Leveraging Social Graph Tools – Case Study

By Barton Goldenberg

In my previous post, I discussed how a hypothetical hotel chain effectively used Social CRM to accurately target a so-called “customer of the future,” Debbie Jones, and her friends. Now let’s take our leveraging Social Graph Tools Case Study a step further, as the chain, which we’re calling Happy Hotels, purchases a Social Graph tool. Using this tool, the chain adds new Social Graph buttons to its website that go beyond the standard Facebook ‘Like’ button.  These might include: ‘Joined’, ‘Stayed’ and ‘Love’.

Here is how they work.  Suppose Debbie visits the Happy Hotels website and clicks on the ‘I love’ button. She soon receives a ‘thank-you’ notification via Facebook that says: “Thanks Debbie, for clicking on our ‘I love’ button, and also for your most recent stay”.  Shortly thereafter, Debbie’s Facebook account receives a request from Happy Hotels asking for her thoughts on their new Social Media program as well as any recent, specifically-targeted offers that they may have sent.

Now Debbie and Happy Hotels are engaged in a two-way dialog. Better yet, her Facebook friends can now see any content she has downloaded from the Happy Hotels website, along with any special offers that she has received.  Debbie, in a sense, is now an “advocate” for Happy Hotels within the Social Media communities that she and her friends participate in.

Debbie can now post all her other Happy Hotels activities on her Facebook account.  Her friends, in turn, can ‘like’ or comment on any of these activities.  Debbie and her friends now also have greater visibility to Happy Hotels’ newsfeeds and promotions.

Importantly, relevant Social Media and Social Graph information about Debbie gets automatically integrated into her customer profile within Happy Hotels’ Social CRM system, for use in other customer-engagement activities.  For example, using real-time decisioning tools, Happy Hotels is also able to present personalized offers to Debbie and her friends each time they visit the chain’s website.  In addition, feedback from Social Graph data and/or the website automatically becomes an input into Happy Hotels’ dynamic customer segmentation that is used for email and Social Media marketing campaigns.

Key takeaway: This hypothetical case study shows how the advent of Social CRM – with its extensive links to Social Media tools – has ‘raised the bar’ in terms of creating a two-way dialogue with the customer of the future.  Such tools help businesses lead the way in competitive industries in almost every sector, from B2C to B2B to B2B2C. As a result, I am convinced that the dynamics of the customer/organization relationship have changed forever.

In my next post, I will discuss the impact of mobility on Social CRM.

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Barton Goldenberg, is the founder and president of ISM Inc., customer-centric strategists/implementers serving best-in-class organizations globally. As a CRM leader for 30 years, he was among the first three inductees in the CRM Hall of Fame. Recognized as a leading “customer-focused” author, his latest book, The Definitive Guide to Social CRM, is hailed as the roadmap for Social CRM success. Barton is a popular speaker on “maximizing customer relationships to gain market insights, customers and profits”. He is a long-term columnist for CRM Magazine and speaker for CRMevolution and frequently quoted in the media.