By Doug Stephens
There’s been an incredible amount of talk over the last few years about social media. And frankly, most of the talk is about talking. In other words, using social media as a vehicle through which brands can talk to consumers. The more enlightened might refer to the talk as “conversation” but the gist is the same – social media is often represented foremost as a means of speaking to consumers.
When we hear social media advocates speak, it can be a hyperbolic litany of statistics, stories and case studies that leave the audience feeling that if they don’t set up a Twitter profile and begin blogging immediately, they’ll be washed away in a sea of radical change.
The problem with this approach to social media adoption is twofold; first, it can lead to paralysis. That is to say, companies can literally become overwhelmed at the idea of having to create and distribute digital content. Questions about who will create it, where it will be distributed and how it will be measured abound. Concerns about approvals, security and brand reputation also percolate. They wonder how the expense can be justified when they don’t even understand how to measure return on investment. In the end, many companies simply decide to wait on the sidelines.
Equally detrimental is the scenario in which brands, so eager to leap into social media, naively transport their current marketing strategy and messages into the social space. In their haste, they often neglect to rework their messaging for this new and decidedly different media channel. The results of bad social media can be devastating with brands actually losing equity and loyalty. In the end, these same brands will often dismiss social media as the culprit and label it a waste of time and effort.
Start By Listening
What we hear much less of in discussions on social media is that listening is in fact the first best step that brands can take. No blogging, tweeting, Youtubing or updating… just listening. In fact, the power of social media as a listening tool closely rivals its benefits as a publishing tool.
Listen to the conversation that’s already taking place about your brand, product category or industry. You might be amazed at what you learn from the social echo.
Connecting with consumers in the social space is much like exploring the universe. Before you begin travelling into space, it’s important to know which of these social planets actually support life – and preferably life in the form of your target consumer. There’s no point in pouring time and effort into a Facebook initiative if most of your customers are interacting on Flickr. Secondly, you need to learn the language that’s being spoken on these planets before you attempt to converse within them. Nothing resonates less than the wrong message in a social network. Most importantly, you can gather a sense of what really matters to your consumers and what will capture their interest.
Along the way you’ll even develop familiarity with key influencers and voices of authority in the space – the people who can really help spread your message if you craft it properly. You’re also likely to build a sense of the consumer’s attitude toward your competitors which is always invaluable.
From Observation to Conversation
Once you develop a clear sense of the social networks where your customers are most active and learn what they seem to find most interesting, you’ll have a much clearer sense of the kind of content you need to develop to engage them. This will allow you to better calibrate the manpower required to develop it and approximate cost of your program. The basic awareness earned through listening puts the entire social media initiative in perspective and gives it a clearer sense of intent. Most importantly, with the insights you gather, the likelihood for a successful program increases exponentially.
The world really doesn’t need another blog, tweet or fan page. What it does need is valuable social interaction that informs, excites and engages.
Tags: blogging, social listening, social marketing, social media, social monitoring
What great advice! Many companies decide to launch a social media campaign without the crucial first step of “listening.” Next thing you know, they are grumbling because it wasn’t effective. Social media is not a “build it and they will come” initiative. One must still be strategic and must take the time to locate the target customer and take the message where they “hang out.”
Ahh listening! Too often companies and people mistake it for hearing. Listening requires active participation by the one not talking.
You are right about the use of social media, most companies approach it like a narcissist at a cocktail party; “Well, I’ve said enough about me, now I’d like to know what you think about me.”
Why in the world would I want to Facebook friend Tylenol?
To be relevant, which is the definition of a viable brand today, you need to matter to the people who are buying. To matter, you need to know what your customers want, and that can only be done by listening. Once again, spot on Doug!
It’s true Tony. There’s always lots of reserach taking place but not much listening going on.
It’s only when you get cornered at a party by someome who had a bad experience with your brand that reality sets in.
Part of the beauty/terror of social listening is that it’s hard to spin the research it to please the boss. If people think your brand is crap, that’s exactly what they’ll say and marketers and CEO’s need to be big enough to handle that.
Thanks as always for sharing your view and stay well my friend!
Doug,
What I have seen consistently in those new to social media, is that they often have trouble understanding that it is not about shouting a message out and measuring it on reach and frequency the way traditional media does. Social media requires attentive, respectful listening (see the Nestle mess on FB) and active, engaging conversation with customers, stakeholders, etc.
The Nestle thing was unreal huh? It amplifies the point that the real power (positive or negative) of social media is not that brands can talk to the audience or even that the audience can talk back. It’s that the audience can talk to each other.