{"id":3155,"date":"2012-09-13T14:00:12","date_gmt":"2012-09-13T14:00:12","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.theweekinimaging.com\/?p=2869"},"modified":"2012-09-13T14:00:12","modified_gmt":"2012-09-13T14:00:12","slug":"making-friends-and-winning-customers-with-social-media","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/feature-articles\/2012\/09\/making-friends-and-winning-customers-with-social-media\/","title":{"rendered":"Making Friends and Winning Customers with Social Media"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The rules of engagement have changed, particularly when it comes to engaging customers and prospects. The old ways of marketing and promotions are not necessarily being supplanted by new ones as much as they are being complemented by new methods such as social media. Two office technology dealerships that have embraced social media early on are RJ Young in Nashville, TN and Advance\u2014The Document Specialists in Cockeysville, MD. Those dealership\u2019s experiences with social media offer a blueprint for other dealers trying to figure out how to take advantage of this ever-evolving form of communications.<\/p>\n<p>RJ Young dipped their feet into the social media pool back in 2008 when they started posting videos and television commercials on YouTube. One of their more popular videos on YouTube focuses on how to load toner.<\/p>\n<p><iframe width=\"960\" height=\"540\" src=\"http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/cmCxHbAaaUs?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Today, their social media efforts also encompass Facebook, Twitter, Flicker, and LinkedIn as well as a blog. Each has its own purpose.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOur number one focus is total customer experience and provides an opportunity for customers to engage with our brand and our company and for us to do that with them,\u201d says Lindy Rickert, director of marketing for RJ Young. \u201c<\/p>\n<p>Facebook is used primarily for posting company events, awards, philanthropic endeavors and anything related to RJ Young\u2019s culture. \u201cThey like to see pictures of what we\u2019re doing in the community, events we attend and co-sponsor and that people are at,\u201d notes Rickert. \u201cPeople get excited because they can share that with their friends.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Facebook paints a unique picture of the dealership, showing people that RJ Young employees are real working people, trying to do their best and take care of customers every day. \u201cIt gives you an authenticity,\u201d maintains Rickert. \u201cIt\u2019s not about shoving traditional advertising at them; it\u2019s about engaging with them and letting them know who we are and what we\u2019re about.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Twitter is used as a news outlet, allowing RJ Young to post updates, announcements, and industry tips. \u201cThis is a great opportunity for customers to do the same for us,\u201d reports Rickert.<\/p>\n<p>For example, when a customer tweeted about an equipment issue on Twitter, RJ Young was able to step in and help that customer even though it was on the weekend just because they\u2019d seen the customer\u2019s Tweet.<\/p>\n<p>Twitter is also used to show customers that RJ Young cares about them. During Hurricane Isaac, RJ Young, which has 18 locations across the Southeast and on the coast, used Twitter to let customers know they were thinking about them, encouraging any customers who experienced water damage to call them immediately so RJ Young could help them get their businesses back up and running again.<\/p>\n<p>Rickert has spent an enormous amount of time researching social media and compares notes with her peers at other dealerships and outside the industry. She also monitors what the competition is doing in the social media realm. However, there\u2019s nothing like learning by doing.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere\u2019s a lot of trial and error, seeing what works and what doesn\u2019t,\u201d she says. \u201cWe\u2019ve learned a lot over the years and if I can offer a suggestion for those just getting into it, track what you\u2019re doing. Just like anything in marketing, you can\u2019t measure it if you don\u2019t know the numbers.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She uses HootSuite <a href=\"http:\/\/www.hootsuite.com\">www.hootsuite.com<\/a> for tracking that information.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cRegardless if you post once a week, once a day or once a month, be consistent and be relevant,\u201d she adds. \u201cPick an area you\u2019re going to focus on and be consistent as far as timing and topic.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She also recommends asking a lot of questions since social media fosters two-way communications more fully engaging the customer. It\u2019s also important to keep employees in the loop.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cGet employees engaged, and be sure to promote social media in traditional media,\u201d emphasizes Rickert.<\/p>\n<p>While RJ Young still uses traditional media for reaching their customers, she\u2019s equally cognizant of how social media fits into their traditional media plans. \u201cWhen I\u2019m planning for the future it\u2019s not just about traditional media, it\u2019s how is this going to work on social media and how are people going to respond to this?\u201d says Rickert.<\/p>\n<p>Rickert dismisses the myth that e-mail is dying and e-mail and e-newsletters are equally important to RJ Young\u2019s social media efforts. \u201cOur customers are still very much engaged in e-mail and e-newsletters. With the target customer, they\u2019re still reading e-mails and engaging in e-newsletters and it\u2019s a good way to cross promote your social media [actitivies]. And you can track that.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She cites as evidence a recent RJ Young e-newsletter that had 78 shares on social media. \u201cThey\u2019re sharing articles and information from our newsletters,\u201d beams Rickert.<\/p>\n<p>What\u2019s next for RJ Young in the social media realm?<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019re going to build on the success we\u2019ve had,\u201d responds Rickert. \u201cI\u2019m excited about having more customized plans for social media in specific media outlets like YouTube and long-format videos, and videos for YouTube that we wouldn\u2019t necessarily put on broadcast. That\u2019s exciting because it\u2019s shifting the way we look at media and how we communicate with the public.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>For Advance \u2013 The Document Specialists, social media has been a fun and exciting journey.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSocial media is still in its infancy and we do a lot of testing and use it for different things,\u201d notes Lindsay Kelley, marketing manager. \u201cSocial media is not right for everybody and we wanted to see if it would put us in a good place in the market, positioning us the way we want to be positioned.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Like RJ Young, Advance uses Facebook as a way to highlight and showcase their culture. (Incidentally, Kelley and Rickert of RJ Young frequently compare notes about social media.)<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe have a unique and fun culture and want to make sure our customers who check out our Facebook page get a taste of some of the things we do and who we are,\u201d says Kelley.<\/p>\n<p>Twitter is used to promote our Advance\u2019s blogs as well as industry articles that might be of interest to their customers. \u201cWe want them to use us as a resource and view us as the industry experts that we are,\u201d states Kelly. \u201cIt\u2019s also great for conversation and promoting some of the associations we\u2019re affiliated with like AIIM, which is perfect for us since we\u2019re experts in document management.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>You never know what the result of a Tweet will be. Sometimes it\u2019s a surprise like the time someone with a local TV show saw an Advance Tweet and then asked President Jeff Elkin to come on the show and talk about document management.<\/p>\n<p>What\u2019s been the most effective form of social media to date for Advance?<\/p>\n<p>\u201cLinkedIn is a fantastic business platform and a great way to drive traffic to your Website and educate your target audience about what your knowledge base is,\u201d responds Kelly.<\/p>\n<p>Advance is encouraging their sales reps to be more comfortable with finding and posting articles that are relevant to their industry. \u201cThey\u2019ll send that out on LinkedIn and share with their network,\u201d reports Kelley.<\/p>\n<p>Another benefit of social media is hooking up with various groups. \u201cThe groups are a great way to answer questions, position yourself as an industry expert, and become part of that community,\u201d emphasizes Kelly. \u201cIt\u2019s all about building community.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Advance has been successful using social media to enhance their position in the healthcare space and have a business development person in house who shares information with healthcare-related groups and organizations. This is a great way for Advance to promote their electronic healthcare record-related solutions.<\/p>\n<p>Advance hasn\u2019t done anything special to encourage customers to participate even though they include social media icons in their e-mail signatures as well as links in their newsletter and on various social media sites. \u201cLinkedIn is our number one referrer to the Website right now,\u201d says Kelley.<\/p>\n<p>While Kelley has top-down support for her social media efforts, the sales team was a little slow to convince. They couldn\u2019t see how it was going to bring them dollars.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNow that they\u2019ve been doing it for a year they\u2019re really seeing it,\u201d says Kelley. \u201cThey\u2019re targeting niche areas like construction, architectural groups and they\u2019re seeing the benefits of that. It\u2019s also a great way to find out who you know and where you know them. They\u2019ll go in and do a search on that particular person at a company even though they might not have a [direct] connection to that person. They can see what the relation and connection is and hopefully find somebody willing to make that introduction and then it\u2019s much warmer when they make that phone call.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Asked what she knows now about social media that she wishes she knew when Advance first started with it, Kelley says, \u201cI wish I would have done a better of structuring my day so I can consistently be on at a good time of day.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The best time she\u2019s found is between 1 p.m. and 10 p.m. Tuesdays and Wednesdays.<\/p>\n<p>Next up for Advance is making sure all of their employees understand the ramifications of being on social media, especially when it comes to their personal social media activities.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf they\u2019re on Facebook and have Advance as their place of employment, although they might not be speaking for Advance, they\u2019re a member of our family and we want to make sure they understand if you have a bad day, to take a step back and think before you Tweet or post about it,\u201d says Kelly. \u201cThey\u2019re ambassadors for the company and the power they have because of their network and the network that connects everyone here to customers and prospects, you never know where this could take you and who may see a Tweet or post that converts them into a customer.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The rules of engagement have changed, particularly when it comes to engaging customers and prospects. The old ways of marketing and promotions are not necessarily being supplanted by new ones as much as they are being complemented by new methods such as social media. Two office technology dealerships that have embraced social media early on are RJ Young in Nashville, TN and Advance\u2014The Document Specialists in Cockeysville, MD. Those dealership\u2019s experiences with social media offer a blueprint for other dealers trying to figure out how to take advantage of this ever-evolving form of communications. RJ Young dipped their feet into the social media pool back in 2008 when they started posting videos and television commercials on YouTube. One of their more popular videos on YouTube focuses on how to load toner. Today, their social media efforts also encompass Facebook, Twitter, Flicker, and LinkedIn as well as a blog. Each has its own purpose. \u201cOur number one focus is total customer experience and provides an opportunity for customers to engage with our brand and our company and for us to do that with them,\u201d says Lindy Rickert, director of marketing for RJ Young. \u201c Facebook is used primarily for posting company events, awards, philanthropic endeavors and anything related to RJ Young\u2019s culture. \u201cThey like to see pictures of what we\u2019re doing in the community, events we attend and co-sponsor and that people are at,\u201d notes Rickert. \u201cPeople get excited because they can share that with their friends.\u201d Facebook paints a unique picture of the dealership, showing people that RJ Young employees are real working people, trying to do their best and take care of customers every day. \u201cIt gives you an authenticity,\u201d maintains Rickert. \u201cIt\u2019s not about shoving traditional advertising at them; it\u2019s about engaging with them and letting them know who we are and what we\u2019re about.\u201d Twitter is used as a news outlet, allowing RJ Young to post updates, announcements, and industry tips. \u201cThis is a great opportunity for customers to do the same for us,\u201d reports Rickert. For example, when a customer tweeted about an equipment issue on Twitter, RJ Young was able to step in and help that customer even though it was on the weekend just because they\u2019d seen the customer\u2019s Tweet. Twitter is also used to show customers that RJ Young cares about them. During Hurricane Isaac, RJ Young, which has 18 locations across the Southeast and on the coast, used Twitter to let customers know they were thinking about them, encouraging any customers who experienced water damage to call them immediately so RJ Young could help them get their businesses back up and running again. Rickert has spent an enormous amount of time researching social media and compares notes with her peers at other dealerships and outside the industry. She also monitors what the competition is doing in the social media realm. However, there\u2019s nothing like learning by doing. \u201cThere\u2019s a lot of trial and error, seeing what works and what doesn\u2019t,\u201d she says. \u201cWe\u2019ve learned a lot over the years and if I can offer a suggestion for those just getting into it, track what you\u2019re doing. Just like anything in marketing, you can\u2019t measure it if you don\u2019t know the numbers.\u201d She uses HootSuite www.hootsuite.com for tracking that information. \u201cRegardless if you post once a week, once a day or once a month, be consistent and be relevant,\u201d she adds. \u201cPick an area you\u2019re going to focus on and be consistent as far as timing and topic.\u201d She also recommends asking a lot of questions since social media fosters two-way communications more fully engaging the customer. It\u2019s also important to keep employees in the loop. \u201cGet employees engaged, and be sure to promote social media in traditional media,\u201d emphasizes Rickert. While RJ Young still uses traditional media for reaching their customers, she\u2019s equally cognizant of how social media fits into their traditional media plans. \u201cWhen I\u2019m planning for the future it\u2019s not just about traditional media, it\u2019s how is this going to work on social media and how are people going to respond to this?\u201d says Rickert. Rickert dismisses the myth that e-mail is dying and e-mail and e-newsletters are equally important to RJ Young\u2019s social media efforts. \u201cOur customers are still very much engaged in e-mail and e-newsletters. With the target customer, they\u2019re still reading e-mails and engaging in e-newsletters and it\u2019s a good way to cross promote your social media [actitivies]. And you can track that.\u201d She cites as evidence a recent RJ Young e-newsletter that had 78 shares on social media. \u201cThey\u2019re sharing articles and information from our newsletters,\u201d beams Rickert. What\u2019s next for RJ Young in the social media realm? \u201cWe\u2019re going to build on the success we\u2019ve had,\u201d responds Rickert. \u201cI\u2019m excited about having more customized plans for social media in specific media outlets like YouTube and long-format videos, and videos for YouTube that we wouldn\u2019t necessarily put on broadcast. That\u2019s exciting because it\u2019s shifting the way we look at media and how we communicate with the public.\u201d For Advance \u2013 The Document Specialists, social media has been a fun and exciting journey. \u201cSocial media is still in its infancy and we do a lot of testing and use it for different things,\u201d notes Lindsay Kelley, marketing manager. \u201cSocial media is not right for everybody and we wanted to see if it would put us in a good place in the market, positioning us the way we want to be positioned.\u201d Like RJ Young, Advance uses Facebook as a way to highlight and showcase their culture. (Incidentally, Kelley and Rickert of RJ Young frequently compare notes about social media.) \u201cWe have a unique and fun culture and want to make sure our customers who check out our Facebook page get a taste of some of the things we do and who we are,\u201d says Kelley. Twitter is used to promote our Advance\u2019s blogs as well as industry articles that might be of interest to their customers. \u201cWe [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[82],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3155"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3155"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3155\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3155"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3155"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3155"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}