Social Media Marketing: Don't Talk, Listen
Posted by Tiffany Garden on Thu, Nov 10, 2011
You have all of your social media marketing bases covered on Facebook, Twitter and countless other social networking sites. You provide fresh content and updates to your followers to keep them up to date on everything happening with your business.
However, you aren't taking full advantage of your social networking presence until you stop talking at your users, and start listening to them.
Listening is an underrated skill in many aspects of life. If you can incorporate it in to your overall marketing plan, you'll quickly reap the benefits. One of the primary ways that social media marketing is different from other forms of marketing is that you have a direct path to interacting with your customer base. You don't have to rely on surveys and comment cards; you get feedback and complaints straight from the horse's mouth.
You can incorporate social media listening with your own social networking pages first. Check through your accounts and talk directly to the customers that have already made their issues and observations known. Once you begin to establish yourself as a company that listens, you can post questions, polls and statuses designed to generate responses from your customers. You'll receive comment responses from those who might be too shy or indifferent to directly talk to you about their problems.
The fast paced speed of social networking might make it seem daunting to keep up with your customers, especially if you are a larger company. A variety of software packages such as Tweetdeck streamlines social media posting in a single program. You can consolidate your accounts through one user-friendly program.
Another way you can build customer goodwill through social media marketing is by monitoring social networks for complaints or mentions of your company. Social Media Today recommends a variety of social search tools. Instead of scouring the Internet to find out what your customers are saying on Reddit, Twitter and their blogs you can go through one of these specialized search engines.
Practical Ecommerce provides several useful tips on the proper tone of voice you should use in social media marketing. You will be jumping in to a conversation that already has a particular slant to it, whether that is positive or negative. Identify the tone before you start you response so that you don't accidentally upset a customer further. For positive social networking posts, keep your tone conversational and professional.
Don't be afraid to show some personality, however. Your customers will have an easier time relating to you if you show some warmth instead of holding yourself apart as an aloof business.
Negative posts require careful handling. Do not fail to address all parts of the customer's issues. Keep a cool head and thick skin, as the customer's response comes from frustration and anger. If possible, fix the problem as soon as you address it or provide an avenue for the customer to receive one on one response. If you go out of your way to fix a customer's issue, chances are that negative comment will turn to a positive comment once it is resolved.
Listening can be a hard skill to pick up in the social media marketing world, but it pays off significantly once you have mastered it. You'll receive direct, useful feedback from your customers, increase your social media base and hopefully gain profitable word of mouth advertising.