Curious about how to implement a social media listening strategy? Consider the following real-world scenario:
Scenario: You are the social media head of a new men’s razor that was launched 2 weeks ago all around the USA. The Vice President of Communication noticed several negative comments on the social Web as well as dozens of unanswered positive comments throughout the social Web but specifically when typing in Google the word Razor or new men’s products. The VP realizes that action is required in order to better listen and respond to customers who bought or are planning on buying the new razor.Where to begin? Razor Company must implement a social media listening strategy to better understand consumer sentiment about its razor product and effectively engage in the social media dialogue.
Let’s break it down in three steps.
Step 1: LISTEN
Likeable Social Media Author Dave Kerpen said, "You have to want, even crave, feedback of all kinds because you know it gives you important data to build a better organization" (Kerpen, 2011, p. 65). First, Razor Company should develop a “listening” action plan to support its initiative. To start, this will include a few elements:
- Identify the main listening goals. Consider outcomes like greater customer engagement, quicker response time, deeper knowledge of brand sentiment, or better customer service.
- Assign and deploy an internal social media monitoring and response team.
- Identify where to listen and how to listen: Try Google Alerts, Social Mention, and Technorati to consistently listen to brand sentiment and dialogue. Try Hootsuite (or something similar) to carefully monitor social media channels and hashtags.
- Start listening!
Step 2: UNDERSTAND
Next, Razor Company should analyze and optimize its current listening to deeply understand how consumers are talking about its brand(s). This analysis will determine how to engage in the social media dialogue. Here are a few questions to get the ball rolling:
- Where are consumers talking most often? Least often?
- Are there any trending phrases/words to closely monitor?
- What are consumers saying about Razor Company's competitors?
- Are consumers criticizing your brand? If so, how can Razor Company respond to appease the situation?
- Are consumers speaking positively about your brand? If so, how can Razor Company respond to and/or strengthen this relationship?
- Are there brand champions or key influencers to tap into to help elevate Razor Company’s brand?
Step 3: ENGAGE
One...two...dive in! Razor Company has deployed a listening strategy and has a deep understanding of what is being said about its brand. Now they can begin diving into the social media conversation. Here are some best practices to consider:
- Engage thoughtfully, reflecting Razor Company’s personality.
- For positive comments, let these customers know you appreciate their comment and you’re listening to them. This will establish two-way meaningful relationships that will accelerate your brand equity.
- For negative comments, respond publicly, but quickly take the conversation offline or via direct message. Kerpen says, "If you can respond quickly and authentically, with an apology and a solution, you can avoid any damage to your reputation" (Kerpen, 2011, p. 84).
WHAT'S NEXT?
After Razor Company has listened to the conversation, understood the conversation, and engaged in the conversation, they are one step closer to achieving their strategic social media goals.
Now let’s get the conversation going. How would YOU attack this real-world scenario? Leave your comments below.
Works Cited
Kerpen, D. (2011). Likeable social media: How to delight your customers, create an
irresistible brand, and be generally amazing on Facebook (& other social networks). New
York: McGraw-Hill.
Scott, D. (2013). The new rules of marketing & PR: How to use social media, online
video, mobile applications, blogs, news releases, & viral marketing to reach buyers
directly (3rd ed.). Hoboken, N.J.: John Wiley & Sons.
[Untitled photo of social media listening ]. Retrieved February 3, 2015 from: http://www.agsalesworks.com/Blog-Sales-Prospecting-Perspectives/bid/100562/Integrating-Social-Media-Listening-Into-The-Sales-Process#.VNGGJ4cQ7zI
Mary, Awesome blog and great post!
ReplyDeleteA few questions: Is Hootsuite necessary at this point? Are enough people using the application?
What would be the best course of action in order for the Razor company to communicate to the public? Should there be preemptive social media plan in place before and after the launch? What would be the best social media applications for a preemptive plan?
Loren
Hi Loren – Thanks for your comment! I think an application like Hootsuite is extremely useful as a social media management system. For example, let’s say Razor Company has an active social media presence (considering the negative and positive comments), and maintains a Facebook page and Twitter page. Hootsuite can allow Razor Company to monitor each feed in real-time, along with mentions, comments, and several hashtags at one time. This helps centralize all of Razor Company’s social media platforms in one place, which is a great investment and resource for Razor Company’s social media listening team.
DeleteRegarding communicating to the public, I think a preemptive plan is imperative for any company to have a course of action across all communication platforms on proactive or reactive issues. As the head of social media For Razor Company, I would have worked with the VP of Comms to establish an integrated marketing communications launch plan with a strong social media component to bring our new razor product to market. The plan would include the social media listening strategy I detail above that listens to, understands, and engages with consumer dialogue about the brand. I’ve also listed a few of the social media applications in my post that would work for pre- and post-launch, especially with optimizing real-time, user-generated content.
Great post Mary! I love this topic and the idea of a listening strategy. More companies should definitely be doing this.
ReplyDeleteThanks Kara! I agree that social media listening is definitely a strategy companies should adopt who want to effectively play in that space.
DeleteMary, Really solid feedback. Another questions if I may, it seems that marketing content today is all very similar. Would there be any particular and unique content that you would put together for Razor Company? How would that content drive engagement with potential customers? Loren
ReplyDeleteHi Loren – You're right, content is king! Although, I have to disagree with your point that all marketing content is similar. I think the value of social media is any brand can be as innovative as they want to be with their content and that’s what sets them apart from other brands, which in turn raises the bar collectively for content marketing. For Razor Company, I’d want to first do some research to find out what content resonates best with my audience and then creatively amplify that strategy. I found an article from social media strategist Jeff Bullas on six brands that are using unique content to engage their audiences via social media platforms. Of note, check out Oreo’s “Wonderfilled” campaign, Red Bull’s Photo of the Week, and Airbnb’s stories. Are there any brands you’ve noticed lately that have great social media content? Have you engaged with any of these brands?
Deletehttp://www.jeffbullas.com/2014/03/24/6-brands-that-will-have-you-rethinking-your-social-media-marketing-strategy/#pMH5LWMbwOZitGAu.99
Solid feedback, Mary. It just seems that there is so much content it is much more difficult to be unique and stand out. I think Mayweather Promotions is a brand that uses influencers in their content to stand out and connect with new customers. What are your thoughts on celebrity endorsements? Do you think Razor company would benefit from say a major endorsement from Tiger Woods or Michael Phelps? Is celebrity endorsements worth the price tag that a new company would likely have to pay?
ReplyDeleteHey Loren - Thanks for your comment. I agree, it's a challenge to be unique with marketing content and cut through the noise. To your point, celebrity endorsements are definitely a way to build brand awareness and strengthen brand associations, but I think the trick is selecting a celebrity who is relevant, authentic, and non-controversial. Tiger Woods and Michael Phelps have both had their fair share of the negative spotlight, diminishing their marketing value to brands. For Razor Company, I think it's worth considering a celebrity endorsement if (and only if) the celebrity is well-known, relevant, and a logical fit to endorse razor products.
DeleteMary, great post! When new companies start out, funds are tight. Let's assume that most of the budget is consumed by actually creating and selling the product. If the company has limited funds to execute a marketing campaign, which platforms do you feel would get 'Razor Company' the most bang for their buck using your 3-Step strategy described in your post and why? Is social media enough, or would you rely on social media until the funds became available to launch a more traditional marketing plan?
ReplyDeleteHi Andrew – For companies with smaller budgets, I think utilizing the web-enabled marketplace for marketing and communications is the most effective spend. Social media is inexpensive compared to other traditional marketing elements, making it a no-brainer to connect with consumers in a more affordable way. From my three-step strategy, I don’t think you can cut out a step, but I think you can focus on fewer channels. For example, Razor Company can invest in listening to find out where their customers are talking online first, and then focus marketing efforts on those channels. In other words, the initial research will narrow where to focus their marketing efforts (and their marketing spend) via social media.
DeleteMary, great post and really good insights. Although the company needs to listen I wonder if they initially need to be proactive by offering general invitations to feedback both positive and negative serving as a way to get the conversation under control in concert with listening activities. Time seems to be of the essence within social media environments and to wait to invite open communication may create additional damage to the image of both the product and image through a building swell of disappointment from lack of responsiveness by the company. Do you think it’s too aggressive to push an immediate campaign such as on YouTube or Facebook looking for feedback?
ReplyDeleteHi Shawn – Great question. My initial reaction is a company would be asking for negative backlash (or public ridicule) if they launched a social campaign looking for feedback without establishing a social media community and connecting with users first. Even still, companies with the best intentions have launched feedback campaigns that had undesirable outcomes. Check out this example: https://politicalfails.wordpress.com/2015/01/02/fox-news-tries-to-launch-overit2014-guess-how-this-went/
DeleteThese days, consumers have to feel like the brands they connect with online are authentic, credible, and relevant to them. I think in order to get meaningful feedback from customers, companies need to build and nurture those relationships first, and they will likely get a higher response rate and more useful comments with any feedback effort they pursue.
Thanks again for the insight. I appreciate your ideas and thoughts on this subject. Final question, how would you go about applying what we learned during this post in your professional career?
ReplyDeleteHi Loren - The good news is my organization is already practicing these steps. We have several different social media channels where we practice listening to the conversation, understanding the conversation, and engaging in the conversation. It has helped us better identify our target markets and serve content that's relevant and meaningful to our customers. So far, so good!
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