But do you think of your social media program in terms of increasing what you know about individual supporters, and making good use of that information? In March, Socialfish released “Social CRM for Associations,” a white paper that helps organizations start thinking along these lines.
As the title suggests, Socialfish’s approach breaks down the principles of CRM (Constituent Relationship Management) and Social CRM. They suggest some applications of Social CRM for membership organizations, and offer a roadmap that will help you to increase your impact by knowing more about your members as individuals, and engaging with them more effectively.
Authors Lindy Dreyer and Maddie Grant make a compelling case that Social CRM can help you look at and use information about your members in deeper ways, for instance:
But most importantly, rather than sending you out to load up on the latest tools and gadgets (though they do make some helpful suggestions), Socialfish emphasizes that Social CRM is really about adding a social element to your organization’s existing business process, and adapting that process as necessary to be more effective socially. It’s a commitment to working organization-wide, systematically empowering your staff, volunteers, and members to interact, follow up, develop relationships, and engage.