“Listening” and responding to what’s being said about you, your company or brand on-line is a major component to effective Social Media. Last week I wrote about 6 Free Ways to Listen. Today I’m going to help you plan a response to what you learn.
Types of communication and a strategy:
Criticism. See adversity as an opportunity to demonstrate customer service, industry leadership and willingness to take responsive action. It’s the best time to head off a crisis before it happens. Don’t act abruptly and stay calm. If your blood pressure is rising, count to ten first. Keep perspective. If the criticism isn’t warranted or is a personal attack, giving space to your other readers to come to your defense can be an excellent posture.
Kudos. Compliments can come in the form of an individual post, Tweet or Facebook update. Positive word-of-mouth is the best way to gain future business from new or existing customers. Keep Kudos on file and reuse them in appropriate ways and venues with the writer’s permission. Be sure to thank any employee mentioned for outstanding service.
Questions. Respond timely to demonstrate expertise and industry leadership. This participation is wanted and needed, and is irreplaceable in terms of credibility.
Industry talk. Find people writing about your industry and engage with them. It’s an excellent way to keep abreast of what’s new with competitors and products, changes of employment, satisfaction or dissatisfaction with competitors, and what customers want, like and dislike. You may find new ideas and get valuable input. Listening to industry talk often affords me a critical time advantage to knowing what is happening and what is about to happen. Talking within my industry also buildings reputation and trust.
Final Tip: Start Engaging
Be unique, establish trustworthiness, and look for ways to add value to the conversation. It always feels like less is more when it comes to selling, especially at the outset.
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