Listening is underrated

Previous: "Conversational marketing" means two-way

When you shut up and listen, you find amazing customer insights, which is how Dove created the most admired marketing campaign of this young century.

Dove’s "Campaign for Real Beauty," celebrating women’s curves, sags, wrinkles and inner beauty, started by really listening to how women feel about their bodies and how they define beauty. In fact, many recent marketing innovations -- from companies like Kraft, GlaxoSmithKline, and Starwood Hotels -- have all started by listening to consumers in new ways. 

In addition, research has shown that listening can increase customer loyalty, trust, and even willingness to recommend a company to friends. Our research has found that when participants felt heard within the community, 82 percent of those members said that they were more likely to recommend the company's products and services than before they joined. Likewise, 52 percent of the members said that they were more inclined to make a purchase.

With markets and consumer trends changing so fast, marketers need to be hardwired into the voices of their customers all the time so that they can turn on a dime.

Next: Think small when it comes to social networks and online communities