Social Media Tip: Stop Pushing and Start Listening

Social media is a great place to share. There are hundreds of millions of people around the world who use social media every day – 436 million on Twitter, 557 million on Snapchat, 772 million on LinkedIn, 1.4 billion on Instagram, and more than 2 billion on Facebook (source: Statista).

Our attention has shifted from more traditional media – newspapers, magazines, and even television – to a digital ecosystem of smartphones, tablets, and wearable tech. This shift is driving brands, publishers, and advertisers to adjust their strategy by focusing the efforts on where consumers’ eyeballs are. As a result, social media users are bombarded with an endless supply of news, content, and information.

As a business owner, it can be tempting to try to jump into the conversation by promoting your company and advertising your offerings. However, in many cases this strategy tends to accomplish little more than merely adding to the noise. What many companies fail to do is use social media as a listening tool, rather than a soapbox.

There are countless people using social media as a way to share their thoughts, opinions, and sentiments about anything and everything. Chances are, if your company has had any kind of impact on your customers, they’ll probably end up posting or tweeting about it. It’s up to you to listen for those opinions and sentiments and respond accordingly on behalf of your company.

There are a number of ways you can do this. Conducting a simple keyword search on Facebook or Twitter, for example, can show you who’s talking about that keyword and what they’re saying about it. Try searching for your company’s name and see what comes up. If you’re looking to get a deeper look into how and where your company is being mentioned online, you can go a step further and set up a Google Alert or invest in some keyword-monitoring software.

It’s important to be aware of how your company is being talked about on the Internet. Instead of just pushing your company’s sales pitch into the vacuum of endless social media chatter and noise, start listening and start connecting with people. Celebrate positive reviews of your services, while also acknowledging any issues or complaints people may have regarding your company.

Keep the dialogue open between your company and the people you’re trying to reach. You’ll learn a lot more about how to grow and improve your business.