Listen Up!

Social media is shifting the way organisations need to approach communications. It’s not acceptable to shout a message through social media that way a message is shouted through advertising. It’s not enough to be heard – the true power of social media comes through listening.

The opportunity offered to organisations through social media is powerful – honest and open insights into the minds of the brand community. Never before has it been so time efficient to gather research and real time data about what is important to customers and prospective customers. According to Radian6 an engaged brand shows it is listening, that they understand their customer wants and needs, and that they care about the people who like and buy their products.

David Alston proposed a list of ways that brands can better relate, they included:

1.       Listening – the first step to building a relationship

2.       Share content of value

3.       Collaborate – stop trying to convince, work together with your market to innovate

4.       Get to know friends of friends – develop more relationships

5.       Be willing to make mistakes and own up to them

I think collaboration is the key, social media is not about pushing a product/service/message at people. It should be about listening and learning about what is important to the community and responding in ways that shows these factors have been considered.

Great example of Creative Social Media - KLM Suprise

If you are not familiar with the KLM surprise campaign you may want to check out this short video – this is really using social media in a creative way as well as making people feel like they are heard!

I’m interested in hearing your thoughts on this – have you had an experience where a brand has really made you feel like you have been heard? Or, have you been ‘approached’ by a brand in a way that is totally irrelevant and a really good example of a brand not listening?