Let’s get down to basics. Social Media, whether used internally or externally, is made up of several distinct activities.
One of the most crucial, and often overlooked, activities is listening. In the constant pursuit of “what should I say on Facebook” companies often forget the importance of listening.
Listening serves several crucial functions:
Listening for opportunity
Brands everywhere are posting content, trying their hardest to get into your Facebook News Feed, yet they are forgetting that before brands, there were other people out there on Social Media who were talking. People like leads, prospects, and clients. Some of them are using the very same Internet to talk about things they want, need, like and dislike.
While a coffee shop is posting some asinine trivia question on Twitter, it’s missing the qualified lead within walking distance because it’s not monitoring the web.
While the silkscreen printing shop is busy writing a blog post about silkscreening at home, they could be talking to someone that could hire them.
None of this is to say that content creation is bad. In fact, content creation is fantastic. It’s a great way to create interest, drive awareness and establish authority on topics.
The point isn’t to neglect content creation in favor of social listening, it’s not to neglect the opportunities in social listening because you’re too wrapped up in what you’re going to say.
In fact, read on and you’ll learn why listening is actually an essential component of content creation.
Listening for feedback
Believe it or not people are talking about businesses on the Internet…yeah, I know…SHOCKING! If you’re a local small business, you might want to check Yelp and see what people are saying about you. The goal isn’t to be perfect, it’s to be flexible and strive for perfection. When you listen to the web for feedback, you’ll be able to see what is working and what isn’t. When you adapt to the feedback you can begin to stamp out those problem areas where your business is faltering.
This doesn’t mean you have to take every piece of criticism to heart and believe it to be true. Sometimes people are just jerks. But if you begin to see a trend emerging, you’ll know what you need to fix. Additionally, learning from feedback will inform your content marketing. If someone says the customer service stinks, make sure you communicate the staff changes on your social media channels. If someone says that your burger is the best in town, post pictures and run specials to get people in for your best-in-the-city burger.
You’ll also notice that listening for feedback provides some fantastic customer service opportunities, you just have to be willing to take advantage of it. When in doubt, follow the 3 A’s: Apologize, Acknowledge, Act.
Listening for ideas
The Internet can be a fantastic place to get ideas. You just have to be willing to look around. For instance, back in 2010 I wrote a post a about environmentally-friendly K-Cups. Still no one has done this, I’m surprised. Maybe it’s a crappy idea. Who knows. But the point is, I just wrote it. I put it out there, and asked someone to make it. I’m not the only one who has done this. Do a twitter search for #ideas or a blog search or Youtube search with your service or product and the word “opportunity,” there’s a good chance someone has an idea about it. It also never hurts to ask your audience to give you some ideas about your product or service.
Crowdsourcing is how we got Wikipedia, Quirky and Kickstarter; it allows us to tap into the collective power of the Internet.
Tap into the wisdom of the crowds and you’ll be amazed at how much easier content creation, and product (or service) development becomes.
Listening for competition
Are you listening to what your competition is putting out there? Are you listening to what others are saying about your competition?
If you listen to what your competition is putting out there, you might just get a few good ideas. If you listen to what others say about your competition, you’re bound to get a whole bunch of great ideas. Look for what people criticize your competition for, there’s an opportunity. Look for what people commend your competition for, you may learn where you need to “Step up your game.”
Start simple, set up a few Google Alerts. Search Twitter. Search YouTube. Use Social Mention.
Don’t wait any longer
Social Listening can be easy, or it can be incredibly complex. Start slow. Don’t worry about big data, share of voice, or advanced analytics, just pick one or two things and start to get a better sense of what’s out there. If all else fails, you can contact us and we’ll be glad to help.