evocalize
Founded by former Amazon exec Kumar Srinivasan and one-time Bazaarvoice exec Matthew Marx, Evocalize helps companies communicate better with their customers. Photo via Evocalize.

With the advent of social media and other technology, brands can communicate with individual customers in more ways than ever. However, one problem is that they either don’t have the tools or simply do not understand how to do so.

That’s exactly where Evocalize wants to help. The new Seattle startup today announced a $3 million Series A round from Madrona Venture Group and is charging ahead to help companies ultimately increase their bottom lines by strengthening relationships with customers.

evocalize2Founded by former Amazon exec Kumar Srinivasan and one-time Bazaarvoice exec Matthew Marx, Evocalize tracks down customer data from a variety of sources (social media, third parties, etc.) and packages that information for brands, who can then leverage the data to understand how customers think and why they make certain decisions.

The ultimate goal is to upgrade the often impersonal strategies many companies still use today for customer feedback — one-off surveys, for example — with a robust tool that can provide a deep understanding of the customer, in addition to useful analytics through back-end software. Evocalize can also help companies pinpoint their top advocates and develop ways to encourage those people to promote the brand.

“Brands don’t have a holistic, longitudinal view of a customer and that relationship,” Srinivasan said. “What we did is create a unique platform that can do that.”

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Evocalize is already working with brands like TGIF Friday’s and Burger King.

The idea of using social media data and related information to help companies increase revenue is certainly not a novel idea — there are companies big and small doing something similar.

But Evocalize’s founders say their idea is different and one that provides a more thorough, comprehensive view of customers.

“There are a number of solutions out there that provide one service, one piece of the puzzle,” Marx said. “We’re trying to unify all those pieces so that brands can have intelligent, data-driven conversations with customers that can help power their entire business.”

There are several brands already using Evocalize, from TGIF Friday’s to Rosetta Stone. Buffalo Wings and Rings Marketing Manager Charlie Francus compared the Evocalize platform to a “focus group on a massive scale,” and noted that it was a less intrusive way to learn about his restaurant’s customers.

Evocalize, which actually was founded in Austin, Texas, 15 months ago, currently employs ten in downtown Seattle. The startup will use the fresh funds to build out the team and continue improving its service.

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