I am always excited to learn about our customers’ social media successes and achievements with our platform. I had the pleasure of spending last week visiting some of our customers to learn more about what they are doing in the social media space, and chatting with them about the opportunities that exist in social media across different industries.

Over the coming weeks, I will be sharing stories, videos and photos from these visits, but in the mean time, here is a sneak peek at some of the innovative things our customers are doing.

Omnigon Communications is a creative team of experts helping their clients transform the way viewers interact and engage with traditional sporting events and major television events like the recent Charlie Sheen Roast.

Kim White from Omnigon Communications

Comcast is leading the way in social customer service. The Comcast Cares team is a truly dedicated group that believes in putting their customers first. I got the chance to sit and talk to them about how social media is changing the way they engage with customers and how they have seen customers become friends.

Kip Wetzel from Comcast

The United Nations Development Programme is using social media to make a real difference in communities all around the world. One of their latest projects, “One Action against Poverty”, is helping citizens across the globe in the fight against poverty, and social media has given these citizens, and the UN, the power to share their efforts and inspire others.

Sebastian Majewski from the UNDP

And my last stop found me in the “sweetest place on earth,” Hershey, PA. It was a great visit with Hershey’s; they are connecting and engaging, sharing ideas, recipes and lots of delicious candy with their customers. They are working to ensure that their customers’ voices are heard throughout the organization and the benefits of social listening and engagement are apparent.

Hershey's Chocolate World

Stay tuned as we share how these customers are using Radian6 to make an impact on their organizations and their industries.

We’ve been talking a lot about various aspects of engagement over the past few weeks on the blog. Lauren Vargas wrote a great post about adding social aspects to your CRM strategy, and her point below really stuck out for me.

Before adding social to the mix, you must ensure your organization has a sound infrastructure in place to receive social data and connect to transactional data. Social media elements must be an extension of the CRM infrastructure and the data presentation must not simply be slapped on top, but flow seamlessly into the design.

Earlier this week Teresa Basich detailed 5 ways that engagement is more than talking, and  I was similarly struck by point #3 in her post:

Making the customer experience easier/more pleasant/quicker/all of the above. Does this include talking with them? Usually. But not always. Improved engagement in this case can also mean bumping up the usability of your website. Does your site allow folks to find what they need easily? Does it pique their interest? Does the flow of information on your site allow visitors to navigate through it quickly? This is just one example, but do you see where I’m heading here?

What am I leading to here? I’m leading to the point that companies need to stop thinking of engagement as something “the marketing team handles” and start thinking about it more how my colleagues describe it above. It’s an activity that goes on across all parts of the organization. We call it “answering the social phone” internally, and that phone ideally sits on everyone’s desk and allows all employees to better understand how the conversations that are happening on the social web affect their job.

Ford Motor Co. has been leading the charge in the auto industry with their innovative campaigns for a few years now.  Many of us remember their Fiesta Agents challenge, and many more tuned in to see the reveal of their new Ford Explorer via Facebook. The Awesome Blog wrote a great review of the reveal, and noted:

Ford needed to connect with their potential consumers, generating excitement about the new model and ensuring buyers were armed with in-depth knowledge about the vehicle. Fortunately, Ford tapped the full potential of Facebook in order to create a truly engaging and interactive conversation about the new Explorer, and their approach is worth breaking down for any brand considering a Facebook campaign of their own.

Ford has been out there engaging with their community for years, and the insights that their community provides aren’t just data points limited to marketing. They’re insights that can be used across all business units. Case in point? A tweet yesterday by Ford noting that they’re passing product feedback over to the design team.

There are plenty of examples of companies breaking out of the “engagement is for marketing!” silo, and I wish I had time to share them all. To add two more into the mix, what about Comcast’s great use of service-related engagement, or the Red Cross’ social media disaster relief and notification efforts?

For companies that limit engagement to their marketing departments, the question becomes something similar to what Lauren described above – how can you connect social to transactional data across the enterprise? In other words, what internal channels do you need to create or open up to let everyone take advantage of this feedback? What parts of your organization would benefit immediately from being on the front lines, and how can you put them there?

I’m interested to hear your opinion. What other examples jump to mind of companies that have broken out of the “engagement is for marketing” silo? Share them in the comments!

* Photo provided by CraftyGoat

We’ve posted a few times here about what kinds of conversations to listen for in social media. (Just in case you missed them, you can find them here, here, and here).

But the question that inevitably comes next: What do I say?

So here, my list for you for a few response types you might consider when engaging the conversations you’d like to be part of. They don’t have to be about your brand necessarily – they can be about your industry or relevant trends or just stories of interest. But engaging is a big part of the social media equation, so maybe these will help you with your responses.

Thank you.

You really can’t use this one enough. Thanks for thinking of us! Thanks for mentioning us or recommending us. Thanks for that great bit of information you shared. Thanks for pointing out the typo on our website. Thank you for sharing your viewpoint (even if I disagree). Graciousness matters, and the simple art of thanking someone can indicate very subtly that you’ve been listening.

I’m sorry.

Screw ups happen, and saying you’re sorry isn’t about taking blame. It’s about genuinely apologizing for someone’s frustration, inconvenience, or loss. We’re sorry your stuff didn’t arrive on time. We’re sorry our site was down when you needed it. We’re sorry we dropped the ball and didn’t respond to your email.

Sometimes it’s taking responsibility for something, other times it’s enough to acknowledge that something didn’t work the way it was supposed to. In any case, a simple apology can go a long way toward making a frustrated person more open to hearing what else you might have to say.

Here’s how I can help.

Information is currency. When someone is expressing a need you can fill, taking action works wonders. Looking for the price for that? Here you go. Soliciting ideas for a book on a topic? I’ve got some recommendations. Having trouble with your blog? Let me point you to an expert I know.

Being helpful and sharing your knowledge and information is priceless on the web. The answer doesn’t always have to be your thing/product/service. It’s about being a good citizen of the communities in which you participate, and offering up information you have that can be useful to others, without the expectation of anything in return.

How can I help?

A question instead of a statement, this is one of the most fruitful responses you can offer (just ask Frank Eliason from Comcast). It acknowledges your interest in helping, your availability to assist, and asks the other person to help you by understanding more about their needs. After all, half of talking is about the desire to be heard. And sometimes it can help you get to the bottom of an issue quickly and simply without kicking up a lot of dust.

Yes (or No) and here’s why I think so.

Please don’t be afraid to have an opinion on the web. Opinions aren’t permanent. You can change your mind. But much of the value in participating in online discussions, from Twitter to blogs, is about the ongoing dialogue. If we all band together and deliver one word answers, or follow the flocks in order to not stir the water, we’re going to have one dull internet on our hands.

Even if you represent a company, you can have a viewpoint that you share. Share it with respect and courtesy, but it’s okay to share your thoughts on a topic. Yes, that means you’re open to the feedback and opinions (even dissenting) of others. But humans want, well, humanity in our conversations. Talk to us like people, and let us talk back to you in the same way. We like you when you have ideas and thoughts to share.

What would you add? Those of you out there conversing and chatting, either individually or on behalf of your companies, what shape do your conversations take? What are you learning? Please share with us.

image credit: pinkmoose

We’re excited that we’re finally launching a project we’ve had in the works for a while: a podcast! The Engaged Brand is focused on sharing stories, case studies, and best practices from brands who are embracing the potential of social media to connect with and engage their customers online.

We’re just getting ramped up so you’ll see more episodes coming down the pike in the near future, but what better way to kick off the series than with one of the brands leading the charge: Comcast.

Frank Eliason has demonstrated the power of Twitter as a customer service channel, and he’s sharing their successes and learnings at his speaking engagements across the country. His team has grown, their approach and strategy has evolved, and in this interview he shares with us some of the ways that Comcast has tapped social media to create a better, stronger customer experience.

So download the podcast and sit back and take a listen to The Engaged Brand: Comcast’s Frank Eliason, and share your thoughts!