Radical Listening: The Communications Pro of the Future - Part 2

"The Communications pro of the future must be a master of three important disciplines: Radical Listening, Social Influence, and Perpetual Beta. Within each are new practical skills that will define the true PR master – the next generation ‘”trusted advisor.” "

 

The following is the second in a series on the skills of the communications professional circa 2010:

 

 

With all of the conversation we are sharing via Twitter, forums, blogs and all of the self-expression embedded in videos, Flickr galleries and audio shows, consumers are telling us what they care about in plain sight. They are talking about the brands that matter to them and more importantly about the things that vex them and excite their passions. They are telling us what is relevant to them. We need more than active listening. We need radical listening. And let’s face it, the public relations field has always been better at talking than listening.

 

Here are the practical skills that add up to ‘Radical Listening’

 

1. Set up and operate live 'listening posts' online and offline to listen and respond
   Whether setting up a fast Twitter search via your TweetDeck or a more comprehensive monitoring consumer generated media (cgm)program, the Communications pro needs to know how to quickly tap into what people are saying across Facebook, Twitter, blogs, forums and opinions sites. This drives marcom insight and our ability to manage a rapid response effort to what people are saying now.
2. Develop "messages" based upon social behavior
   Instead of developing a message platform purely based upon the strengths and ambitions of a brand (how we want to be seen), we can now listen to what is important to customers and constituents via Listening Posts and search engine behavior to ensure our platform is relevant to their stated needs.
3. Identify and engage new influencers, online and offline, niche and mass-follower
   It’s not enough to get a mention in a might-reach blog just as you might in a newspaper. We live in the world of the Long Tail where there are millions of new influencers with relevant audiences in the hundreds. Assessing who is actually both relevant and influential - bloggers, Twitterers, Facebook group-owners, message board-mavens – is critical to achieving business goals today.
4. Participate in conversations, not just 'messaging'
   When someone bashes your brand on Twitter, how will you respond? Chances are you are more apt to jump into a back and forth conversation with customers and influencers today than ten years ago. That means having a keen ear for conversation and feeling confident that you can support your brands position without resorting to recitation of a press release.
5. Be a champion of WOMM best practices especially ethics
   Word of mouth marketing is social media. It relies on open and transparent exchange with others online and offline. We have a new imperative around ethics and best practices. This much is made clear by the FTC’s new Guidelines around Endorsement. We need to lead the way in ethical and productive use of social media to have impact and protect reputation.

Useful "listening" resources:

5 Steps to Choosing the Right Listening Post Solution

The Trends in Next Generation Listening Posts (and Looking Glass)

Links for Listening (2008)

WOMMA Ethics Code

Social IRM - Influencer Relationship Management Pt 1