Download - Listening and Engaging with Social Media
8/14/2019 Listening and Engaging with Social Media
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/listening-and-engaging-with-social-media 1/11
YOUR CUSTOMERS ARE TALKINGABOUT YOU
Why don’t you join theconversation?
8/14/2019 Listening and Engaging with Social Media
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/listening-and-engaging-with-social-media 2/11
The Groundswell is Growing
Social media allows users from anywhere in the world to talk about anything in world. So if
they aren’t already discussing your company- it’s only a matter of time. Don’t let their
talk scare you. It can be a good thing, a great thing even, for companies to listen to
what their customers are saying. But just listening is not enough. In order to reach
your audience you’re going to have to start talking back. This guide will help you find a
voice in the world of social media in three easy-to-remember steps:
1. Listen
2. Respond
3. Be Real
8/14/2019 Listening and Engaging with Social Media
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/listening-and-engaging-with-social-media 3/11
Step One: Listen
Before you can start talking, you have to take time
to pay attention to what your customers are already
saying. If you start by doing some research, you’ll
have something valuable to add when you join the
conversation.
You have options for monitoring the groundswell, depending
on the size of your company or the scope of your market:
listen in yourself , create a community to listen to or hire an
outside company to listen for you.
* * * * * * * *
8/14/2019 Listening and Engaging with Social Media
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/listening-and-engaging-with-social-media 4/11
Listening to the Groundswell
8/14/2019 Listening and Engaging with Social Media
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/listening-and-engaging-with-social-media 5/11
Step Two: Respond
Once you’ve listened to the conversations
for a little while, it’s time to jump in and
join. Depending on your company’s needs you may
begin your foray into the realm of social media through a
number of applications (Facebook, Twitter,
blogging, targeted social networks, etc.). But the concept of responding to and engaging with your audience will remain the same
regardless of the medium. You’ve got to forget about old marketing
techniques that gave you permission to talk TO your customers. Social
media is all about talking WITH your customers. It’s about building
relationships and connecting in a more substantial way than traditional
selling tactics previously allowed. It’s going to change the way you do
business, but in a way that will be better for everyone involved.
““ Concentrate on the relationships, not the technologies…Concentrate on the relationships, not the technologies…
relationships are everything.” – Li and Bernoff,relationships are everything.” – Li and Bernoff,GroundswellGroundswell
8/14/2019 Listening and Engaging with Social Media
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/listening-and-engaging-with-social-media 6/11
A Case Study in Responding: Marie Claire magazine
The webeditor and theweb associateat MarieClaire found away toconnect withtheir readersvia . Theykept theaudienceengaged byrespondingwith the voiceof a realperson, not acorporateapproved
First tweeted January 16 th , 2009
Current stats: 6,882 followers, 2,346 followed
Twitter is open and constantly running on their desktop sothey can respond as often as necessary
How they use the platform:posting article links from their magazine’s website and other relevantblogs
answering reader questions
retweeting interesting bits of information from those they follow
posing questions to their audience
accepting pitches, suggestions and tips from readers
listening to what they readers have to say and responding
appropriatelyWhy it works:
the magazine promotion is not IN YOUR FACE
readers and followers feel cared about and listened to
tweets provide new, valuable, fun materials
it feels more like a friendship than a buyer-seller relationship
’
8/14/2019 Listening and Engaging with Social Media
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/listening-and-engaging-with-social-media 7/11
Summary of Using Social Media to Engage
Create an account with a social media
application just to spit out the same
one-directional advertising lingo acrossdifferent platforms
Ignore your fans’/followers’/readers’
comments, questions and concerns
Think that your profile is an isolated
creation that can avoid interaction from
other web elements
Sign up just because you heard anothercompany was doing it
Utilize an application that makes sense
of your audience and join in their
conversations (about your companyand anything else that greatly interests
them)
Talk back. Show them you’re listening
Expect and predict multimedia, multi-
message interactions- use them to
your advantage
Log in with a purpose. Know why you’re
usin the tool and what it can do for
What NOT to do Instead…
8/14/2019 Listening and Engaging with Social Media
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/listening-and-engaging-with-social-media 8/11
Step Three: Be Real
If you want to build a sturdy relationship with
your customers, you’re going to have to be honest
about who you are and what you’re doing. Social
media users will see through any attempt you make to
disguise the reason for any blog, twitter, Facebook or
viral video you launch.
It’s time to remove the
We call this transparency. And it informs the only rules to
the game of social media you’re almost ready to start
playing.
It’s ok to tell them the truth. “Hey, I’m the CEO of
Business X and I’ve created this blog to show you the
inner-workings of the company and get you excited
about what we do!
8/14/2019 Listening and Engaging with Social Media
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/listening-and-engaging-with-social-media 9/11
Tips to Increase Your Company’s Transparency
8/14/2019 Listening and Engaging with Social Media
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/listening-and-engaging-with-social-media 10/11
You Can Succeed with Social Media
While marketing with social media may be different from what you’re used to doing at
work, connecting with customers in a real way will come naturally once you get
started. After all, you have plenty of relationships outside of the producer-consumer
role from which you can pull insight. Put yourself in their shoes or think of them as
your best friend, your little brother or even your friendly neighbor from down the
street. Do whatever it takes to shift your thinking. Stop considering your customers
with vague demographics and vapid numbers and start giving them the respect and
interaction that they deserve. Open up to them and they will be open
with you. Listen to them and they will talk to you. Care
about them and they will care about you.
LISTEN. RESPOND. BE REAL.
8/14/2019 Listening and Engaging with Social Media
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/listening-and-engaging-with-social-media 11/11
End Credits
Text informed by:
Holtz, Shel, and John C. Havens. Tactical Transparency: How Leaders Can Leverage Social Media to
Maximize Value and Build Their Brand. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2009.
Li, Charlene, and Josh Bernoff. Groundswell: Winning in a World Transformed by Social
Technologies. Boston: Harvard Business P, 2008.
Photos from Flickr: and other sites
Front slide- Corbis (Flickr name)
Slide 2- www.Sardelis.com (Flickr name)
Slide 3- JenniPenni (Flickr name)Slide 5- Freak Irish Sister (Flickr name)
Slide 6- http://beanstockd.wordpress.com/2007/08/16/marie-claire-unexpectedly-awesome-this-
month/
Slide 8- http://blog.brianblock.com/public/blog/160154?archive=Monthly+.2007-12
Slide 10- Mreece (Flickr name)