What is social CRM?

Social CRM, short for social customer relationship management, means treating the conversations customers have with you on social media as part of your customer relationships. A comment, a direct message or a mention of your business becomes part of what you know about that customer. For example, a customer asks in a comment whether you deliver at the weekend. You save that question on their record, so you can answer it and see it again the next time they get in touch.

It sits close to social media marketing, but the focus is different. Marketing is about what you post to reach people. Social CRM is about how you look after the people who reply, ask questions or mention you.

How is social CRM different from traditional CRM?

Social CRM differs from traditional CRM in where the conversations come from. A traditional CRM records what customers and prospects have already done, such as emails, calls and purchases, so you can follow them from first contact to sale. Social CRM adds the conversations happening right now on social platforms, where the customer often starts the conversation and a public comment is there for others to read.

Traditional CRM and social CRM compared

Social CRM doesn't replace a traditional CRM. It extends it, and if you don't use a CRM yet, you can start with one CRM and add your social conversations to each customer's record.

Why social CRM is important for your business

Social CRM matters because customers ask questions, complain and compare businesses in comments and direct messages, and they expect you to answer there. Some want to praise you, some want your attention and some are looking for a business that can solve a problem. Without a way to keep track, these conversations can easily get lost. When you write good content that matches what your audience cares about, it can bring in more comments and questions, and each one is a conversation worth keeping track of. Answering them well brings you the benefits of social CRM.

• Customers get help on the platform they already use, without switching to email or the phone.
• Regular replies on social media make customers and potential customers feel heard, and that builds their trust and loyalty.
• Social conversations help you find new customers. A helpful answer to a question is a better start than a cold sales message.
• When customers praise you publicly, they give you social proof, and a quick thank-you keeps the relationship going.
• Each message sits with the customer's other contact with you, so you can reply with the full context and without asking them to repeat themselves.

What a social CRM tool does

A social CRM tool collects your social media conversations in one place and links them to the people behind them. Tools differ in what they offer, but these social CRM features are the ones worth looking for.

• One inbox for messages and comments. Conversations from your social accounts arrive in one list, so you can reply and mark each one as done.
• Social listening. The tool follows mentions of your business, popular keywords and the topics in your industry, so you see what customers want and how they feel about you. To decide which keywords to follow, keyword research shows you the words people actually use.
• Contact records with social history. The tool saves each comment and message on the customer's record, next to everything else you know about them.
• Reports. You see how quickly you reply and which conversations turn into leads or sales.

As a small business, you usually don't need a separate social CRM tool at first. A CRM that connects to the channels you already use can be enough to start with. A dedicated social tool starts to pay off as your message volume grows and you can no longer answer every message. It also pays off when several people share the replies across more than one platform. Its shared inbox then makes it easier to track who has answered what.

If you're just getting started, MiniCRM for small business is a straightforward way to keep track of your customers. MiniCRM keeps customer info, notes and history in one place and easy to find, so you can add what a customer asked you on social media to their record. It also works with tools such as WhatsApp, Facebook Ads, Google Calendar, Outlook and Google Sheets.

Keep contacts, deals, tasks and invoices in one place with MiniCRM.

How to build a social CRM strategy

A social media CRM strategy sets out which conversations you follow, who answers them and what you do with what you learn. You don't need a big team for it. We recommend settling these points first.

• Your channels. Your time goes furthest on the platforms your customers use most. If you're not sure which those are, new customers can usually tell you where they found you.
• Who answers, and when. One person, or a short rota, replies to messages and comments at fixed times each day. The aim is to talk to each customer one to one and help with what they ask, rather than push marketing material at them.
• Your name and your topics. Social listening on your business name, your products and the subjects you know well shows you the conversations where your help is welcome. Joining them makes you a business people turn to on that subject.
• A note on every conversation. If your CRM doesn't connect to your social accounts, you add a short note to the customer's record after each conversation: the date, the channel, what they asked and what you answered. With every conversation logged, whoever replies next can pick up where the last conversation ended.
• Results you can measure. Counting how many conversations turn into enquiries, bookings or sales shows you where your time pays off.

Saving customers' conversations means handling personal data. In the UK, you must follow data protection rules if your business stores or uses personal data, for example to market your products or services. When you collect someone's personal data, you have to tell them who you are and how you'll use it, including whether you pass it on to other organisations. They can also ask you not to use it for certain purposes, and if they object to direct marketing, their data can no longer be used for it. Before you use what customers share on social media to target ads, check what UK GDPR allows.

Start with a CRM that fits a small team

For a small team, the simplest start is one CRM that everyone uses. Try MiniCRM to give your social conversations a home from your first customer, and let its reminders tell you when a follow-up is due.