Silicon.com recently released tips and advice for integrating social media as part of a CRM strategy.

The website called social customer relationship management the latest hot topic in marketing, as it is gaining momentum among large business marketers. For example, PepsiCo recently dropped its 23-year-old platform for Super Bowl TV advertising to make room for a $20 million budget for social marketing, according to Silicon.com. One of the main issues with the adoption of social media into CRM strategies is that many organizations lack the skills and expertise to follow through on a social media campaign.

The tips from Silicon.com advise marketers to change their mindset of social media, as it can provide dialogue to customers that reveals the exact products and services consumers want. It also warns against allowing unmonitored social media communication, as allowing staff to tweet at will can harm the social CRM campaign. Finally, Silicon.com advises to use social CRM to promote a lifestyle that will lead to product sales, rather than promote a direct product line.

Incorporating social media into a CRM strategy can reach a broad, innovative customer base. A recent report found that access to social media websites is becoming easier, as many of the 400 million users registered on Facebook and 100 million on Twitter are frequently accessing their profiles with smartphones.