in social media.
Here are some examples of companies I think are doing a great job using social media for customer references:
- Communities: It’s hard to imagine a company doing more than Intel from a communities perspective. Check out all they offer from blogs, written and audio discussions, wikis, photos and more. Also look at Dell’s Ideastorm where customers submit ideas and the community votes on them. Dell features the current stats on the main page. At the time of this writing, the Dell Community had contributed 11,553 ideas, posted 85,599 comments and Dell had implemented 317 ideas. Wow – that shows the power of customer input!
- YouTube: Companies are finding new outlets for videos – both professionally produced or more casual footage. Wyse Technology has its own YouTube channel where its customer videos have attracted a few thousand viewers within just a few months of going live.
- Twitter: Red Hat (@redhatnews) is effectively using Twitter to update its followers (almost 1,500 at the time of this writing) about its news, including its latest customer successes. According to Forrester Research, Twitter is “uniquely valuable to marketers because it’s more immediate and interactive than any other digital channel.” In another example, Dell noticed customers complaining on Twitter that the apostrophe and return keys were too close together on the Dell Mini 9 laptop. So Dell fixed the problem on the Dell Mini 10.
- Facebook: Aspect Software’s Customer Reference Program Facebook page describes itself as “a forum for Aspect Software customer reference program members to network, talk about industry trends, receive updates on industry awards, speaking opportunities and many other reference opportunities.” The page invites feedback from the group on things like the new company website, offers free passes to company events, notifies the group of awards opportunities, and posts pictures from customer events.
One thing that’s clear: There is not one approach to social media that works for every company. It really depends on you, your company and where your audiences are online. Here’s how I think of it: Social media is a toolset that reference professionals need to understand and be able to engage in. It can be incorporated across all types of communications – from PR to advertising, marketing to sales and up to the executive suite. Customer reference professionals need to look at where their customers are online and then engage with them there.
Katy Boos, Partner, Big Sky Communications
Hi Katy,
Thanks for the great post and actual examples. What stood out most for me is how these companies are creating community, not just blasting info at customers. They allow customers to submit feedback to them, and to interact with each other freely. I attended a CRF a couple of years back and recall that customers really want this interaction with their peers.
Casey