Listening still reigns supreme in social media strategy

It’s not a new concept, but it’s still an essential one. To be successful in social media you need audience insights and listening is a great way to get those insights.

We have tackled the topic of listening on this blog before. We’ve even gone so far as recommending Alterian SM2 as our listening vendor of choice. And it’s our working relationship with SM2 that’s made social media monitoring a core service offering for clients.

But, regardless of which listening tools you use, monitoring social channels is a powerful component that helps us provide sound strategic counsel. Monitoring allows us to make more informed decisions about the best way our clients can engage with target audiences.

One of the most interesting things I’ve learned from listening programs is that sometimes the level of conversation in a marketplace or around a brand is low. On the surface this may seem like a reason to ignore the social media space. The exact opposite is true. This often means that with little effort a brand can grab a significant share of voice. Without monitoring we would not know the opportunity exists. Likewise, in an issues management situation you now have data to help assess conversations taking place and decide if the issues management plan that was prepared has to be deployed.

For one client, we noted only a couple of social “hot-spots” but those voices were never loud enough to act upon.

It all comes down to getting critical insights that help us make more informed decisions about the use of social media.

If you’ve started a social media listening campaign, we’d love to hear how it’s helping your company, clients or customers.

Comments

[40deuce]

Great point Grant. Listening is definitely the most important thing a company can do in the social space. People who talk about your brand, either positively or negatively, should be meaningful and a learning experience for you.
Oddly enough, just the other day I wrote about the same subject on my personal blog. I wrote a little piece on how people who talk negatively about your company are actually your best resource for constructive criticism. Feel free to check it out here: http://geeknpr.blogspot.com/2010/07/haters-gonna-hate-and-why-you-should.html

Cheers,

Sheldon, community manager for Sysomos

[@Moorius]

"Monitoring allows us to make more informed decisions about the best way our clients can engage with target audiences." That's the most compelling reason to listen for any organisation that wants to build a loyal and trusted relationship with their audience or consumers. Well said Grant!