With Sage ACT! 2013, your database gets social

09/12/2012

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In the past, we have encouraged our clients to keep track of not just sales information regarding their clients, but to also make notes when clients tell them about an upcoming big event in their lives or when they share anecdotes. In this way, ACT! has always served as a tool that helps create and maintain a strong relationship with your clients.

But ACT! 2013 has made it even easier to care for those relationships. Let me show you an example.

Last time you spoke to John, you remember him saying that he was going on vacation to Florida soon. You have a follow-up call to make with him today, so you pull up his ACT! record. You made a note in your database that John was headed to vacation in Florida, so you will probably ask him how is vacation went.

But you are also friends with John on Facebook and linked to him on LinkedIn. So now with Sage ACT!’s social media integration, you can select the Social Updates tab to see what John has said recently on his Facebook or LinkedIn account. John mentioned that he went SCUBA diving on his vacation, and you are an avid SCUBA diver too—so now when you call John, you may inquire about the activities he did on vacation and spend a few minutes sharing your enthusiasm for SCUBA diving.

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By pulling in your contacts’ updates which they shared with you on social media, Sage ACT! 2013 makes it very easy to engage your contacts in meaningful conversation, thereby cementing your relationships with them. And it saves you time—you don’t need to check Facebook and LinkedIn to see what John has been up to, because now ACT! puts it in one place for you.

Social media integration also may help you understand when would be a good time to make an important call. For instance, you may pull up a client’s Social Updates tab to find out they are on vacation, on a business trip, or perhaps they are not working due to personal matters. Social media integration can give you a heads up about what is currently happening in your client’s world, so you can more aptly frame the conversation and its timing so it is most convenient for them.

With this new release of ACT!, managing your contacts is smoother and more social than ever. If you would like to see more, feel free to contact our office at 847-520-0860.
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Marketing in a Social Media-Obsessed World

12/23/2009

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Another year comes to a close - and it continues to amaze me how fast the world changes. Technology is forever advancing at the speed of light. Admittedly, it is exciting to continually be offered new, innovative business tools, and to have a multitude of ways to "get connected" with people, but it can also be a bit daunting and over-whelming.

With the creation of social media sites such as Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, etc., our marketing efforts are being transformed. In this fast-paced, consumer-dominated world, you'll find your biggest marketing ROI comes from taking your messages to the places (or sites, in this case) your customers and prospects are most frequenting. Yes, if you haven't already, it is time to plug your nose and jump into the social media pool.

Scary - yes (esp. if you are over the age of 20 and just can't grasp 'tweeting' - 'twittering' - 'twitting' - whatever it's called); Impossible - no; Easy - it can be!

According to a recent survey by Strongmail, most businesses understand the importance of this growing trend and do have plans to increase their 2010 spending on e-marketing and social media. (So you best get started or you'll miss the boat!)

Marketing Trends Chart
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However, most businesses report that they aren't sure how or where to begin and more importantly, they don't know how to measure their results for optimal success. Thankfully, for us at KSC, the new social media tools in ACT! 2010 allow us to easily see which social media sites each client is involved with, enabling us to gain valuable insight. When combined with the powerful ACT! e-marketing tools, we can create targeted messages to any number of clients - and quickly track and analyze the results. ACT! has made it easy.

However, regardless of the tools you use to increase or enhance your e-marketing and social media initiatives, it is important that you simply get started. Launch your company's name and brand into the social media-obsessed world by creating a company Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Blog, etc. profile. Update it often. Connect with others who have the potential to become a customer or can help you find customers. Think of it as social media networking.

Embrace the current craze (or at least accept it), then plug your nose and jump into the 'Tweeting' (now you know) pool, the water's nice and the rewards are nicer. 


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