social media ebook- listen and engage

8/14/2019 Social Media ebook- Listen and Engage

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YOUR CUSTOMERS ARE TALKING ABOUT YOU

Why don’t you jo in the conversation?



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-remembersteps:

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.

* * * * * * * *



DIY l istening strategies Private Communities(a variety of host sites allow you to create aspace to listen in on)

Employ listening help(different companies that do the same thing)

Google your company, productsand employee. Try usingquotation marks around yourphrasing and include positiveand negative keywords likeawesome and sucks . Set upGoogle alerts to stay notified of new mentions

CommuniSpace - generates aspace for your audience to talk while offering you theopportunity to listen to (andlater, engage with) what they’resaying

Radian6 - searches differentsocial media platforms andprovides a statistical analysis of your brand tracking. Cuts outsome of the extraneous data youmight find on your own searchesand aggregates the informationfor you

Use Technorati search theblogosphere for discussion of your company

Check tags for your company atdeli.icio.us

MarketTools - providescustomer insight managementcapabilities through survey platforms, research innovation

and global panels

Neilsen’s BuzzMetrics -conducts brand monitoringacross the Internet and delivers you a summary report

Search twitter to see if any tweetversations are occurringabout your brand

Networked Insights - createslistening platform software thatanalyzes social media to informmarketing strategy and tactics

TNS Cymfony - evaluatesconversations around yourcompany in traditional andsocial media

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 moresubstantial 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 technologiesConcentrate on the relationships, not the technologies ……relationships arerelationships areeverything.everything. ”” –– Li and Bernoff,Li and Bernoff, GroundswellGroundswell



A Case Study in Responding: Marie Claire magazine

The web editorand the webassociate atMarie Clairefound a way toconnect withtheir readers via

.They kept theaudienceengaged by

responding with the voiceof a real person,not a corporateapprovedmessage.

First tweeted January 16 th , 2009

Current s tats: 6,882 follo wers, 2,346 followed

Twitter is open and constantly running on their desk top so they canrespond as often as necessary

How they use the platform:posting article links from their magazine’s website and other relevant blogs

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 a ppropriately

Why it work s:the magazine promotion is n ot 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

it’s easy to use and followers can determine their level of participation



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 across

different platforms

Ignore your fans’/followers’/readers’

comments, questions and concerns

Think that your profile is an isolatedcreation 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 theirconversations (about your company and

anything else that greatly interests them)

Talk back. Show them you’re listening

Expect and predict multimedia, multi-

message interactions- use them to youradvantage

Log in with a purpose. Know why you’re

using the tool and what it can do for you

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 mask!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)

social media ebook- listen and engage

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