Is listening as important as talking in social media?

Businesses embarking on a social media marketing campaign have been told that listening to their users or consumers is just as, if not more, important than doing all of the talking.

Liana Evans in a post for Search Engine Watch, notes that brands should be "humble" when using forums and social networks to spread the word of their products or services, as "no-one likes a show-off or know-it-all".

She adds that while in the offline world a company may already have a large revenue and be known across the world, in terms of social media they are unlikely to be as important as a person sharing their own experience and listening to those of others, while offering advice.

Indeed, Ms Evans states that a firm that simply announces its arrival will not immediately gain respect.

"If you don't take the time to listen and comprehend what's going on in the conversations on these social media sites, you won't have any idea how or what is valuable about your product is to your audience," she explains.

Businesses adopting social media marketing could find that this impacts on their search campaign, as Marissa Mayer, vice-president of search products and user experience at Google, recently announced a new agreement with Twitter to include real-time updates in search rankings.

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