{"id":6211,"date":"2015-10-29T21:37:40","date_gmt":"2015-10-29T21:37:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.blueeyedsun.co.uk\/blog\/?p=6211"},"modified":"2015-11-06T23:32:29","modified_gmt":"2015-11-06T23:32:29","slug":"always-listen-first-on-social-media","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.blueeyedsun.co.uk\/blog\/always-listen-first-on-social-media\/","title":{"rendered":"Why you should always listen first on Social Media"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Always<\/a><\/p>\n

The natural instinct when first using social media for business is to shout what you do from the rooftops. We see it all the time on platforms like Twitter. New users view it as another marketing or advertising channel in the same way that they might advertise in a magazine or newspaper. They sign up and blast out their sales message.<\/p>\n

None of us like to be sold to though, do we? We should all know better. It\u2019s like turning up to a party and shouting through a megaphone at people that you have a buy one get one free deal. People are likely to tell you to \u2018bogof yourself\u2019.<\/p>\n

As my friend Baiju Solanki<\/a> often says, the secret to success on Twitter is to always listen first. For a start you need to know where your customers or potential customers are on Twitter, how they are interacting and what they are interested in. You can\u2019t do that without listening.<\/p>\n

Think of your social media goals as a flourishing, abundant, fruitful orchard that you are trying to create. First you have to find the right climate for your trees to grow, then you need to identify the soil the seeds will flourish in and what sort of nutrients they will need and how often they need feeding. If you overwater a plant you can kill it. Similarly if you don\u2019t give it enough it won\u2019t flourish. You can\u2019t know and do all of this without paying attention, watching and listening first.<\/p>\n

So how do you do this for your retail outlet? First, sit down and draw a mind map of your shop. Write your business name in the middle of it. How your customers relate to it? Are they from a specific town or geographic area? Are they a certain demographic? What is the typical profile of your top customers? What do they like to do? How do they like to shop? Where do they like to shop? What TV shows do they like? What are their interests? Next look at your products. What do you sell? What products sell best in your store? What do customers love to buy from you? Why? What key words best describe your retail experience? You can add more to your mind map as you go. This is just to get you started.<\/p>\n

Once you have your keywords on your mind map, start searching for them in the search bar at the top right of your Twitter page. Start following people who are using the phrases and keywords on your mind map or those that have them in their bio. Create Twitter lists to make them easier to manage as your account grows. They help you to filter the volume in your normal feed. You can also download tools like Hootsuite, which let you track keywords constantly in the Twitter feed.<\/p>\n

As you grow these lists you can see how they behave and what they are interested in discussing. Some may even have specific weekly chats they engage in using the # symbol. This is all part of understanding the climate and requirements of the trees in your orchard. When you are ready start engaging, do it in a way that is not motivated by selling. Make friends as you would ordinarily. Be polite, courteous and helpful. If you have a sense of humour that will help, as long as you avoid anything potentially offensive to people.<\/p>\n

Over time you will also learn which of your friends online care about you and are supportive of what you do and which are just in it for themselves. Once you have earned the right in your community (through sharing, caring and contribution) to tweet your own message you can do so. You must keep your sales messages in moderate proportion to your overall supportive messages in which your orchard prefers to flourish. One doesn\u2019t harvest fruit from an orchard without taking good care of it.<\/p>\n

Being social means caring and contributing. It\u2019s not all about you. There are thousands of other people who are in the room with you. Think of social media as offering a variety of business benefits rather than just direct sales. Twitter is a fantastic tool for improving the way you do things and having a better understanding of your business.<\/p>\n

5\u00a0Ways Retailers Can\u00a0Listen\u00a0on Social Media:<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

1. Search for discussions on your store<\/strong><\/p>\n

What are people saying about you? You need to know how you are perceived online.<\/p>\n

2. Solicit feedback from your customers<\/strong><\/p>\n

What else do they want from you? Be brave, ask them and listen carefully.<\/p>\n

3. Where can you improve?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Learn from fellow businesses that are sharing best practice online<\/p>\n

4. Are there more opportunities?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Watch your competitors to see what you are missing<\/p>\n

5. Can you grow your sales?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Listen to your suppliers They know what lines sell best from their offering.<\/p>\n

Listening is one of 7 Key Habits of Highly Effective Retailers – Discover the remaining habits here<\/a><\/p>\n

How Retailers can get started with Digital Marketing<\/a><\/p>\n

Marketing for Retailers: Then vs Now<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The natural instinct when first using social media for business is to shout what you do from the rooftops. We see it all the time on platforms like Twitter. New users view it as another marketing or advertising channel in the same way that they might advertise in a magazine or newspaper. 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