Business owners understand the importance of social media and their credit card companies know they too can play a role in that relationship. Enter American Express and its YourBuzz web app.
The Tool
Described as a “social media aggregator”, YourBuzz is a free app, web based, with a goal of playing a role in small business owners and their efforts of bringing their social media presence up a notch. Think of it as financially based TweetDeck. It’s capabilities are more than a little impressive, too.
Its Strengths
The AMEX YourBuzz tool allows business owners of any size to pool their profiles – all of them – so that they can better gauge, first, their reputations and also what their customers are talking about, what those customers need and perhaps even what they don’t need. It’s an ideal opening for contribute to the conversation; after all, consumers like to know their needs are being addressed and business owners want to be sure they’re not missing important elements in terms of how their businesses are being viewed and discussed.
As the YourBuzz site explains, business owners have a very streamlined way to “respond, retweet or create a new conversation” and “see how you stack up against your competition”. Other features include the social breakdown charts that allow you to gauge which social media outlets your particular customers are frequenting. This can help you, as a business owner, know where to direct your attention. You’ll have a better idea of which social media outlets your new promotions or marketing efforts will succeed. It truly feels like a “round table” forum where everyone benefits.
The Dashboard
Another important element of this app is its dashboard. This easy to use and easy to understand dynamic is the perfect way to put a “face” to your typical customer. Is that customer a middle-aged housewife or is it a an up and coming Harvard graduate? Are your customers more likely to use a coupon or enter a drawing?
Other Features
Want to start a monthly newsletter? Maybe you’d like to incorporate a poll that will tell you what’s working well and what might be falling sort. This brilliant app does that – and much, much more.
The only drawback (if you can even call it that) is business owners will find success with the YourBuzz app if they have already built a social media presence. After all, business owners will quickly become bored with it if there is no interaction with and among customers. If you’ve not built a Twitter following or a FourSquare presence of a Facebook fan page with followers, that really should be your first goal.
Getting your business up and going in the digital world is really just a matter of committing a bit of time building it. Consider hiring a freelance professional who can get your pages up and going quickly. From there, you’ll really be able to build from that momentum and make the most of the AMEX YourBuzz.
