Salesforce.com, who specializes in contact management software, purchased Radian6, a social media monitoring platform (buzz monitoring) for $326 million. Read today’s press release here.
This is an exciting move. We have a customer data giant plus a customer social media data “listening” giant well on their way to some significant integrations.
Here’s what it means to social media marketers, and marketers in general:
- They will bring us closer to answering the real question we get asked all to often by our stakeholders: What’s the ROI of social media?
- Integrated brand communications with less duplication and more relevance to audiences. (Salesforce.com is also famous for it’s email marketing integrations)
What I look forward to measuring someday with solid data:
- How does a long term customer relationship nurtured in social media channels impact buying behavior?
- Do potential customers influenced by friends in social media about the brand really become customers? Are they more valuable in a dollars sense?
- What is the value of an influencer beyond their own personal buying habits with the brand?
- How long is this social media sales cycle? What does it really look like?
- Are my Facebook customers more valuable than Twitter? What are their differences and how can I market it to them better?
- How affective is my communication mix from telephone, email, Twitter, blog, Facebook…?
If you could get answers from the Salesforce.com/Radian6 genie about your business what would you ask?
2 Comments
Hi Melonie. Great post! I agree – yesterday’s news is exciting for the whole social media world.
I’m looking forward to being part of the changes that are going to come as a result of the Salesforce purchase of Radian6, and continuing to work with you to help show your clients the ever-increasing benefits of social media!
Thanks Lloyd! Keep me posted on the developments I can’t wait to see what Radian6 does with this.