Social Influencer Series | Rahkim Sabree, CX Leader, Author TedX, Speaker
Of all of the many wonderful things I love about being in Social Martech, it is the incredible people I meet who are reshaping industries and defining the future of Customer Experience.
One of our guests at Khoros Engage was Rahkim Sabree. By day, Rahkim works in Customer Experience in the financial services sector. His team is using cutting edge technology to engage and serve customers in their social channel of choice, but that is only half the story. Rahkim is also an author; non-profit founder and activist; and now TedX Speaker.
His passion for mentorship and financial literacy has shaped his path in life and led him to found the non-profit, An Extended Hand Inc. - an incredible organization dedicated to empowering and educating those who are at risk of, or currently impacted by homelessness. He’s an advocate for financial education and literacy who just delivered a powerful Ted Talk on how “financial empowerment is a team sport”.
I am really proud to call Rahkim a client and a friend. I highly recommend his book, Financially Irresponsible.
I caught up with him recently to discuss his recent Ted Talk and how he is leveraging social media in both his corporate and philanthropic endeavors.
Here is a snapshot of what he had to say:
Social Media as an industry is really just a decade old, but its impact is so far reaching. You work in Social Media in the banking industry - which on its own sounds futuristic, but why is every bank building a strategy around social?
Times are changing and the way people choose to perform interactions are changing as well. Banks specifically, but any business in general, are flocking to where their consumers are. I like to think of Social Media as sort of a digital playground. People aren’t satisfied with the old fashioned monkey bar/sand box/swing set combo when you have the trampoline park complete with laser tag sitting across the street. As more people engage in everyday interactions on social, businesses need to establish a presence there to continue to thrive.
When you think about Customer Experience (CX) how are you seeing brands change the way they use social media to engage; solve problems; mitigate risk and manage customer service?
Brands are getting smarter and more creative about the way they do business. There are a lot of factors to take into account to drive CX and maintaining legacy controls they’ve had in place while also identifying and anticipating new risk measures present on social media. Brands have to have a balanced approach in knowing who they are talking to without compromising information that can essentially be viewed by the public
Let's shift gears and talk about your Non-Profit. You were featured in a Ted-Talk this December for your work in founding - An Extended Hand. Tell me about your mission?
An Extended Hand, Inc. came about when my passion for financial education and entrepreneurship, met my cofounder’s passion for human services and education. We determined between us that we had all of the complementary tools needed to create “an organization vested in empowering those we serve to seek fulfillment and develop a sense of individual accomplishment.” (Our mission statement) My Ted-Talk is focused on financial empowerment and how it is truly a “team sport”. (www.aeh-ct.org)
How are you using social media to create awareness and build your non-profit brand?
It’s funny, I’m using social media to build my own personal brand as a speaker, an author, and of course an advocate for financial education while also creating awareness around the non-profit brand as its own entity. My strategy in this was to create enough credibility and buy-in into who I am and what I stand for as a person and then funnel or shift my audience to the work I’m doing with the non-profit. I wear many hats to many different people. One day I’m a social marketer or a banker, another day I’m an author or speaker, a personal finance consultant, or a non-profit cofounder. The common thread between all of these hats is me, so why not leverage all of these audiences simultaneously and let them decide whether or not the work I do in the community, or the things that fuel my passion are worth paying attention to.
What advice would you give to digital marketers in the profit or non-profit sector about a simple approach to effectively leveraging social media? Is their a simple message or formula you'd recommend?
Understand social media strategy. That’s more than logging into Facebook or Instagram and creating a business profile. Sure that’s definitely part of it, (a necessary part of it at that!) but understanding the nuances between platforms and across platforms around who will see and interact with your content, what engages your audience, and how to remain human in an increasingly digital world are paramount to your success.
Speed Round:
What is your proudest accomplishment? My books and Ted Talk
Go-to-Social-Channel? Instagram
Celebratory Cocktail? Whiskey and Ginger
Your favorite brand to follow on social? Does mine count?
Inspirational #hashtag? #EndHomelessness
About the Interviewer:
Mark Keaney is a Husband, Dad, Coach, Mentor and Leader. With over 20 years of experience in the media industry and a wild ride in the world of tech start-up & social - Mark is helping brands deliver world class CX at Khoros, where he is the Vice President of Sales for North America. His mantra is - Brand Globally. Market Locally.
email: markkeaney8@gmail.com or twitter: @markkeaney2pt0
