The saying goes that those who eavesdrop never hear anything good about themselves. But for brand owners, hearing what people say about them behind their backs, good or bad, is always useful. Social media allows brands to eavesdrop easily, but with so much chatter out there, how should they respond? And is it worth the effort?

Jason Hartley, digital account director at agency Willoughby Public Relations, says it definitely is, and in an ideal world a brand should respond to every positive and negative comment. This needn’t be an impossible task: “For most businesses, monitoring social media and responding where appropriate is manageable.“

Recognising and thanking those who say good things is an obvious win. But as Hartley points out, acknowledging negative feedback is tougher. But it needs to be done: “Responding efficiently and showing that you are trying to resolve the issue, will generally go down well. Some complaints are more complex than others, but if you think of social media as an extension of your customer-care team you should find the answer. If you have the right procedures in place to deal with the complaint offline, then the handling of it online will often require similar action.”

It is a matter of using common sense. As Nik Thakkar, senior digital strategist at PR agency Exposure, says, it is a mistake to act too quickly and end up giving out the wrong message: “Being reactive to crisis issues is very important (as it is with traditional media), however making sure that messaging is approved by your client is even more important. Don't rush into a response, it is better to wait until you have the correct and final statement, but this shouldn't be more than a 24-hour period. Leave a holding statement if in doubt.”

As well as reacting to negative comments from consumers that appear on such sites as Facebook and Twitter, it is also important to acknowledge bloggers. Thakkar says: “Thanking media and bloggers for writing about your brand is great social media best practice to implement.”

It makes sense to respond to social media chatter, but the problem is how much it costs. Third-party social media monitoring tools can often be expensive. But there are services that you can make the most of on a budget. Thakkar suggests setting up various "searches" on Tweetdeck to find out conversations taking place on Twitter, and using Google alerts specifically for blogs. He also recommends free tools such as topsy.com and socialmention.com for evaluating the social media reach, sentiment and buzz for smaller campaigns.

Social Media listening tips

Simon Rogers, business development director (Europe) at media intelligence specialist Kantar Media Cymfony, offers suggestions for effective social media listening.

1. Have clear objectives
Before you begin to listen to what your customers and potential customers are saying about your brand online, decide on your key priorities. Is it product perception, product launch or do you want to drive sales?

2. Identify key channels and influencers – the needle in the haystack
There are millions of blogs worldwide, many terabytes of data on Facebook and millions Tweeting, but not all data channels are equal. Your objectives will align the content that you need to collect and then analyse. Within that content it is vital to identify both the people and the key themes that are influencing the market and to track how this is changing.

3. Only use KPIs that add value and can be repeated
The KPIs (key performance indicators) you choose must serve the objective. Did the positive swing in sentiment lead to increased sales? Did the influential voices in the marketplace support the proposition? How did your brand benchmark against the competition?

4. Be ready for change
Social media changes daily. Google+, open for a month now, has 45 million members. Your customers will follow the trend; you have to keep in step and that means you need technologies, methods and processes that enable, not stall, progress.

5. Understanding motivation and context is key
Many systems are available to quantify social media comment and provide a measure of sentiment. But this knowledge in itself is not actionable because it does not offer insight into why things are as they are. Combining social media data with relevant market research data is essential to gain understanding.

6. Understanding influence, topics and trends
Unhappy customer comments will be seen. By understanding the influence rating of the individual you can determine whether you are going to give a platform to a crank or proactively manage a problem. The trending of a topic will also validate whether or not an issue is shared.

7. Implementation of the process – actioning the insight
Huge returns can and have been achieved from integrating social media monitoring and analysis into business. Conversely, failing to respond to mistakes can seriously damage your reputation.

Written by Daney Parker