listening and engaging with social media

8/14/2019 Listening and Engaging with Social Media

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YOUR CUSTOMERS ARE TALKINGABOUT YOU

Why don’t you join theconversation?



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



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.

* * * * * * * *



Listening to the Groundswell



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



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

’



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…



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!



Tips to Increase Your Company’s Transparency



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.



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)

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