Because, let me tell you, if you are, they have a lot to say. In fact, if you stop and think about it, they always have. Word of mouth has always been around and your customers have always talked about you. Anyone who has ever been successful in business or sold anything for a living understands the power of consumer’s opinions and the value of good relationships. As part of our Social Media and Reputation Management practice, we are constantly listening in on social channels to monitor, digest and analyze “buzz” from John Q. Public. In all its various forms; random comments and observations, compliments and complaints, tirades and testimonials, what your customers have to say about your brand and your people is out there just waiting to be discovered.
Many tend to think of Web 2.0, which incidentally, the originator of the worldwide web referred to as a meaningless “piece of jargon” in a 2006 interview, as a social media revolution when in fact, its inventor says the web was always intended for collaboration and we all know word of mouth has always been around. So I believe it is more evolution than revolution. The real game-changer is the quality of the user interfaces that have been developed, making it easier than ever before to connect with others, leading to a proliferation of user generated content. The mass adoption of social media sites like Facebook and Twitter, with people everywhere updating and tweeting about their experiences, blogging about everything imaginable has led to the ease with which we can now monitor, gain insights from, and take action based on what is being said about our companies. When I think about where we spend our marketing dollars, I often wonder; what could be more valuable to a small business owner than the ability to be the fly on the virtual wall when your customers are talking about you? And what could have a greater long-term impact on the health of your small business than your ability to influence and cultivate not just good relations, but brand evangelists, willing to broadcast their goodwill throughout their circle of influence and beyond. Interestingly though, of all the services we include in our social media solution, the one that garners the least attention in the C-Suite is the one that may provide the greatest long-term return on investment. And I thought ROI is what us “Chiefs” are all about! Maybe it’s the effort involved to really listen and understand, perhaps change the way we do business, to constantly educate and train our employees, to really exceed expectations, to truly be excellent, that dissuades us. Perhaps it’s too easy to pull the trigger on the predictable, measure the short term results and just roll on, patting ourselves on the back and leaving the heavy lifting for another day.
Think about this. According to research by Kudzu.com 86% of consumers look at business reviews online before they make a purchase decision and 90% of consumers trust the reviews they read. A recent Harris Interactive study reveals that “Not only are many Americans sharing updates about their life (43%), what they are currently doing (36%), and places they are going (31%), many are also revealing brand, product and company preferences. Specifically, about one-quarter are revealing their dissatisfaction with companies, brands or products (26%), talking about companies, brands or products they like (23%) or giving product reviews and recommendations (19%). In fact, one-third (34%) indicate they have used social media as an outlet to rant or rave about a company, brand or product.” Another insight revealed is that “Nearly two in five online adults (38%) say they aim to influence others when expressing their preferences online and almost half (46%) feel they can be brutally honest on the Internet.”
So I’ll ask you again. Are you smart enough to listen to your customers?
