Several keynotes and presentations at least week’s SNCR NewComm Forum, including more than four case study presenters, highlighted the importance of listening as a fundamental pre-cursor to social media success. Of course, listening makes sense because it allows you to understand your business community’s preferences and needs (image by sel). In many ways, this represents market research.
Many businesses are not used to listening. In a mass communications world, they’ve done most of the talking.
Yet new media presents a different set of rules. In social worlds, two-way communication is inherent allowing stakeholders to have equal footing with businesses and organizations. Failure to listen creates situations where stakeholders either act with anger, or simply turn deaf ears on the company.
Listening is not hard. It simply requires a biological sense of proportions: We all have two ears and one mouth. Something to consider.
Shel Israel took time at SNCR to discuss this important aspect of social media, including Dell’s example. Here is what he had to say:
Photo in movie was taken by Chris Heuer at SxSW