Listening to what you’re not hearing
Friday, October 9, 2009 | 36 Comments
Tags: Guest Blogger, Listening
Posted in: Guest Blogger, Listening
Social Media monitoring is a terrific tool for marketers, allowing them to listen in as consumer’s chat, debate and discuss their brands. A recent study by Penn State University determined that approximately 20% of Twitter activity is linked to brands.
A key element of Social Media monitoring is parsing out the sentiment, or tone, being shared by consumers. Now, not only do you know that people are talking about your brand, you know if they are speaking about it positively or negatively. The benefits of being able to identify this level of detail are as obvious as they are potentially impactful. Now brands can pinpoint with laser accuracy those consumers who are brand evangelists, quickly mobilizing to harness the goodwill, enthusiasm and credibility of these people, looking to turn them into brand ambassadors.
On the other end of the spectrum, Social Media monitoring also can work as an early warning detection system, sussing out negative sentiment and enabling a brand to identify the source of a potential problem and take action before it gains traction. The examples here – Motrin Moms, Dominos Pizza – are all well documented.
While highlighting these extremes puts sentiment monitoring in sharp relief, it doesn’t necessarily provide the clearest lens through which to view Social Media monitoring. Looking only at very positive and negative comments frames the conversation like a barbell, with two heavy ends and little in-between. This creates a false dichotomy that overlooks what you aren’t hearing – the neutral majority.
Certainly some products tend to polarize, with many consumers have a strong opinion one way or the other. Certain beer brands, electronics, music groups all quickly come to mind. But the majority of products are more likely to produce a classic bell curve rather than a barbell, with most consumers neither loving nor hating the product, but certainly aware of its existence.
This, to me, is where Social Media monitoring really earns its keep. Before the web, consumers still had ways of voicing their displeasure with a brand – boycotts, picketing, letters to the Editor, etc. And those who loved your brand made themselves identifiable as well – branded apparel, fan clubs, love letters to HQ, etc.
But how could you identify those who knew of your brand, but would give their patronage to a competitor who made them a better offer? In other words, those people in the middle of the bell curve. That’s’ a group well worth spending time, money and effort against, and now you have the ability to more easily identify them.
Sure, you want to reward loyal consumers, and yes you want to avoid major PR nightmares, but think about the ROI and effort involved. A consumer who is already a fan will be hard pressed to spend more, even with your increased efforts, and turning a consumer who has antipathy for your brand into a neutral, let alone a fan, is time consuming work with no guarantees.
But doing something as simple as acknowledging a consumer who has mentioned your brand can help slide her from the middle of the bell curve towards the positive end. Now, that won’t happen magically, you have to embrace the notion of Commitment Marketing and keep the engagement going.
Social Media monitoring shouldn’t be merely wielded like a blunt instrument. Take the time and care to study the nuances of the conversation as well as the hyperbole and vitriol.
About Rick
My name is Rick Liebling, I’m the Global Director, Client Management, for Taylor, a marketing communications agency with offices in NY, LA, London, Chicago and Charlotte. I’ve worked with brands such as MasterCard, Gillette, Yahoo!, Johnnie Walker, Guinness, Allstate and Xbox, helping them leverage their sponsorships across such properties as the Olympics, FIFA World Cup and Formula One. In addition, I act as the Head of our Digital & Emerging Media Group, advising our clients on the best way to engage consumers via Social Media (hint – it starts with listening).
Company: Taylor (http://www.taylorpr.com)
Blog: http://www.rickliebling.com
36 Responses to “Listening to what you’re not hearing”
Chuck Hemann on October 9th, 2009 at 11:50 am
Rick – thank you for doing this post. I couldn’t agree more about the power, and necessity of listening. It’s the beginning, middle, end and everything in between of social media. However, as you obviously know, there are a number of brands that are still not monitoring. Do you have any theories as to why that’s the case? One of the reasons I’ve often considered is that it suffers from being associated (maybe loosely) with traditional media monitoring, which tends to be very tactical. It’s a service companies are generally unwilling to pay for. If they do pay for it they want to pay as little as possible. However, as you noted above, social media monitoring, at its core, is audience research. More companies than not pay for that kind of market intelligence all the time. Where’s the disconnect? Ok, i’ll stop rambling. Looking forward to hearing your thoughts.
Chuck Hemann on October 9th, 2009 at 11:50 am
Rick – thank you for doing this post. I couldn’t agree more about the power, and necessity of listening. It’s the beginning, middle, end and everything in between of social media. However, as you obviously know, there are a number of brands that are still not monitoring. Do you have any theories as to why that’s the case? One of the reasons I’ve often considered is that it suffers from being associated (maybe loosely) with traditional media monitoring, which tends to be very tactical. It’s a service companies are generally unwilling to pay for. If they do pay for it they want to pay as little as possible. However, as you noted above, social media monitoring, at its core, is audience research. More companies than not pay for that kind of market intelligence all the time. Where’s the disconnect? Ok, i’ll stop rambling. Looking forward to hearing your thoughts.
Chuck Hemann on October 9th, 2009 at 11:50 am
Rick – thank you for doing this post. I couldn’t agree more about the power, and necessity of listening. It’s the beginning, middle, end and everything in between of social media. However, as you obviously know, there are a number of brands that are still not monitoring. Do you have any theories as to why that’s the case? One of the reasons I’ve often considered is that it suffers from being associated (maybe loosely) with traditional media monitoring, which tends to be very tactical. It’s a service companies are generally unwilling to pay for. If they do pay for it they want to pay as little as possible. However, as you noted above, social media monitoring, at its core, is audience research. More companies than not pay for that kind of market intelligence all the time. Where’s the disconnect? Ok, i’ll stop rambling. Looking forward to hearing your thoughts.
Rick Liebling on October 9th, 2009 at 12:31 pm
Great questions Chuck. My guess is that many people still don’t have even a rudimentary understanding of what Social Media can do for a brand, so why would monitoring SocMed be of value.
Right now those that get it are gaining a tremendous advantage over those that do not. Late adopters will pay a penalty. Hopefully people like Radian6 can help with the education process.
Thanks for your comments.
Rick Liebling on October 9th, 2009 at 12:31 pm
Great questions Chuck. My guess is that many people still don’t have even a rudimentary understanding of what Social Media can do for a brand, so why would monitoring SocMed be of value.
Right now those that get it are gaining a tremendous advantage over those that do not. Late adopters will pay a penalty. Hopefully people like Radian6 can help with the education process.
Thanks for your comments.
Rick Liebling on October 9th, 2009 at 12:31 pm
Great questions Chuck. My guess is that many people still don’t have even a rudimentary understanding of what Social Media can do for a brand, so why would monitoring SocMed be of value.
Right now those that get it are gaining a tremendous advantage over those that do not. Late adopters will pay a penalty. Hopefully people like Radian6 can help with the education process.
Thanks for your comments.
Rick Liebling on October 9th, 2009 at 12:31 pm
Great questions Chuck. My guess is that many people still don’t have even a rudimentary understanding of what Social Media can do for a brand, so why would monitoring SocMed be of value.
Right now those that get it are gaining a tremendous advantage over those that do not. Late adopters will pay a penalty. Hopefully people like Radian6 can help with the education process.
Thanks for your comments.
Subbu on October 10th, 2009 at 7:02 am
Nice post, Rick. I want to leave a thought behind with experts like you.
There is a great deal of debate on Social Media Monitoring and RoI. I feel that experts and practitioners within and outside an organisation are exerting undue pressure on this very new media. When did we start monitoring TV or Print or Radio with the kind of rigor that we see today. It was after a few decades. I am not saying that monitoring or expecting RoI is bad. I think the value of Social Media is far greater that cannot be measured, at least right now.
Subbu on October 10th, 2009 at 7:02 am
Nice post, Rick. I want to leave a thought behind with experts like you.
There is a great deal of debate on Social Media Monitoring and RoI. I feel that experts and practitioners within and outside an organisation are exerting undue pressure on this very new media. When did we start monitoring TV or Print or Radio with the kind of rigor that we see today. It was after a few decades. I am not saying that monitoring or expecting RoI is bad. I think the value of Social Media is far greater that cannot be measured, at least right now.
Subbu on October 10th, 2009 at 7:02 am
Nice post, Rick. I want to leave a thought behind with experts like you.
There is a great deal of debate on Social Media Monitoring and RoI. I feel that experts and practitioners within and outside an organisation are exerting undue pressure on this very new media. When did we start monitoring TV or Print or Radio with the kind of rigor that we see today. It was after a few decades. I am not saying that monitoring or expecting RoI is bad. I think the value of Social Media is far greater that cannot be measured, at least right now.
Subbu on October 10th, 2009 at 7:02 am
Nice post, Rick. I want to leave a thought behind with experts like you.
There is a great deal of debate on Social Media Monitoring and RoI. I feel that experts and practitioners within and outside an organisation are exerting undue pressure on this very new media. When did we start monitoring TV or Print or Radio with the kind of rigor that we see today. It was after a few decades. I am not saying that monitoring or expecting RoI is bad. I think the value of Social Media is far greater that cannot be measured, at least right now.
Rick Liebling on October 10th, 2009 at 10:10 am
Subbu,
Thanks for sharing your thoughts, you bring up an interesting, and I would argue, valid point. Social Media is still such a nascent channel, and yet as you state, the expectations are very high.
Listen, nobody in this economic environment wants to spend money without any idea of whether or not it is effective, but a little perspective and patience is appropriate as well.
It’s probably a good idea for brands to speak with people like Radian6 about what sort of measurement is possible and relevant before deciding on benchmarks (shameless plug there, sorry).
Rick Liebling on October 10th, 2009 at 10:10 am
Subbu,
Thanks for sharing your thoughts, you bring up an interesting, and I would argue, valid point. Social Media is still such a nascent channel, and yet as you state, the expectations are very high.
Listen, nobody in this economic environment wants to spend money without any idea of whether or not it is effective, but a little perspective and patience is appropriate as well.
It’s probably a good idea for brands to speak with people like Radian6 about what sort of measurement is possible and relevant before deciding on benchmarks (shameless plug there, sorry).
Rick Liebling on October 10th, 2009 at 10:10 am
Subbu,
Thanks for sharing your thoughts, you bring up an interesting, and I would argue, valid point. Social Media is still such a nascent channel, and yet as you state, the expectations are very high.
Listen, nobody in this economic environment wants to spend money without any idea of whether or not it is effective, but a little perspective and patience is appropriate as well.
It’s probably a good idea for brands to speak with people like Radian6 about what sort of measurement is possible and relevant before deciding on benchmarks (shameless plug there, sorry).
Rick Liebling on October 10th, 2009 at 10:10 am
Subbu,
Thanks for sharing your thoughts, you bring up an interesting, and I would argue, valid point. Social Media is still such a nascent channel, and yet as you state, the expectations are very high.
Listen, nobody in this economic environment wants to spend money without any idea of whether or not it is effective, but a little perspective and patience is appropriate as well.
It’s probably a good idea for brands to speak with people like Radian6 about what sort of measurement is possible and relevant before deciding on benchmarks (shameless plug there, sorry).
Jake Rosen on October 19th, 2009 at 10:32 am
Rick, I think you have a great point that monitoring should be used for action and engagement purposes. I think the top-line numbers point in a direction, but are useless if not applied. I also like your argument about reaching out to the middle of the bell curve for ROI purposes, but don’t you think that monitoring and interacting with the loyal is vital as well? These advocates can become brand evangelists who can spread messaging and sentiment to their inner-circles. Knowing the consumers who most positively and frequently discuss your brand can be an extremely valuable marketing asset.
Jake Rosen on October 19th, 2009 at 10:32 am
Rick, I think you have a great point that monitoring should be used for action and engagement purposes. I think the top-line numbers point in a direction, but are useless if not applied. I also like your argument about reaching out to the middle of the bell curve for ROI purposes, but don’t you think that monitoring and interacting with the loyal is vital as well? These advocates can become brand evangelists who can spread messaging and sentiment to their inner-circles. Knowing the consumers who most positively and frequently discuss your brand can be an extremely valuable marketing asset.
Jake Rosen on October 19th, 2009 at 10:32 am
Rick, I think you have a great point that monitoring should be used for action and engagement purposes. I think the top-line numbers point in a direction, but are useless if not applied. I also like your argument about reaching out to the middle of the bell curve for ROI purposes, but don’t you think that monitoring and interacting with the loyal is vital as well? These advocates can become brand evangelists who can spread messaging and sentiment to their inner-circles. Knowing the consumers who most positively and frequently discuss your brand can be an extremely valuable marketing asset.
Jake Rosen on October 19th, 2009 at 10:32 am
Rick, I think you have a great point that monitoring should be used for action and engagement purposes. I think the top-line numbers point in a direction, but are useless if not applied. I also like your argument about reaching out to the middle of the bell curve for ROI purposes, but don’t you think that monitoring and interacting with the loyal is vital as well? These advocates can become brand evangelists who can spread messaging and sentiment to their inner-circles. Knowing the consumers who most positively and frequently discuss your brand can be an extremely valuable marketing asset.
Rick Liebling on October 19th, 2009 at 10:37 am
Hey Jake, thanks for stopping by and sharing your thoughts. There’s no doubt you want to engage those consumers who are enthusiastic about your brand (and if there is a legitimate complaint out there, you should address that too). But I really think too much focus is put on those areas, and not enough on the middle majority who, with some diligence, could be pursuaded to buy your brand.
This is probably over-simplifying it, but I would guess you could put your resources against the three groups in this manner:
Negative: 15%
Positive: 35%
Neutral: 50%
Rick Liebling on October 19th, 2009 at 10:37 am
Hey Jake, thanks for stopping by and sharing your thoughts. There’s no doubt you want to engage those consumers who are enthusiastic about your brand (and if there is a legitimate complaint out there, you should address that too). But I really think too much focus is put on those areas, and not enough on the middle majority who, with some diligence, could be pursuaded to buy your brand.
This is probably over-simplifying it, but I would guess you could put your resources against the three groups in this manner:
Negative: 15%
Positive: 35%
Neutral: 50%
Rick Liebling on October 19th, 2009 at 10:37 am
Hey Jake, thanks for stopping by and sharing your thoughts. There’s no doubt you want to engage those consumers who are enthusiastic about your brand (and if there is a legitimate complaint out there, you should address that too). But I really think too much focus is put on those areas, and not enough on the middle majority who, with some diligence, could be pursuaded to buy your brand.
This is probably over-simplifying it, but I would guess you could put your resources against the three groups in this manner:
Negative: 15%
Positive: 35%
Neutral: 50%
Rick Liebling on October 19th, 2009 at 10:37 am
Hey Jake, thanks for stopping by and sharing your thoughts. There’s no doubt you want to engage those consumers who are enthusiastic about your brand (and if there is a legitimate complaint out there, you should address that too). But I really think too much focus is put on those areas, and not enough on the middle majority who, with some diligence, could be pursuaded to buy your brand.
This is probably over-simplifying it, but I would guess you could put your resources against the three groups in this manner:
Negative: 15%
Positive: 35%
Neutral: 50%
Chuck Hemann on October 9th, 2009 at 11:50 am
Rick – thank you for doing this post. I couldn’t agree more about the power, and necessity of listening. It’s the beginning, middle, end and everything in between of social media. However, as you obviously know, there are a number of brands that are still not monitoring. Do you have any theories as to why that’s the case? One of the reasons I’ve often considered is that it suffers from being associated (maybe loosely) with traditional media monitoring, which tends to be very tactical. It’s a service companies are generally unwilling to pay for. If they do pay for it they want to pay as little as possible. However, as you noted above, social media monitoring, at its core, is audience research. More companies than not pay for that kind of market intelligence all the time. Where’s the disconnect? Ok, i’ll stop rambling. Looking forward to hearing your thoughts.