Go to the Microsoft Dynamics CRM Marketplace and do a search for "Social CRM" and what is the first result you see? It's Parrot by Webfortis.  As the Social Media Coordinator for Webfortis, it is exciting to watch Parrot grow to become a prominate product on the Dynamics Marketplace.  It is astounding how Parrot attracts masses of interest from users all over the world from all types of business.  The fact that Parrot is such a unique product to the Marketplace allows it to grow and become the best Social CRM product for Dynamics available, despite its short lifetime or being released to the public.  If you don't have Parrot installed already into your CRM, now is the time to get it.  Read the full solution brief of Parrot at:  http://www.microsoft.com/casestudies/Microsoft-Dynamics-CRM/Webfortis/Selling-Social-CRM-Through-the-Microsoft-Dynamics-Marketplace-Establishing-Web-Presence-with-Microsoft-Dynamics-Marketplace/4000011686

Social media and CRM go together like a movie and popcorn or cookies and milk.  Tracking all interactions with customers helps to make CRM as effective as it is.  Social media gives your business another channel to interact with your current and prospective customers in an environment they are comfortable in.  In order for your company to be approachable on a social media channel you must first develop a successful social media strategy by using the most effective Social Media channels.  To help you kick start your Social CRM here is a list of the eight most used channels for Social CRM and reasons why they may be right or wrong for you: 1.       Twitter – Twitter allows you to put bits of news out to your followers.  Pros: It takes little time to set up a Twitter account and even less time to keep it up.  This is recommended for all companies, especially if you are skeptical of the social media tactic of CRM. Cons:  Since the pace of Twitter is so fast, few people will see each post.  Posting regularly is key for a successful Twitter based Social CRM.  Making time throughout the day to post on Twitter can be challenging.  Likewise for readers, following a conversation is also not as simple as most other social media outlets.   2.       Facebook – Facebook allows companies to create pages with just about any type of content they would like. Pros:  Facebook is great if you have diehard fans.  Use Facebook to create a following around your brand by offering special promotions and information only to those who become fans of your Facebook page.  You can create a cult following by giving your fans something unique to talk about both on your page and theirs. Cons: It can become difficult to create fans of your page if your organization provides an obscure service.  One way of getting around this is to find an exciting topic.   3.       LinkedIn – LinkedIn is the professional social media website.  Pros:  Having a company profile gives the viewer insight into your business.  This is a must if you are a small business; making yourself a celebrity in your specialty will only draw people to you.  Cons:  All interactions happen on the individual level.  Meaning, self-promotion as a company representative is the best way to attract customers and prospective customers.  When generating business, many companies confuse LinkedIn with being the go-to site for Social CRM and generating business.  In reality, LinkedIn is a great channel to connect with people you already have a connection with.  Since it is saturated with professionals, when connecting with new individuals you will be drowned out by all the other professionals screaming for attention.  Use LinkedIn as a channel of communication and not for generating new business.   4.       YouTube – YouTube allows you to post any type of videos for others to view. Pros:  You can record tutorials, interviews, public speaking, commercials and facts about your company.  Draw people to you by showing you have the knowledge necessary to give people what they want.  They can also leave comments about your videos and ask questions. Cons:  Badly edited videos can make your company look unprofessional on YouTube.  And even though “going viral” can bring business, your goal is to receive positive exposure, not negative.  Rule of thumb here is that less is more.   5.       Google+ - Google+ is Google’s response to Facebook and works in much the same way. Pros:  Google+ had huge hype during the launch, but unfortunatly corporations were not invited to join in the excitement.  Now there is a rumor that Google+ is related to search rakings on Google. Cons:  The hype is fading and just about everyone has moved back to Facebook.  My suggestion would be to stick with Facebook and not to bother with putting time into making an impression on Google+.   6.       Quora – Quora is a question and answer site. Pros:  This works very much in the same way that LinkedIn Answers works but is not as saturated with other professionals to compete with.  Most people asking questions on Quora are genuinely looking for answers whereas on LinkedIn Answers many people are trying to generate business for themselves.  Quara is a great way to start communication with people who may become new customers. Quora is also a great place to come up with blog topics. Cons:  Most of the “good” responses are lengthy.  If you would like to draw attention to yourself on Quora, my suggestion would be to kill two birds with one stone and create answers that you can also put on your blog.     7.       Foursquare –  Foursquare is a location based social site. Pros:  Foursquare is a must if you are in the retail business.  Just the game of winning points and becoming mayor is enough to draw business.  Communicate with your customers by giving rewards. Cons:  Not for home based business or businesses which do not have customers visiting frequently.   8.       Blog – Blogs are a place to share anything and everything with people on a website you monitor. Pros:  Blogs give you the opportunity to share your expertise and draw people to your website from search engines by using SEO (Search Engine Optimization) and should be used by businesses of all shapes and sizes. Cons:  They can be very time consuming.  Use WordPress.com to set up a site and choose a theme that is not a default option (choosing the default theme screams amateur).  Coming up with new topics can also be difficult.  Use a question that you have recently been asked or use Quora to generate topics. When creating a Social CRM strategy it can be very easy to be ambitious and get on every social site on the web.  This thinking is a set up for failure.  To be successful with Social CRM first develop a strategy to include the social media channels that would be best for your purpose.  At Webfortis we have the experience with Social CRM to help you to develop this strategy.  We evaluate the best tactics to use in Social Media channels and the tools necessary to execute these ideas.  Email Madeline Goepp at mgoepp@webfortis.com for more information.  

As a Social CRM expert, one of the things that Webfortis prides itself on is our climbing status in social media.  We do not just work on our social media status for status sake, we work to give our followers and fans relevant information about CRM and Webfortis to improve our customer service, reinforce our expertise in CRM and develop a trust in our brand.  To be a company who uses social media successfully, the business must keep a close eye on what their specific social media trends.  In other words, what is working for their company and what is not.  Each business is different and understanding what fans and followers feed off of is an important aspect of developing a strong social media strategy.   As Webfortis becomes a stronger force in social media, we are building a stronger strategy everyday that satisfies those who are involved.  Some of our most exciting stats are as follows: ·         Our Twitter profile is, on average, receiving one new follower a day and gaining momentum. ·         Our views this month on YouTube are more than 10x what they were in June. ·         We are rated in the top 9% of all social media users on Tweet Grader. ·         Our two most recent hires have been a direct result of social media. Contact me at mgoepp@webfortis.com for more information on improving your company's Social CRM strategy.    

Parrot is Webfortis’ Social Media solution for Microsoft Dynamics CRM and is currently being used in 32 countries worldwide spanning six of seven continents.  Parrot has a large adoption range of industries as well as cultures, allowing companies to globally market their businesses, provide customer service and conduct research.  In addition, Social Media is becoming a worldwide phenomenon that is spreading throughout the industry, making Parrot the optimal tool to bring Social Media into your Dynamics CRM no matter your location.  Our team of Parrot professionals are available virtually for demos or questions.  For more information on Parrot as well as a free download, go to http://www.webfortis.com/webfortis-social-media-solutions.aspx .  

Many companies are recognizing the worth of Social Media and what it can do for their businesses. Unfortunately, they opt to hiring specialists to promote their social media departments.  This solution, though seemingly harmless, may cause your company to have a neutral or even negative response to your company’s social media.  When hiring specialists, they only know what you tell them about your products and company.  This often leads to the specialist’s inability to give a genuine look into what your company has to offer.  Your social media in turn appears generic and impersonal.  Having an internal report on what an employee experiences  throughout the day will allow for a sincere social media experience that no specialist can give you. Your company can take a proactive step towards opening the lines of communication by teaching and integrating your employees.  In a perfect world a company would hire a social media expert, such as Webfortis, to show them how to be active in social media.  These experts have the experience to teach your business the ins and outs of social media along with a few tips and tricks to point your business  in the right direction.  In the end, your employees will absorb these tactics and execute with a personal touch that is unique to your business.  

A couple months ago I attended a social media conference.  I sat down at a large round table with about ten other people and the introductions started.  I introduced myself as the Social Media Coordinator for Webfortis, a company that specializes in Dynamics CRM.  Another gentleman at the table introduced himself as Robert , the CEO of a Social CRM company.  Then the question arose, “What is Social CRM?”  Robert and I looked at each other and paused, “Well… I would like to hear your definition,” he said to me. So, what is Social CRM?  This is a question that fills Social Media Marketing and CRM communities and it seems as though definitions very from person to person.  This is due to Social CRM being a broad term that came from a need for businesses to keep track of their engagements within social media, a tool not designed for businesses. At first glance these two things appear as though they have little to do with each other but if we go back to elementary school and compound words, breaking down Social CRM can help us understand exactly what it is.  Social Media is the newest and greatest marketing, sales and customer service strategies that companies are successfully using.  Social Media allows companies to be able to go where their customers are, see what their customers are talking about, gain their trust, interact with them and provide another channel to help with any complaints or concerns from current customers CRM is software that manages a company’s interactions with customers through the marketing, sales and customer service process.  These interactions include everything from phone calls to emails to snail mail to quotes to invoices and everything in between.  It also helps a company be efficient in these interactions, see and understand all aspects of the business and close their deals.  If a company is using social media to further achieve their efforts with customers it is only logical to use your CRM system to help plan and track these interactions as you would with any other interaction a company would have with a customer.  Therefore Social CRM is nothing new and different from what we already know about CRM and Social Media, it is simply the wording used for companies to be more efficient in their social media strategy. For a Social CRM strategy of your own, contact me at mgoepp@webfortis.com.

When we talk about CRM (Customer Relation Managment) we are talking about the interaction we are having with our customers, future customers and people in general.  When we talk about social media we are talking about having engagments with people who are interested in what we have to say.  The cross over between the two are obvious:  They both are about conversating with others who have some type of relation to a company. How can social media benefit a company?  There is an interaction happening but what does that mean?  The simple answer:  It is hard to tell!  There are five reasons why companies use social media: 1.  Creating new leads:  Talking to people on social media sites and get them to trust the company.  One on one interaction shows that a compnay cares. 2. Customer Service/ Customer Retention:  Both South West and Comcast have used social media to find people who are complaining about their services/ products and find a way to help them out and keep them as a happy customer. 3. Branding:  Giving the company a certain image to attract commerse. 4. E-Commerce:  Selling products through social media.  By talking about your products through social media and providing a link will expose people to your services/ products. 5. Research:  Find out what people are saying about your company and your compotition's company to stratigize to make for better services/ products/ marketing. By using at least one of these reasons to guide the use of social media, you will find success.  It may take time and trial and error but social media can be benefitial in all aspects of business.