Those who encourage their customers to engage are most likely to succeed. This is far beyond just seeking input before developing a marketing campaign, it is a continuous interactive process that defines the life (or death) of a product or a service. If implemented at both levels: internally and externally, the business impact is even greater.
Since crowdsourcing is not new and we know that most of the web content is generated by users, why not work with them? Organizations that do not acknowledge and respond to the huge impact of social will end-up being left behind. Businesses that unilaterally blast marketing messages to “people” will be penalized for not listening. The winners will be businesses that built relationships with people who buy, use, and advocate their products or services.
The Collaborative Marketing process is actually quite simple even though it appears complex at first:
LISTEN
- What is being said about your business?
- Is the sentiment negative or positive?
- Where does the conversation occur?
- Who are the people talking?
- How much is being talked about?
This is different than the old metrics: the number of impressions or Likes…, the bounce rate, the time spent on a page… It is more than measuring consumption.
LEARN FROM LISTENING
- How can you influence the source of the conversation?
- How are they connected to one another?
- What is their profile?
- Where can you find them?
This is different than demographics because in social networking, demographics
are irrelevant. The new Generation is the Generation C: The Connected Consumer
and it does not have a specific age, gender, geography, nor income level.
ENGAGE YOUR INFLUENCERS
- Encourage collaboration by soliciting participation
- Build two-way interaction with active members of the community
- Build a relationship with your influencers in similar ways you’ve done it with Press and Analysts
Done well, this community will become your social capital.