Everybody's got one. A “pet” company they like so well that they can't say enough good things about them. For me, it's Land's End, the clothing and adventure-wear company that has the best end-of-season sales, a “whenever, and for whatever reason” returns policy, a great website and an option to return items that don't work out to Sears stores for an account refund. I'm a dream customer for them, given that I write about customer service regularly and I'm a heavy social media user.

So how would a company like Lands End, or your personal “pet” company, make use of you or me as a marketing resource? It's a tricky prospect, and it's the reason that a start-up called Lithium exists. Lithium, founded 10 years ago, helps Fortune 1000 companies find and connect with their biggest fans so they can encourage those fans to write positive things about them on social networks and custom fan communities. Lithium can also help companies stop negative comments from spiraling out of control, writes Business Insider today.

How? That's the tricky part.

Lithium CEO Rob Tarkoff (News - Alert), formerly of Adobe, explains it this way: “We have monitoring technology built into the platform...We can actually tie that into analytics, so you can see what influencers in your customer community are saying. We have ways to actually motivate customers to act on your behalf.”

Strong stuff, and apparently the company's investors agree.

Today, Lithium announced that it has raised a new $53.4 million funding round. Investors in the new round include NEA, whose partner Peter Sonsini will also join Lithium's board, and SAP (News - Alert) Ventures, software giant SAP's investment arm. Tarkoff told Business Insider that he plans to use the cash to expand Lithium's sales methods, working with digital marketing agencies who in turn sell to big brands.

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