A Critical Path for Customer Relevance, Part 2
With all of the momentum social media has earned over the years, the reality is that still today, it is very much siloed in marketing. The aspiration of using social technology to build a social business is not yet within grasp. In many ways, social media is much more about media than it is about opening two-way channels for interaction where information, empathy, and resolution travel inward and outward with all parties walking away with a sense of value and affinity. For what is a relationship without benefit or bond?
The convergence of disruptive technology, brand, business functions, and customer experiences will force today’s social media strategies to think beyond the click. The end-game moving forward will be on completing the customer journey and fortifying experience pre, mid, and post transaction.
Today, businesses are experimenting with engagement as it relates to real-time interaction. The challenge is in how engagement is defined today. Likes, Retweets, comments, impressions, clickthroughs, and other data does not by its very nature connect back to the bottom line of any organization. Nor does it contribute to the definition of desired experiences or outcomes. Additionally, many social media programs place emphasis on growing what I refer to as the 3F’s, Friends, Fans, and Followers with ancillary value placed on registered content views or downloads. This isn’t without merit. But, this type of focus equates to social branding or social marketing than that of true business transformation.
Often referred to these days as a social business or a social enterprise, the impact and opportunity presented by social and mobile media in addition to other disruptive technologies is to look at each through the lens of experiences.
An example of social branding vs. social business is evident in the report recently published by Jeremiah Owyang, my colleague at Altimeter Group. On average, Owyang’s research found that only 43% of businesses claimed to run social media initiatives under a formalized strategy roadmap to meet specific business goals. In my work over the years with enterprise organizations, I found that the true number of business tracking social media outcomes towards leadership-stated business objectives to be much lower. Equally important, Owyang’s previous research report also documented the state of the social media silo with the top 2 functions claiming ownership were, and still are, marketing and marketing communications. Most notably of course, in a time when executives are investing in technology to improve customer relationships and experiences, customer service was at the bottom of the list.
This sets a dangerous precedent, one that is already well in play. As the rest of the organization begins to experiment with social media, the initial consequence is that of brand dilution and the fragmentation of desired experiences. For example, in Owyang’s report, he found that businesses on average, those with over 1,000 employees, could account for on average of 178 branded accounts across 10 or more social networks. In my work over the years, I’ve found that number to be in the 1000s, having to examine, refocus, and sunset hundreds of accounts to get back on a bath toward brand integrity. Everything begins with the end in mind and these exercises force thoughtful discussions about intentions, experiences, outcomes, and how to develop an infrastructure that supports the customer journey, as stated earlier, pre-, mid, and post transaction. The experience is not finite, it is an ongoing quest to define.
The Customer Experience Happens With or Without Your Preparedness
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