Truthfully, as I would read and follow these conversations, I thought I understood. But once, I walked away, I couldn’t quite put my finger on what Social CRM really was and how it was different from traditional CRM and how it was possibly (depending on who you talk to) just an additional channel or something entirely different.  I struggled with the debate of whether Enterprise 2.0 was the internal strategy and Social CRM was the external strategy, vs. Enterprise 2.0 being the parent and Social CRM being one of the many children of an Enterprise 2.0 strategy.

Deep breath.

So here we are today and if you ask me to define Social CRM, I’m still unsure because it still feels as though there is still a lot of debate over what the “social” implies. And I’m sure I’m not the only one who feels this way.

The purpose of this post is not to stir the pot, but I did want to address a recent debate over a simplified Social CRM definition. Being confused about the subject, I can certainly appreciate someone trying to simplify something that up until now still isn’t clear to me.  So I can understand why the author tried.

The problem is:

1. It is too premature to generalize or simplify the definition, since even the people that are in the Social CRM business don’t necessarily agree over what the “social” implies (though they are getting much closer!).

2.  The definition in question for Social CRM is IMHO more of a definition for Social Media Marketing (SMM).  Now, maybe that’s where I’m confused… and it’s probably thanks to the word “social”: Could SMM be a subset strategy in your Social CRM strategy? What do you think? Am I completely off track?

3. The definition in question implies that Social CRM and CRM are fundamentally different. Ok so from a recent post by Wim Rampen in response to said definition, I get that the Social implies a shift where we place the customer at the center of our strategy, and that this makes Social CRM approach different from traditional CRM. BUT… and this is my understanding… Social CRM still includes elements of traditional CRM, otherwise why would you even consider keeping CRM in your new name? It just doesn’t make sense to me. So my understanding: Social CRM is not different from traditional CRM but they have a different approach.

As you can see, I’m in need of clarification and guidance on the subject. So if you can enlighten me, I would really appreciate it.  A note of caution: I don’t mean to re-open the subject of definitions.  I agree it is time to move forward and apply the concepts or explain how the concepts are to be applied.  In any case, I’d be more enlightened by examples than definitions.

The Technique

So apparently, mind mapping has existed for centuries and is quite a well-known technique.  So one question: why am I only finding out about this now? Better late than never I suppose.  So what is mind mapping?  The basic idea is that you put the main topic/word in the middle and then you add branches as new related thoughts pop into your head.

A drawn mind map can end up looking like this (courtesy of http://www.aranyadesigns.co.uk):

Mind mapping is a technique that allows you to think creatively in a non-linear manner and without censoring. For example, we often have a hard time to begin writing because we spend too much time re-reading ourselves, correcting ourselves, making sure everything is “perfect”, only to end up with something that isn’t quite as clear as we would have wished. With mind-mapping, you don’t have to worry about that. You can write anything you want even if it is the most pointless unrelated thing. You worry about editing later if you need to edit. Some mind maps are not meant to be edited. It depends what your purpose is.

The Tools

You don’t need more than your brain, a pen and a sheet of paper to draw a mind map, but there are many online mind mapping tools available. The advantage of these online tools is that they permit you to easily re-structure and move around thoughts (without having to re-draw) as well as easily collaborate on a mind map concurrently.  I haven’t tried many but have been recommended to use MindMeister and so far have been very satisfied (it is not free but there is a free trial with a 6 map maximum).

Conclusion

I have just started mind mapping and have yet to develop this skill. Like all things, practice is key. The more you mind map the better you get at it.  I strongly suggest it to everyone. It can be applied to virtually anything. To get started, I recommend reading Tony Buzan.  Buzan claims to be the inventor of Mind Maps.  I don’t know about that but will give credit to this site which has lots of examples: http://www.buzanworld.com/Mind_Maps.htm

Happy Mind Mapping!!