Listening? Huh? Social Media?

Isn’t social media funny? We use it to be “social,” but it has become such a business now. I recently learned in one of my Masters classes, just how important it is for companies to really listen to what is being said about them in this “social” world. Then, in turn, they build a better business with happy clients who feel someone paid attention to them. In Dave Kerpen’s book “Likeable Social Media” he talks about how “if and when customers or prospects acknowledge that you’re listening, you immediately strengthen your relationship with them (2015). He goes on to suggest that all companies need to do is search their name or keywords on places like Twitter and Facebook to find out what people are saying (Kerpen, 2015).

Here are more simple ways companies can apply listening skills to social media:

      1. Listen, but also acknowledge because it “makes them (customers) happy”    

         (Kerpen, 2015).

      2. Use Google Alerts, Social Mention, or TweetBeep (Kerpen, 2015).

      3. Use paid enterprise software solutions like Meltwater Buzz, Parature, 

          Vocus, or Sysomos (Kerpen, 2015).

Bain & Company, a global management consulting firm, wrote in a 2011 article that the most successful companies used social media by expanding “their efforts to engage their customers at every step of what we call the “customer corridor,” touch points that start when a potential customer first learns of a product and extend through the moment they opt to make repeat purchases” (Barry, C., Markey, R., Almquist, E., & Brahm, C., 2011). The firm goes on to suggest some use tips on how companies can apply listening skills to social media and strengthen their customer relationships:

       1. On social media sites like Facebook, Bain & Company says “know your  

           target audience and understand which social media platforms they 

           frequent” (Barry et al., 2011).

       2. They say “companies need engagement plans that explicitly target their 

           promoters and detractors” (Barry et al., 2011).

   

       3. Mobilize “cross-functional” teams and build a “social media organization 

           to deliver results” (Barry et al., 2011).

Thinking of this advice and what “listening” on social media means, immediately made me think of Taco Bell. I have had several interactions with Taco Bell on Twitter and I have watched how they seem to listen to the conversation going on and react. I have tweeted about how “sometimes you just need some Taco Bell” and they tweeted me back! Imagine my delight to know they were LISTENING! It was the little things, but you know what? It caused me to act and I went back and bought more Taco Bell tacos in the coming days. 

A snapshot from Taco Bell's Twitter account on February 2nd, 2016

Look at this example to the right. Taco Bell is using the #TacoEmojiEngine. On February 1^st, 2016, they replied to dozens of Taco Bell fans. Someone appears to be listening to fans and reacting. Kerpen wrote “by listening and responding, greater sentiment comes from customers, whose loyalty grows” (Kerpen, 2015). 

Lastly, look at this graph posted by Bain & Company from their ‘Social Media Customer Survey.’ They found “customers who engage with companies over social media spend 20% to 40% more money with those companies than other customers” (Barry et al., 2011). So, listening = money.

                                                 References

Barry, C., Markey, R., Almquist, E., & Brahm, C. (2011, September 12). Putting social media to work. Retrieved February 02, 2016, from http://www.bain.com/publications/articles/putting-social-media-to-work.aspx

Kerpen, D. (2015). Likeable Social Media. (2nd ed.). New York, NY: McGraw Hill Education.