The power of social media is felt with greatest impact when you first listen to  conversations that are most relevant to  clearly defined goals, and then engage in the conversation.

The art and science of listening is important because it allows you to become familiar with the environment and context in which conversations are taking place. This information is critical to your ability to engage with your target audience in a way that speaks to their core essence. The  ability to authentically and effectively engage your target audience in such a way affects their perception of you and your brand – and also impacts your ability to their influence marketplace behavior.

An effective way to listen to online conversations is to use resources like Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and Google Alerts, among other more robust tools, to monitor online activity relevant to you and your brand. Following is my list of  top things all businesses should consistently monitor and track.

1. Monitor your name.
2. Monitor your business name.
3. Monitor the URL of your website (if different from your company name)
4. Monitor the names of your key employees/executives.
5. Monitor the business names of your clients.
6. Monitor the names of key executives of your clients.
7. Monitor your product names.
8. Monitor the URLs for your product names (if they are different from the actual product name).
9. Monitor the company names of important prospective clients (your HOT list).
10. Monitor the names of key executives at important prospective clients.
11. Monitor key brands of your clients.
12. Monitor the names of key industry conferences.
13. Monitor conversations on the blogs of industry “influencers” and “thought-leaders.”
14. Monitor names and companies of industry “influencers” and thought-leaders.”
15. Monitor the top 5-10 industry keywords and keyword phrases.
16. Monitor mention of your brand on Twitter.
17. Monitor mention of your brand on Facebook.
18. Monitor mention of your brand on LinkedIn.
19. Monitor mention of your brand on MySpace.
20. Monitor mention of your brand on photo share sites like Flickr.
21. Monitor mention of your brand on video share sites like YouTube.
22. Monitor mention of your brand in industry chat rooms and on industry forums.
23. Monitor the number of retweets from your work on Twitter.
24. Monitor the number and types of Twitter lists on which you are included.
25. Develop a system to analyze all of the data collected while listening.

Once you are clear about the types of conversations happening that are relevant to you, engagement is the next step.

Inquiring minds want to know: What conversations will you start monitoring today? Leave your response in the comment section. I want to hear from you!

Expect the Best!

Coach TC

Tasha Cooper Coleman, Esq. (Coach TC)
Speaker, Author, Executive Coach
Personal Branding & Digital Marketing Strategist for Lawyers, Law Firms and Professional Service Providers
WeCare[@]UpwardAction.com

PS – Need help developing a compelling personal brand? We can help! Brainstorm with Coach TC to get yourself moving in the right direction!