Part of my work is helping companies manage online communities. The cool thing about marketing in these environments is that it’s not really direct marketing. It’s joining customer conversations.

Because most companies are not perfect, customers will voice complaints and disappointment online. For everyone to see.

An interesting thing can happen:

[warning: Tim’s not an artist]

1. Customer has a problem and voices complaint in public.
2. Brand is listening online (you’re doing that right?)
3. Brand acknowledges, responds, hears the problem and the loop is closed.
4. Transformation happens. Customer tells others about the experience and a negative is transformed into a positive.

How are you tracking these transformations? Is this marketing? Share your thoughts.

Hat tip to Aliza Sherman for getting me thinking about transformations.

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There are a lot of companies and organizations listening online. Everyone seems to have tools pointed at the web, mining data on their brand and customers. All of this adds up to a lot of information and some good business results. Look at Dell or Starbucks.

So, in all of this listening are customers really being heard?

Listening has the intent of gathering information, connecting, and paying attention.
Hearing is about comprehension, understanding, and perception.

Semantics? Maybe. My point is there are two sides of this online equation. If companies listen. Hopefully customers are heard.

Okay, so not every customer will be heard. But what should a business do?
Here are a few ideas:

• Simply ask. Ask customers publicly or privately if they felt heard.
• Notice customer transformations. Do you see negatives turned to positives in interactions?
• Look for advocacy. If you move beyond paying attention and customers are heard, they become advocates. Are customers acting as your ambassadors, answering questions before you respond, and defending your organization?

Hearing Example:
I wrote this post, mildly griping about AT&T and their customer data. A few days later, someone from AT&T follows me on Twitter. We have an interaction and I get a response.

I feel heard. Closed loop.

How are you tracking Social Hearing?

Photo credit: BL4d3RuNr

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The buzz today in business is engagement and listening. Social media tools have made it easier for companies to listen to what customers and prospects are saying. Listening helps business monitor complaints, find fans, track competition, and stay in touch with industry trends.

This is great information to have at our fingertips, right?

Here’s the deal though, having spent some time using free and pro listening tools, I see a few problems.

1. Data overload- Yes tools are getting better at helping find data that matters, but there is still a lot of information that needs a set of human eyes
2. Time shortage- Unless you have a huge budget and FTE’s dedicated to online monitoring, you will have extra work on your hands doing this listening work
3. Hearing-impaired- Are we really hearing people on the other side? Or is this like a game of telephone?

We need tools that cut through the data to find meaning. We need technology that helps us connect with relevant conversations. We need deliberate practices that help the human touch come through all of this monitoring, collecting, and tracking.

I’ve yet to find the perfect tool to help a business really hear, unless you count sitting across from a real person.

Any suggestions?

Image credit: dno1967

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Where did all my money go?

Yeah, I finally got an iPhone a few months ago -I know, early adopter. When I’m not using it my kids are. I’ve just been sitting here all amazed at how they figure technology out without me showing them one thing. Amazed that is until a few days ago.

I see some charges from iTunes (as my wife said, "it’s not just nickels, people") and think someone has hacked my bank account.

No, I have purchased some very nice gems in a game. Lots of them. Crap!

I realize my daughter (7) bought these when she thought she was spending her virtual money. [Interesting design, but that's another issue]
Total mistake. Totally unintentional.

So, after reading the fine print and finding not one phone number, I email both the app and itunes. Honestly I’m expecting to be laughed at. Well about 24 hours later, I get a nice email from an Apple representative saying they are going to refund my purchase because of the situation.

Wow. I really had low expectations for service, but Apple went above and beyond.
This makes me wonder–

• When do you make exceptions to your policy?
• When do you seek to really understand your customers?
• What are results of giving a customer the benefit of a doubt?
• How are you making bigger fans? 

What do you think?

(Oh and for all of you wanting to tell me, I did figure out that all I had to do was change my settings to No In-App Purchase.)

Photo credit: Greencolander

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Part of my work is managing online communities. I would hesitate to call it management. It’s more like development. Mostly relationship development.

When you sell something people are going to have complaints. There will be mistakes. Right? And people are being more public with their beef.

So, how do you handle complaints?
Here are a few ideas:

• Acknowledge. Respond to the person’s issue and take it serious. This usually relieves the tension.
• Be quick to act. Be the first one to comment. Think real-time customer service.
• Use this as an opportunity to show your great customer service. Other customers are listening too.
• Follow up. Make sure the person’s issue is resolved.

How do you handle public complaints?

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Eat at Joe’s. Buy now. Turn Here. Fill up. Action words, telling me to do something.

Wanna get away? What’s in your wallet? Asking.

Is one better? I know there is a psychology behind both and each style works. Are you telling customers to do something or asking them to join your tribe?

I lean towards asking a question, mostly to start a conversation.

What do you think?

Image by: timparkinson

Tags: advertising.

This is a guest post by my friend Tara Joyce. Tara is a web coach and the author of RiseoftheInnerpreneur.com. I invite you to tune in.

Old-school marketing, impersonal marketing, it’s taking it’s last laborious breathes of life. It’s been dying a painfully and noisily for while now and it’s death cry is intensifying each day as more people come online.

The web has made it possible to cut through their marketing noise, their canned messages and easily find businesses authentically expressing their value to the world.

Liars hate the web

For what matters now, what gets you noticed, is your voice. The public expression of your authentic identity. Your web presence. It’s your signal.

Think of Google as your client’s tuner. The words they search for are their dial.

The more authentic your signal content, the easier it is for the right people to tune in.

5 Tips for Finding Your Signal and Creating an Web Presence to Support it

1. Accept that there is no demand for your message.

You don’t get to package yourself up into a pretty box and show only the good and glowing. The whole you, not your message, is what people want to here and will, whether you like it or not. Marketing is not something you do to clients. Marketing is something you do with them. It’s about creating good conversations.

2. Express your point-of-view.

Who are you? Why are you here?

This is the basic foundation of your business. Take the time to discover your identity. Listen to the marketplace for answers.

The better you understand your value, the easier you can communicate it. Find your authentic voice.

Express what is inside you and your company. That’s the essence of your signal.

3. The more value found in the signal, the stronger it will be.

Your signal is your business strategy. Your words and your content have power. Openly share your passions, your values, your talents with your community. Be generous about adding value to their lives. Take the time to share wisely. It’s all part of your signal.

4. It’s a table for two.

It’s just you and me. My words have connected with you. You’re enjoying that I’m talking to you like I’d… really talk to you. You like how authentically I am communicating with you. You’re tuned in, and turned on.

It doesn’t matter what the size of the company. Humans connect one-on-one. Clients want to talk to employees, employees want to talk with clients.

These excited and passionate people will help broadcast your signal. Let them connect one-on-one. Let their individual voices be heard.

5. Share.

The web isn’t primarily a medium for information, marketing or sales.

It’s a place where people meet, talk, create, disagree, rant, love. Always remember that.

Marketing is about conversation and connection. Cultivate it by sharing what you care about and what you know. It is your authentic signal and there are many people searching for exactly it.

What would you add?

Related post: Will Listening Really Help Sell More?

Image credit: diongillard

Tags: signal.

I have read a lot recently about using listening to help companies with marketing. The practice is: pay attention to what customers are saying, and then join the conversation.

That depends. If all you do is track keywords and monitor your brand, you have a lot of data but possibly nothing more.

What if you really listened? Like sitting across from a customer, but online, and asked them for honest feedback. Do you really want to know?

Probably not if your product is mediocre. Or if you don’t really care about customer service. The fact is, we all like to be heard. If my concern is heard by a company and I am engaged in a conversation . . . I’m guessing that would lead to a transaction (sale).

Are you and your company listening? What tools are you setting up for feedback? How will you use this information?

Related posts:

Are you Listening

Listening Takes Focus

Image Credit: striatic

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I joined a conversation by Liz Strauss on listening. It got me thinking.

I’ve had this belief that it takes work to pay attention. But then again, listening could be easier than I think.

Have you relaxed and listened lately? Speak up and I’ll kick back.

Image credit: nugun

Tags: attention.

Chris Brogan had a great piece today on creating a listening post for your organization.
Great idea.

I think these tools open up a two way conversation with customers. They give organizations additional ears, maybe even better than a suggestion box or feedback email. What Chris describes is proactive listening.

Are you listening?

Tags: conversation, customers.