One of the first questions we encounter when organizations decide to invest in monitoring (listening) and engagement in the social media space is, how much time should we spend listening?

As we discussed recently, there are different types of listening and each require various amounts of energy and resources. Passive listening is monitoring for mentions of your brand, competitors and industry. Active listening is participating in the conversations surrounding your brand, competitors and industry. Many organizations begin by monitoring the conversations as they build a knowledge and comfort level for engagement.

Listening is not an option, but a necessity. Don’t be discouraged, but there is no one answer to the time question. Sometimes, to answer a question, you must begin by answering additional questions.

What are your organization’s objectives and strategies?

To get where you are going, you must first know how to get there. Jumping into the stream of online chatter can be extremely overwhelming for any organization. There is a lot of noise. Monitoring and engaging with all aspects of your brand, competitors and industry is a lot to digest. Whether you are passively or actively listening, you must filter the conversations to those relevant to your objectives and strategies.

What is your organization’s experience with listening?

Let’s face it…if you aren’t doing such a swell job of listening offline, no matter how spectacular your online efforts may be, they may not be enough to salvage the customer relationships with your organization. Take note of how your company is currently listening, recording and engaging in conversations. What can you learn and do different to bridge the offline and online conversations to strengthen the overall customer relationship?

Check out this wicked new animation about our friend King Brand who spent all his time shouting and not enough time listening to his people. This tale is a lesson in listening. Which kingdom are you a part of?

So, the real question is…how much time are you willing to invest to ensure the growth and prosperity of your organization?

Additional Resources

Take a peek at the new Radian6 site and The Engaged Brand. Every month, we are tackling a new topic area in and around social media, complete with articles, podcasts, webinars, whitepapers, videos…all to help you get a handle on industry best practices. This month we are focusing on the foundations of listening and engagement. We have a lot of stuff to share with you! Snack on the items on the newly designed site and keep checking back here for more on listening and engagement from the Radian6 team and featured guest bloggers.