Listening is the New Marketing

2/5/2009 10:17:17 AM

Marketers are known for talking, not as much for listening.

That is not to suggest we have not used tools like focus groups, user surveys or other research instruments in the past. It's just that, in the era of the participatory Web, listening is not an option, it is a mandate. And it provides a great opportunity to learn at a grassroots level what people really think about your client's brand, products or services. Indeed, listening to the groundswell of consumer-generated content is the new marketing.

Why Listen

People are talking and they are using the social Web - blogs, social networks, wikis, forums, video, etc - as their mouthpiece.

Take, for example, what happened on microblogging site Twitter following the Superbowl. There was an outcry, even a backlash, against domain registrar Go Daddy for the controversial nature of its advertising. More than a few people went so far as to transfer their domains to other service providers!

While this was barely a blip on Go Daddy's radar in so far as the net effect on its bottom line, the publicity cannot have been good.

The effect of word of mouth in social media is not constrained to large companies either. Recently, I spoke at a gathering of hospital marketing directors on the topic of social media.

In preparation, I visited a couple of healthcare rating and review sites to see if any of the hospitals represented might be mentioned. Oh boy, were they! One hospital in particular was dealt a number of severe blows in terms of negative reviews. Another experienced quite the opposite effect.

Don't kid yourself. Reviews from "average people like me" are powerful. Not only do they influence consumer attitudes and behavior, often they show up prominently in search returns.

How would you like a site where a negative review is posted showing up directly under your client's own Web site? One site says "buy from me," while the other says "don't buy."

What to Listen For

There are three metrics involved in what is now referred to as Online Reputation Management: Share of voice, tone of voice and trends over time.

Share of voice
This is a measurement of how much and to what degree people are talking about your client. For many small businesses, it is often the case that nothing is being said.

That's almost as bad as if people are talking negatively. When that happens, it is vital that something be done to stimulate conversation. There are a number of ways you can do so, which I will cover later in this article.

Tone of voice
That's a gauge of whether the conversation is largely negative or positive. We refer to that as "sentiment analysis." If the sentiment is positive, reward those who speak well of your client. That will only incite them to do more.

If the tone is largely negative, it is incumbant upon you to get to the root of the problem and not attempt to cover it up with PR spin. Fix the problem and the tone will likely change. However, if it's misinformation that's being spread, you must engage the critics and take steps to right the ship.

Bizzuka experienced this very issue a number of months ago. A blogger had written some factually incorrect information about the company and its CMS product. Even worse, that post was displayed prominently on Google search returns for the word "Bizzuka."

Two actions were taken. First, Bizzuka's CEO, John Munsell, responded to the post with a comment which added much needed balance. Second, we engaged in a content marketing strategy using blogs, YouTube videos, Flickr photos, online press releases and a number of other online media.

While I our primary intent was to provide consumers with useful content, a secondary benefit was that the critical post was driven off the front page, replaced instead by Bizzuka generated content.

Trends over time
It is important to monitor both the above metrics over the course of time in order to see the effects of your advertising, marketing and PR efforts.

How to Listen

A number of tools exist ranging in cost from free to very expensive. For example, you can employ a DIY approach using tools like Google Reader to subscribe to Google and Yahoo! news alerts, Technorati and Twitter keywords searches, and other RSS feeds for relevant keywords. However, taking this approach there is great likelihood you will miss information your client would consider important.

If your budget allows, you can hire companies such as Radian6 or Techrigy to monitor the activity for you. A more affordable alternative might be Trackur, an inexpensive software application which offers a number of features that make it more than adequate to meet the needs of most small businesses.

Join the Conversation

If a conversation already exists about your client, their products, services, industry or competition, then you have a place to start.

I refer to this as getting a seat at someone elses table. Listen to what's being said and respond when appropriate. Again, find ways to reward those who speak well of your client and, in an honest, courteous fashion, address those who cast aspersions or spread misinformation. You will be amazed at what you can learn just by engaging the groundswell in either respect. It's good research!

Start a Conversation

If no one is talking about your client, it behooves you to take a proactive stance and "set a table of your own." There are a number of ways to do this - start a blog, post videos to YouTube and other video-sharing sites, create a Facebook business page or group or set up a Twitter profile and participate in the conversation going on there.

Which actions you take really depend on your client's business goals and the target market they are attempting to reach. Think strategically before engaging tactically.

Listening is the new marketing and it's the first step in a comprehensive online marketing engagement strategy.

Posted by: Paul Chaney | Submit comment | Tell a friend

Categories: Online Marketing | Social Media

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