I’m listening… Why Tara Hunt’s Listening Lessons are Ringing in My Ears

This week I had the opportunity to be part of a panel on social media at the CEBIT conference in Sydney. It’s a privilege and honour to be invited to address a smart group of businesspeople and one that I took seriously. I knew that as one of four panelists,  I had just moments to get across the key message that I wanted to convey about where businesses should start with their social media strategy.

In preparing, Tara Hunt’s words about ‘turning the bullhorn around’ were swishing around in my head. In her book The Whuffie Factor, which I’ve mentioned before in this blog, Tara talks about changing position from broadcasting out (as so many of us marketers have been trained to do) to really listening to our clients, asking them questions to really understand how we can better help them and fulfill their needs.

She talks about REALLY paying attention to them, rather than trying to get them to listen to us, our news of new products our services, our good ideas about why they should buy from us.

As I reviewed the Bullhorn chapter in her book (Chapter 3) prior to my presentation, I changed my focus from ‘What should I say at the CEBIT conference?’ (sure I had notes and bullets that, given the opportunity, I would share) and focused less on my agenda and more on what others were saying, what the audience was asking and what people really wanted to know.

I wish I’d had the day to spend with attendees to explore how they can use social media. It’s a subject I can add lots of value to people based on my experience. The value I received from presenting at CEBIT (other than being on a panel with some interesting folks who are doing great things with social media) was the reminder to listen more.

With that, I invite you to watch and listen to this interview I did recently with Tara Hunt.

In it she explains:

• Why she doesn’t believe in personal branding
• Five ways to raise your social capital – the wealth of your company within the online community
• What actions add to and take away from our social capital
• Why women in business need to become more visible in social networks

Tara is an expert in using the tools and the opportunities of the participatory web to succeed.

For more information on Tara Hunt: