Social Brand

Plaxo, launched in 2002, is a tool that enables users create and maintain an online contact list and have it automatically updated.

Users have their information stored on servers, so they can access it anytime from everywhere. When your contact information is updated it will be changed in all your contacts’ address books that are connected to you through the site.

You can reach your contacts very fast. Results start to show with the typing of the first few letters. Opening a record is fast as well, without delay, after double clicking the contact. You can categorize your contacts into groups and add your contacts to more than one group. This way you can create distribution lists and send messages to the whole group at once.

Another feature allows you to mark your favorite contacts and they will appear on the front page of your address book.

Since 2008, Plaxo allows its users to share content from different social media platforms like blogs, social networking and post photos. Plaxo can also track feeds from different social media. Users can share and view content they have chosen by categories; friends, family, business and so on.

Up until 2009, Plaxo offered sync-up service with Outlook, Mozilla, Gmail and Yahoo. This service still exists but it has become Premium (paid) service in July of that year. It allows people to keep their contacts, calendar and tasks up to date across many platforms.

Plaxo is ranked #1,752 in the world, and #985 in the United States, where about 40% of the users are located. It is also popular in South Africa and is ranked #682 among all the South African sites.

Statistic shows that this site appeals more to high income women over the age of 35 who use it for business.

It is not just about creating your own Facebook page anymore; it is about maintaining it so you can be able to better connect with your existing customers and develop a connection with future ones. Being active on the site is one of the main things you should think about. How to be active? Here are a few ideas that can change you Facebook page from a dormant one to an active one:

Use your existing customers to promote your page. Once they connect to your page they are able to share it with their friends. That is the essence of Facebook, but for businesses there are some free tools you can use; Page Badge allows you to promote your Facebook page from your website and drive traffic to it so they can see what is going on and what’s new in your business. “Like Box” – implementing a “like” button on your website page gives your customers the ability to like your Facebook page from your website. Include a link to your Facebook page in your newsletter and e mails to encourage your customers to join your Facebook page.

Facebook Ads is another way to create a marketing campaign within a budget. You can do it yourself by going to the site and following the directions for creating a successful ad campaign.

Publish relevant information on your Facebook page, be helpful and giving. Write in your true voice, as a person, not a business owner. Talk about things relevant to your business.

Use humor and provide fun facts that will make them come back.

Update the site frequently. A few times a week is recommended. If you have nothing new to inform your customers, dig up some relevant information and post that.

Encourage writing on your page and respond to the comments. If you get favorite reviews about one of your products respond to it and mention a similar product you’ll have for sale soon. If you have a complaint, answer it even quicker. Show your followers that you value them and their feelings.

Use Facebook to ask customers what they think about a certain product or service. Creating a two way conversation, and finding out what your customers would like to have is very important.

Use Page Insights. It is a program which provides anonymous statistics about your friends including demographics and frequency of use.

Use photos and upload videos to make it come alive and fun.

Update your page using mobile technology. This is very simple today with the iPhone and androids. That helps you update your page if you are on the road and have no immediate access to your computer.

One of the biggest questions small business owners ask themselves is how effective is my presence in the social media circles.

A good word of mouth can go a long way, but in the same way a bad comment can have a negative effect on your business.

People are sharing their thoughts on blogs, forums, groups, Facebook, Twitter and other social media sites. Somewhere in there, among all the social talk, there might be a piece of information that will be crucial to your business. To be effective, your reaction should be quick. You can’t afford to wait weeks for reports. You want to know what people are talking about in your niche. That can give you an idea where you should go next in your business.

That is what CRM all about?

CRM is an acronym for Customer Relationship Management. It is a strategy for managing interactions with customers, clients and potential clients. Using technology CRM helps you organize, synchronize and automate sales activity, marketing, customer service and support. Similar to Social Brand Reputation Management (SBRM) The aim is to find and win over new clients, retain those who the company already has, win back former clients and reduce the cost of marketing.

Social CRM does that with social media.

With the help of social media, people can now research a company and ask for recommendations about a product or service through social media channels and make their buying decisions without looking at the company, or the site, itself.

Social media is used to share opinions and experiences. Since social media is not monitored and censored like the mainstream media, people can say whatever they want, good or bad.

“Social CRM is the company’s response to customer’s control of the conversation” is how it is defined. Companies are looking for a way to gain access to those conversations and take part in the dialogue.

There are many systems that integrate the social media sites. Using online communities as a source of leads, finding out what clients are looking for to better target marketing and sales and responding quickly to customer’s complaints. All these things can increase interactions and win hearts. The goal is to make the relationship with customers more intimate.

Social CRM adds to the traditional view of customer relation management. The focus here is on people, not technology. It aims to join the ongoing conversation, not try to control it.

There are many companies offering software that allows the users to manage multiple types of information, lead aggregation, status updates, and offers community platforms. It allows you, the business owner to listen to their conversations and respond in a timely manner. It allows you to understand the influences that make them decide on a product. Happier customers, faster customer service, product development, more reach and spreading the word is what SCRM is all about.

Companies that provide SCRM software:

Jive Software, Lithium Technologies, Neighborhood America, Concourse, CrowdEngineering, Fuze Digital Soultions, Helpstream, Buzzient, Microsoft Dynamics, NetSuite among others.

A different kind of social media can be found in a site called Tumblr. They declare themselves as being the easiest way to express yourself. How can you do it? By quick and easy blogging.

Tumblr was co-founded by David Karp and Marco Arment in 2007. It emphasizes its customization and ease of use, with a simple sing up and log on. No need for knowledge in the world of coding and computer language. Each user gets his own tumblelog where he can post his thoughts and feeling.

Posting can be done either by text, quote, picture, video, link, audio or chat. Participants follow other members’ tumblelog, just like it’s done on Twitter, for example.  Updates of the people you follow appear on the dashboard in one stream.

Users can “like” a post to let other users know what they found interesting and reblog it on their own tumblelog. They can comment on posts and start a conversation.

When it was launched, 75,000 bloggers left their previous platforms and converted to Tumblr almost immediately. Since then, more than 3 million users joined in. Tumblr has mobile apps that let bloggers blog from wherever they are.

As of the beginning of 2010, the site averages 2 million posts a day. With 15,000 new users joining every 24 hours, it is still growing rapidly.  What’s more, it has a retention rate of 85%, compares with Twitter’s 40%.

Tumblr is amazingly fast and processes 10,000 posts an hour. It lets you update post to your Twitter and Facebook accounts as well. All their services are clearly offered on the front page and are, as they promised, easy to use.