Listen, Listen, Listen!

Listening to consumers is one of the most important things emphasized in Listening to the Groundswell. Customers have the power to control your brand and how it is viewed by others, especially in this age where anyone can express their views easily and frequently.

Companies pay millions of dollars for market research annually. This can provide answers to questions, but does not provide a lot of new insight. This kind of insight can be found by analyzing discussion forums, ratings, blogs and other pieces of information about your company that is posted on a daily or hourly basis. This analysis can be done in two ways: by setting up a private community and brand monitoring.


There are six main reasons to start listening.
1. Find out what your brand stands for.
2. Understand how buzz is shifting.
3. Save research money; increase research responsiveness.
4. Find the sources of influence in your market.
5. Manage PR crises.
6. Generate new product and marketing ideas.


Although listening answers questions and provides insight, companies need a plan to act on what they learn, as mentioned in number three above. Research responsiveness needs to be a priority. This helps put what one learns in this brand monitoring to good use. Joining in on the conversation will be discussed next!