The power of listening

I'd highly recommend reading this post from Marcel Lebrun about the value of not only listening, but engaging in what he calls "conversational listening." As he notes, it is important for companies to listen to what is being said about their brands, but that isn't enough. They have to be willing to engage in the conversation. He outlines some great benefits to "engaging" customers/key stakeholders. We all know it's difficult to get our clients to take a step back and "know the landscape," but I think in social media it is EASILY the most critical step of the process. Without knowing, the client is likely going to try and "control" the message or take it in a direction that isn't of value to the folks they care about most. It isn't about issues control in social media, it's more about issues management, and knowing what your customers are saying makes it easier to manage those issues.

Are we expecting too much of people in social media?

The question is an interesting one to ponder, especially as the economy continues to go into the toilet. Should we be expecting people to engage us (our clients) in tasks like creating videos for a contest when they are worried about whether or not they will have a job tomorrow? something to chew on anyway...

Leveraging your Newsroom

These are some great thoughts on how companies can leverage their newsroom using social media tools.

Pew Internet and Twitter

Pew released a study yesterday that indicated about 11% of online adults have used Twitter, or a service like it. Personally, that number doesn't sound all that impressive, but when you consider the number of online adults it is much bigger. I would've preferred they use the raw number. But anyway, the study itself is interesting. Check it out when you have a chance.

Reporter has a meltdown on Twitter

Absolutely amazing that this reporter thought this was a smart decision. Whoops.

http://www.mediastyle.ca/2009/02/national-post-reporter-has-total-twitter-melt-down/

SM and B2B

My never ending quest for posts related to social media and B2B continues. This from Todd Defren at SHIFT Communications. Saying you know your customers well enough, or you have a very specialized product aren't the right questions/statements to make. The REAL question is are your clients/customers online. The answer is yes in almost every instance. If so, then social media should be a consideration.

How to Create a Successful SM Program

This is an interesting slideshare presentation on how to create a successful social media program from SocialMedia404. I like the O.A.S.I.S. approach they take.