Many of my blog posts on Black Tie Digital Marketing’s website have been about what you should post, when you should post, or how you should post. It’s been all about what you should say and although that is great, we should also focus on something as equally important as posting and that is listening.
Listening is just as, if not more, important that posting. When you listen to what your customers have to say about your product and what they want, you have a better idea of how to serve them. Listening will help you understand how your customers use, or don’t use, your products so you know how to change your offerings as well as how to communicate about them. By taking the time to listen to what your customers have to say about your products or services, you can uncover new opportunities you hadn’t thought of.
How can you listen to your customers besides sending out surveys or flat out asking them how satisfied they are with your company? There are lots free ways to listen to what customers and prospective customers are saying online. Before spending lots of money on paid enterprise systems available, try these free ways first:
- Google Alerts
- Technorati Blog Search
- Twitter Search
- Facebook Search
- YouTube Search
- TweetBeep
If you go to any social media network and type in a phrase or keyword into it’s search function, you will be able to see what people are saying using that keyword in real time. Once you have begun listening to your customers, don’t ever stop. Listening should always be 50% of the communication process. Keeping an open mind when you begin hearing feedback from customers is essential. Taking into consideration what is being said and what your customers are asking for is important to keep your brand strong and growing. Although posting on social media networks is a critical part of your Internet Marketing plan in Melbourne, Florida, remember you should always, always listen.