Are you listening?

In chapter 1 of Dave Kerpen’s book, Likeable Social Media, he discusses the importance of listening.  I believe this is one of the most important lessons in marketing.  Kerpen tells us that “companies can no longer afford to ignore their customers’ specific needs or complaints when the conversation can so easily be made public. Instead, they must listen, understand the issue, and respond appropriately” (Kerpen, p. 14).

Some key takeaways from this chapter that should be applied to any social media program are:

• Listen before you speak. Look around, explore, and see what others are saying before you engage. As Kerpen states, “As tempting as it may be to ‘join the conversation,’ Facebook, Twitter, and other social networks aren’t simply broadcast media – that is, they are listening networks” (Kerpen, p. 14).
• Acknowledge others and make them feel heard. If customers are making negative comments, these should be addressed immediately.  If customers are happy, engage with them.
• Understand what is important to your target audience.  By using social listening tools you can see what your customers are talking about and use that information to build your online presence.
• Depending on company size and reach, check out paid verses free software to monitor online mentions. On pages 16-17, Kerpen provides lists of free and paid tools that can help companies effectively listen.
• Pay attention to what is being said about your competitors and what they are doing online. You can learn from what is being said about your competitors, both positive and negative, so don’t forget to check out their online presence and see what is being said about them.
• Alter your marketing strategy accordingly.  Use the information gained by listening to improve your product, message, or focus.
• Don’t stop listening, even after you start talking.

What happens when companies don’t listen?

In week 2, we had the opportunity to check out some social media failures in an article titled 10 Biggest Social Media Marketing Fails of 2013.  The author prefaced his recap by stating, “A common element to all of these mishaps is that the social media team was not listening. And listening does not just mean talking to customers. It means being aware of the company's place in the Internet's culture and knowing that customers do not appreciate mass-produced responses” (Feloni, 2013).

While Kerpen focuses on listening to industry related news and responding to customer feedback, the article highlights the importance of listening in a much broader sense.  Marketers should pay close attention to anything that might affect the way their brand is perceived online. While some of the failures are due to pure ignorance, others are mistakes that were overlooked because the marketers were not listening.

Lessons learned from these fails:

• Not everyone shares the same sense of humor as you do.  What you might think is hilarious and clever, your followers may find crass and distasteful. Anything that makes light of plane crashes, voodoo dolls, dismemberment... not a good idea. When in doubt, don’t post!
• Make sure you trust the employees running your social media accounts to make good decisions.  Be sure to regain control of the accounts BEFORE firing them.
• Do your research. Before you open yourself up to public opinion, you might want to have a general idea of what your audience thinks of you.
• Be sensitive to current events.  Capitalizing on national tragedies, like the Boston Marathon Bombing, to gain followers and site visits is highly inappropriate and will be frowned upon.
• Sometimes, silence is golden.  Angry and defensive responses to negative comments and criticism will only further damage your reputation. Consider deleting the comments or wait until you can respond with a thoughtful and calm response that addresses the issue and makes your audience feel heard.

Most important of all… Listen to your audience!

Questions for Discussion

Kerpen emphasizes the importance of listening before jumping into the social media conversation.  What do you think a company should do if the conversation is mostly negative?

Can you think of an example where a company effectively used listening as a tool to alter their marketing strategy successfully?

References

Feloni, F. (2013, Nov. 24). The 10 Biggest Social Media Marketing Fails Of 2013. Business Insider. Retrived from http://www.businessinsider.com/10-worst-social-media-marketing-fails-of-2013-2013-11

Kerpen, D. (2015). Likeable Social Media (2nd ed.) McGraw Hill.