We hear. But do we listen? Call yourself a Community Manager, Marketing Manager, Social Media Manager, Social Media Strategist or Chief Executive of the Social Enterprise. But where and who is the person actually listening?

Photo provided by David Goehring

I view hearing as just that – picking up sound and filtering it out one ear to the next and subsequently left floating in a random place. I view listening as hearing then processing then placing and storing and finally analyzing and acting. Listening is a proactive approach.

Give yourself a fancy schmancy “social” title, but if you are not listening know that your title is arbitrary.

We have been given platforms to directly communicate with potential customers and consumers, but when we utilize them for due diligence and hearing only, we miss out on a huge potential for not only building relationships and connecting IRL, but we also miss out on advancing the business bottom line.

Example:

The business “social” interaction = A question to twitter followers on their favorite product in your business category.

1. You sell cereal so you ask, “What’s your favorite cereal topper for yogurt?”
2. People respond with answers such as, “Cheerios, granola, gluten-free cereal.”
3. Again, you do your “social” interaction due diligence and converse back with them about their answer(s)
4. Conversation is over.

Nice work? Not so much! You heard, you interacted, you left. Good start. The end.

But what if you truly listened? How might this benefit them and your business? Let’s go through my listening cycle mentioned above:

1. Hearing (see the former)
2. Processing ->Think about what those answers mean. Figure out if there are responses you had not thought of. This most likely requires pulling the information from a monitoring platform.
3. Placing & Storing ->Categorize the answers. Place them in an excel document. Store them for future reference.
4. Analyzing & Acting -> Analyze on the question findings. And finally, take action at some point.

When you do this and you actually listen, you will get to the action portion. “Action” might mean connecting with them on a deeper level on a different day, or it may mean a targeted coupon, discount or product for the individual. Regardless, it means that because you listened, you are providing value for them and your business.

How has listening helped you, your customers, your business and your “social” interactions?