I just commented on Are We Gulping Social Media Kool-Aid?
In the post Dick Lee argues that there are 4 things we need to concentrate on before using social media:
1. Improving processes to improve customer experience
2. Investing to determine what customers value and how much
3. Removing organizational impediments to delivering customer value
4. Getting your internal communication act together
My comment:
I definitely agree Dick there are many people out there that are preaching that social media is an end all of marketing and all things online. The fact is if you don’t have a sound foundation in your company, social media will not save you.
Social media is a tool. Right now it is very hot, partially because it is a relatively new phenomenon and partially because of it’s power. Social media usage continues grow in leaps and bounds and is definitely very powerful for reaching people. But, if a company is not based on sound principles and/or they don’t create a plan for social media, they will fail. You make 4 very good points which all lead to better customer service and customer relations. Social media has the power to extend this and engage your clients and potentials. Though without a customer centric attitude, the company will most likely miss the point of social media and it will be a further extension of their poor costumer policies. Which can even cause more damage than good.
Bottom Line: First create a strong customer centric basis in your company, then use Social Media to bring it to the masses.
I actually wrote about why companies fail at social media sometime ago: More Than 50 Percent of Fortune 1000 Companies Will Fail With Social Media, Will You?
