As technology evolves and people become more savvy, businesses are finding it necessary to adapt their business practices to the times. For many companies, in addition to having the latest hardware, becoming more tech savvy also means adapting their practices to embrace the Internet and its many offerings.
Millions of users are connected to the Web and using it in a variety of capacities to accomplish a multitude of tasks. A large percentage of these users are creating sites and portals on social networking sites like MySpace to share information about themselves. These same users are creating groups and online communities, joining with people who share their interests.
MySpace is one of the most popular and successful social networking sites on the Internet. Highly trafficked, it hosts users of all ages and backgrounds. MySpace is a free web application that allows users to create portals and publish information about themselves. In addition, they can share photos and videos, communicate with others via messaging, blogs, and forums, and share their favorite music. Like the local coffeehouse, MySpace is a place people get together to hang out.
Where businesses are concerned, MySpace does indeed offer viable customer relationship management (CRM) options. Many companies are seeking ways to access the potential that can be found on social networking sites. Applications like MySpace extend the ways in which businesses can connect with customers, presenting more opportunities to communicate with them, receive feedback about products and services, and just engage in conversations. In addition, businesses can review the MySpace profiles of users in groups to retrieve information about the characteristics of the users. This information can be used for market research efforts to aide in profiling users and assessing their needs and wants.
Companies that are interested in tapping into MySpace as a CRM resource should consider what it is that they want from the site. They need to figure out what their strengths are and determine how they can feature those strengths so that they might stand apart from the competition. Once this has been determined, the goal is to create a portal that clearly defines the business, is easy to navigate, and is appealing. An attractive, engaging site is more likely to draw in more viewers.
A primary concern of CRM is that customers are pleased with the service they receive from the company. MySpace can be utilized to increase a company’s web presence and the opportunities customers have to make connections with them. Companies can create MySpace portals that outline details of the business and its offerings, allowing visitors to learn more about the companies. In addition, they can also create blogs and forums to engage their visitors in conversation. The key to using MySpace as a customer relationship management tool is to engage customers or potential customers in conversation.
MySpace is used by people to establish friendships, make connections, and to be generally personable. MySpace for CRM is no different. Businesses should look at MySpace as an opportunity to inform people about the services they offer, as well as a place where they can connect with the people they are potentially servicing. Once they have established connections with users and opened the door to communicating, businesses should consider connecting to MySpace user groups or blogging groups to generate additional connections.
Social networking applications like MySpace allow businesses to reach a broad range of people, including current and former customers, while informing them, and communicating with them. It adds another means of maintaining the positive customer relationships that are critical for business survival.
