One of the hottest topics in social centers around the culture of when to engage. There is much debate about consumers being accepting of having companies contact them. For example, when is »big brother« peering too closely into conversation? No one has really been able to figure out where the line lies exactly, but this cultural issue is something that must be addressed in your quest to be an expert at social engagement. I would say this that is a topic for further discussion, but needless to say, every social media leader is juggling their gut when it comes to engaging their consumers (beyond when they ask).
The Front End of Engagement
I save the point I really want to talk about for last. One of the great unspoken needs in my meetings around social engagement is the so called front end, or sorting of data. In fact, one prospective client told us they had to shut down their social engagement program, because their system was so inaccurate that they had to manually sort through even more data and thus hurt their ability to respond. This suggests that while most pushers are figuring out the process of pushing content out, they again forget the importance of being able to accurately listen to any potential social data worth engaging with.”