Introduction
Nearly anywhere you turn online, people are talking about your products and categories, what they like and dislike, what they want, what pleases them or ticks them off, and what they would like you to do, or stop doing. Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, millions of blogs, forums, Web sites, and review sites make most of these conversations public, accessible, and researchable to every company. You also hear individuals talk about the richness and texture of their lives and your role in them. You learn about their aspirations, families, relationships, and homes; music and movies; vacations, hobbies, and sports; finances, jobs, and careers; education and technology; what they had for lunch, what they crave; and much more. By listening in on those conversations, you position yourself to develop powerful insights into people that, coupled with strategy, drive your business forward and create an enduring advantage. Listen First! Turning Social Media Conversations into Business Advantage will show you how.
You might be asking yourself, “How can conversational listening help create a business advantage?” The answer lies in the difference between competitive advantage and business advantage. Competitive advantage usually derives from superiority on some dimension in marketing, execution, or customer service. However, any competitive advantage can be matched or bested, every edge dulled, and any superiority lasting only until the next competing model, price cut, ad campaign, distribution ...
