Are you hesitating with your social media strategy, unsure of where to start? You are not alone! In this interview David Alston, CMO of Radian6, explains how listening to what your customers are saying to, and about, your company is the best first step to take.

PW: ln our recent survey, social media was seen as the next big thing for marketers with 41% stating that they would be looking at it in 2012.  Yet, many organizations hesitate.  What is the mindset change required within an organization to succeed with this medium?

DA: If companies are feeling overwhelmed and don’t want to jump in to engagement right away that’s normal, and they can start with listening.  

Communities are talking about topics they are passionate about.  You can learn about things that they like, and what they dislike.  At some point you will be compelled to respond perhaps because a customer is looking for an answer or has some feedback that they’d like to share.  Engagement always starts with a single response and with every conversation it will get easier and easier.

PW: In your experience, which are the companies that succeed in social media?

DA: The companies that do best are those that are already keen on providing amazing customer service as part of their culture.  What online does for firms is provide another channel to reach customers, find out what they need, and allow for great customer experiences to travel by word of mouth at amazing speeds.

Social media is disrupting the market in so many ways. You can be successful today but new companies can use social media in unique ways to gain a foothold and take away your lead.

Just think about the massive web-based brands that we all know today and remember that they didn’t even exist 20, 10, or even 5 years ago.  

PW: What do you think makes a good listener?

DA: I think we need to make a distinction between hearing and active listening.  For example if two people are talking but one person is saying “uh-huh, yes, I’d like to add to that” it’s actively listening. The other type is where there is no feedback.  You don’t know for sure if you are being heard or if what you are saying is falling on deaf ears. You have to tell people that their feedback matters and that you appreciate them taking the time to convey it.

It is also important to respond in real-time, or as close to real-time as possible.  As you become known as a good listener more people will want to speak to your brand.  

For many years firms have treated call centers as a cost-center and not as an opportunity to build their brand. People you engage with can become major advocates for your firm, whether or not they are a customer.  Your brand community can be one of your most valuable assets.

PW: What’s your advice for the marketers who are just launching or in the early stages of their digital strategy?

DA: I can give you an example from our own history, when we started using our own platform.  When Radian6 itself first started out there was no conversation about us, which was natural because we were new. But there were conversations around us, about social media, social media monitoring etc... People talking about these subjects passionately were the people we wanted to get to know.  We also listened to conversations about our competition which allow us to learn what people liked and who we may want to reach out to.  Over time our brand presence grew along with this growing community.

The underlying goal is to find people who are as passionate about what you do as you are.  As an old saying goes, birds of a feather flock together.

Focus on the “social” in social media, as opposed to the “media”. Don’t treat it as another media channel to send one-way messages to the audience. 

What makes social media so powerful is that everyone in India can publish. If they have a bad (or good) experience, they can talk about it. In social media people write because they are interested, passionate not because they are being paid to do so.  

PW: What would you advise people to avoid? What are the no-nos?

DA: You need to have a strategy. Don’t worry too much about the numbers of followers or friends - these are just indicators.  The friends/followers/members you want are those who are passionate and where the product is relevant to them.  

PW: What would you like to share with our readers about Radian6?

DA: Radian6 (a Salesforce.com company) is a listening and engagement platform. It is one place to go where all the conversations that are relevant to you are collected.  You can then analyze the data and look for trends and insights.  You can keep track of your engagements as you respond.  You can find leads or service requests and push them into Salesforce.com. When you scale up and have many conversations, you can begin to automate certain tasks and processes using our Social Hub.  All of this helps a business evolve into a social enterprise. 

PW: Which aspect of marketing do you find the most exciting?

DA: Through social media, I can connect with my customers.  They’re passionate about the same things I’m interested in and it has lead to many friendships.

I can also know the pulse of what my customers or prospects are thinking about – what they like and what they need.  It would be very hard to go back to a traditional marketing role now that I’ve experienced what is possible.  

About David Alston: As CMO, David’s focus at Radian6 (a salesforce.com company) is building the firm’s brand internationally through the use of social media monitoring, outreach, and engagement. David has also become a featured speaker and panelist at a number of new marketing, blogging, and social media events as a guide to how brands should be listening to consumer-generated media online. David takes his interactive style of marketing to every speaking engagement – listening, learning, and engaging with the audience.

This article was written by Jessie Paul, founder of Paul Writer, author of No Money Marketing and an expert in brand internationalization and frugal marketing, recognized for her contribution to putting the Indian IT industry on the global map. Paul Writer focuses on the following aspects of developing the marketing infrastructure through Advisory, Community and Peer Learning.