April 4, 2011

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Someone once said, if you want to make a woman feel sexy, listen to her. Thousands of people have probably said that, primarily because it’s sound advice. Frankly, it works for men or women—both in the developing stages of a relationship and longer term.

What works in a personal relationship often works in a professional one, too. If you want to put social media tools to work for your marketing and sales purposes, it makes sense to start by listening. And the social media gurus agree.

Marcel LeBrun, CEO of Radian6, a social media listening software company, somewhat famously called social media “the new telephone.” That’s an apt metaphor, says Jay Baer, co-author of “The Now Revolution.” Over time, the same way that everybody in an organization now has an email address and a telephone on their desk, everybody in an organization will eventually be active in social media in some way, shape or form.

If Baer is right that everyone in a company is eventually going to be using social media, what should they know about listening to online conversations? How do you listen without hovering inappropriately and coming off creepy? Who do you listen to? And when do you join a conversation?

Here are four strategies:

• Start with your current customers. Presumably, you’re already comfortable interacting with them, so ask them what social media outlets they use for business. Where do they go and who do they interact with when they’re talking about their industry and the products or services you provide?

• Learn who else participates in conversations. Just as you would meet new people if you accompanied a friend to a party, you’ll encounter new prospects when you go where your current customers interact online. Understand who is talking about your industry, your products and your competitors’ products. Determine who the influencers are in your industry and discover where they hang out in the social media world. Do they have their own blogs? Do they receive hundreds of comments on their posts? If so, these are people you want to keep tabs on. Note that you haven’t joined the conversation yet. You’re still listening and learning. 

• Listen for three key elements in the conversation. Pay attention to the language customers are using and be sure to use similar language when you join the conversation. Listen for any discussion about your products or services so you understand what you’re getting into before you participate. Finally, listen to what they’re saying about your competitors. 

• Look for conversation patterns. When do people in your industry have social conversations? Are they event-driven? Is there a spike around a specific corporate event or industry tradeshow? Are there trigger points that cause customers and prospects to seek others’ opinions? This will help you determine why people “arrive” at these conversations—or even initiate them—which will help you prepare what information you’ll want to bring to the table.

The qualities that make for positive social networking are some of the same qualities that make for positive networking away from the Internet. In a social setting, if you and your employees recognize the difference between lurking around a conversation and listening to a conversation until it makes sense to join in, you should do fine with your social networking efforts.

Dan Morrill, a blogger and the program director of Seattle-based CityU’s computer science program, sums it up quite well:

“It would be great if there were central points of groups, people or processes that could help make a social networking program just take flight. Unfortunately, there is not. And yes, social networking is hard to do, especially when the payoff seems so remote from what you’re doing. But I’ve found that there are many great people to follow, learn from, comment on and—in your own way—talk to. Listening was a big part of this learning process. Ten years from now, the rules of social networking will be automatic. Right now, we’re taking our first baby steps. To be successful, we have to listen, be flexible and be respectful.”

Paul Nolan is editor of SalesForceXP magazine, a bimonthly publication that provides sales managers with insights for getting “Xtra Performance” from their sales teams.

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Join the conversation ( 1 )

• AMY DAVIDSON 1 year 1 months and 19 days ago

  

  Excellent insight! Thanks for sharing!