Just as no two brands are created equal, the way in which different brands use social media can vary quite significantly, too. From “post and pray” social media newbies to seasoned marketers who have truly cracked the code for driving long-term business value through social media efforts – and, of course, everyone else in between – there are a lot of places where brands can sit on the social media maturity spectrum. This is underscored by the fact that only a mere 13 percent of major brands in the U.S. say they have implemented sufficient social media tools, platforms, and systems to scale and grow their digital footprint.   So, after having worked with a number of brands of all shapes and sizes, we thought it was about time to get a handle on social media marketing maturity. How did we do it? We put our heads together and thought about the commonalities that exist from one brand to another and throughout their respective journeys with social media marketing. When all was said and done, it was pretty clear that the majority of brands roughly fit into three buckets – or, rather, three incremental stages of social media marketing maturity.   To learn more about what those stages of social media marketing maturity are, check out our amazing eBook, “Social Media Has Grown Up. Have You?” Here are a just a few things that you’ll learn by downloading: Learn about the three stages of social media marketing maturity Understand the ins and outs of each stage along the spectrum Assess where your brand sits within each stage of maturity Get tips on how to move up through or make the most of the various stages Learn how technology can be your instant catalyst for raising your social media game   That’s just a sneak peek. Now, I'll invite you to download the eBook and learn more about the stages of social media maturity as well as how you can work your way up to the top.     While you’re at it, learn more about how Lithium can help today.   ... View more

Creating stellar digital customer experiences is a massive priority for many brands today. In fact, about 90 percent have said they plan to compete this year primarily on the basis of digital customer experience alone. And while those experiences can take many shapes and forms, there’s one thing we know to be true: a great digital customer experience is one that closes the gap between brand and customer, making transactions, information-finding, and all other kinds of service and support as simple and streamlined as possible.   For many brands, the ability to chat one-on-one with customers instantly (aka, “live chat”) has become a game-changer. Facebook knows this, and has made it even easier for brands to talk to customers without any barriers standing in the way with the beta release of Facebook Messenger Customer Chat, a plugin that lets brands host Facebook Messenger conversations directly on their own websites.   Lithium supports Facebook Messenger Customer Chat. To start taking advantage of this plugin within the Lithium Social Media Management platform, just reach out to your customer success team or leave us a note in the comments section of this post. We’ll get back to you right away with details   The Details   Benefits of Customer Chat for brands are as follows: It’s seamless across both desktop and mobile, enabling the brand to have a continuous conversation with the same agent across devices and platforms – whether customers choose to engage on Facebook Messenger on a brand’s website, on the Facebook website, or via the Facebook Messenger app. Customers now have an easier way to communicate instantly with brands within an environment (Facebook) they are familiar with. Brands will now have access to the full conversation history on Facebook Messenger with any given customer, regardless of agent or service inquiry. And thanks to the information that customers choose to share via their Facebook profiles, agents will be able to personalize their interactions. Unlike typical “live chat” conversations that are almost entirely anonymous, Facebook Customer Chat will make it possible for customer service agents to know a little bit more about who they are talking to and better understand more of the relationship that a specific customer has with their brand. And for Lithium customers, you can manage all of this within Lithium SMM. Almost one-third of consumers say they will visit a brand’s website, blog, or social channels first to engage with a brand, ask questions, learn more, or research specific products and services (vs. 17 percent who say they prefer to do this in-store). This number will only increase as more and more people become digital-first in their habits. And as this happens, it’ll be your responsibility to deliver the best digital customer experiences imaginable, regardless of the channel. The time to get ahead of the curve is now. After all, your customers expect it. ... View more

On May 25, 2018, the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) went into effect. GDPR is a set of data privacy laws across Europe that are designed to protect EU citizens’ data privacy and reshape the way organizations approach data privacy. On January 1, 2020, the California Consumer Privacy Act of 2018 (CCPA) will go into effect and enforcement will begin July 1, 2020.  The CCPA is a California privacy law that is applicable to businesses doing business in California and that meet one of three revenue thresholds.  It also applies to service providers of those businesses, who are defined under the CCPA as a company handling PI on behalf of a business, for a business purpose. The following is an update on Khoros’s compliance efforts as they relate to the GDPR and CCPA: We have worked with outside EU counsel to ensure we are correctly interpreting how the GDPR affects Khoros specifically, and to ensure we are handling EU personal data correctly.  For example, we confirmed our interpretations of consent requirements and other legal bases for processing personal data and exporting personal data from the EEA with our EU counsel.   Additionally, Khoros has been working with outside U.S. counsel to ensure we are compliant with the CCPA. One important point to make clear is that Khoros will never sell our customers’ personal information for any reason at all and we will contractually agree to the same. Khoros has updated its DPA template to expand its scope not just to EU personal data, but to PI covered under the CCPA also.   Our DPA template also contains all the necessary GDPR flow-down provisions and accurately reflects the processes used by Khoros to comply with privacy laws. We would be happy to provide you a copy to make it easy for you to check the box in regards to your own GPDR/CCPA compliance efforts. Khoros is continually examining and documenting our internal processes and any aspects of our product portfolio that relate to personal data handling, not just to ensure regulatory compliance, but more importantly to achieve best practices and satisfy our customers’ needs.    If you’re looking for more information, check out the links below to our product specific FAQs, privacy policies, details on our subprocessors, and the official sites for GDPR and CCPA. And I know this is complicated, so if you have specific questions, leave them in the comments and I’ll make sure they get addressed. GDPR and CCPA for Communities GDPR and CCPA for Care GDPR and CCPA for Marketing Khoros Privacy Policy Subprocessor web page Official CCPA site  Official GDPR site ... View more

    What does a great customer experience mean to you?   The answer to this question varies depending on the customer and the brand they interact with. But there are some recurring themes, especially when it comes to the digital customer experience.   Customers want the same level of service across digital – regardless of whether it’s on email, phone, Twitter, on a chat support module, or any other digital touchpoint. Customers want a fast, concise and accurate reply – not an automated response that fails to meet their needs. And, most importantly, customers want brands to meet them in their location of choice regardless of where that is.   #DYK: 83% of customers say a great customer experience is more important than a great product.   Don’t forget: nothing is more impactful or long lasting than a positive end-to-end experience with a brand.   So now it’s your turn. What does a great experience with a brand mean to you? Let us know in the comments below! ... View more