Soft-spoken brand marketers? Not in this galaxy. By necessity, marketers are inveterate loudmouths. Their guiding principle – we can’t say enough about a product or service. And it’s a good thing. Somebody has to gush about the goods. It might as well be the people on the payroll. But in the age of social listening, marketers occasionally must go silent — and just, well, listen.
Social listening is rooted in the following principle: Somewhere in cyberspace people are discussing our brand — or our unworthy competitors. It’s what a lot of folks do these days. Therefore, we, the marketing crew, must discover who and where they are, and what they’re saying. Hence, social listening.
Oddly enough, social listening doesn’t begin with listening; it begins with searching. The chosen searchers will comb the media channels for pertinent, brand-related conversations. And hopefully strike gold. Heard during this process is everything under the sun — complaints, praise, questions, and all the rest. Ignore none of it – it’s all important.
The most likely conversation zones are social media platforms, newsfeeds, blogs, and websites But the possibilities don’t stop there. Therefore, the savviest searchers will hunt in every nook and cranny to assure maximum coverage.
Once the conversations are captured, what’s the next step? Organize and analyze the data – then respond full force. Marketers have two ways to do so. First, respond verbally. For example, you might get an earful of grumbling about your product. Ignore the urge to berate the complainer, and instead reply with a conciliatory message, adding a devout promise to right the wrong. We hear you, disgruntled user. Oh yes we do.
Response 2 is a better calorie burner than Response 1, since the former demands action, not just words. For instance, users might be praising your product to the moon. So give them more of a good thing. One way is to implement enhancements to the beloved product or service. Something that makes it better than ever. Users will rave. And all because you took the time to listen.
If you have any questions or comments about social listening or any other brand-related topic, feel free to send them our way. You can connect with the Young Company team at (949) 284-7208 or bart@youngcompany.com. And be sure to follow us for the latest brand marketing news and tips.