Social media “invade” ERP

It is no coincidence that the use of social media offers significant advantages, since the data that these sites offer, give businesses the opportunity to enhance and develop their operations. Let’s look at the ways in which social media affect ERP solutions.

It’s no news that typical ERP systems integrate all aspects of a business, from product planning and development to sales and marketing. On the other hand, there are many already integrated applications (e.g. HR and CRM) that are now connected -even indirectly- to social media. How? Consider how common it is for an HR department to use LinkedIn to look for potential candidates, or for a sales department to use Facebook to reach potential customers.

Ultimately, this is a positive trend, so it is perfectly reasonable for ERP solutions to continue enriching their “arsenal” with social media add-ons. 84% of marketers believe that social media are extremely important for their business, and although social media campaigns are probably not part of ERP solutions, these two are becoming increasingly complementary.

The main reason behind the integration of social media, is the business advantages they offer. Here are some of the most interesting ones:

• Gathering information on potential and existing customers as individuals
• Collecting data from social networks and importing it into your company’s records
• Researching the activities of other businesses
• Improving communication within the business and enhancing customer relations
• Collecting valuable customer information and reviews about your products and your business.

Undoubtedly, the success of social media cannot be ignored, as surveys show that the success rate for converting a lead is 100% higher than with traditional marketing. The conclusions are obvious…

Conclusions

For many years now, social media -in all their forms- have proven to be extremely influential in ERP solutions. Emails, instant messaging and discussion forums have long been an integral part of the entire ERP ecosystem. Therefore, it is only reasonable that some of the top social media apps, such as Twitter and Pinterest, are widely used in ERP.

So, what is the key to using this trend to your benefit? The answer lies in the successful integration of complex and rigidly structured solutions, like ERP, with the lighter and more loosely structured social media applications. As to how this will be achieved, the answer is through conveying the right culture and strategy to your employees. This will offer them access to valuable information, resulting in improved lead generation and even more sales.