The voice is an interesting social tool and one that is valued for 'the ability to have' rather than necessarily 'using' their voice....and in a networked world it is vital to understand the difference.

Consumers love to feel valued not merely through loyalty schemes that are available to all, but through being listened to when the customer experience falls below the brand promise.
It is not that the customer necessarily wants to be listened to on a daily basis, it is not that they want to be a co-inventor, it is not that they want always want to be asked about what they want....they just want the chance when they do have feedback, an idea or a viewpoint.
Social business and social marketing is about being ready for when customers move from passive consumers of your brand to activists for or against your brand.
Social business is in a sense the 21st Century's refinement of democracy - a social bill of rights, often I wonder whether social media is less about the two way conversation and more about the perception of being valued as part of the working economy.
When you look at society, the voice of the people has always been critical to stability and long term economic stability. When the voice of the people is not heard, we see uprisings, revolutions and societal unrest. Social media has become a powerful voice, social business is about leveraging that power rather than assuming that you know better...
When it comes to business and ensuring the survival of your brand, it is about recognising that social media is not a fad, it is a cultural shift by a society disgruntled with the gulf between leadership in general and the everyday person - no matter the country.
Adding a social element to your brand marketing and to other elements of your business, is a way of showing that their voice is respected and valued, a way of showing that unlike other parts of society you are open, transparent and in touch with the people who ultimately pay your wages.
Some people will never use the social channels.
Some people will only consumer your social media and never contribute.
Some people will want to contribute (and others to an annoying level!)
Whether people consume your social marketing or whether they don't is not necessarily the point....it the perception that your brand is a believer in modern day democracy for all its ills and all its goodness.
To be social, to be democratic doesn't mean leading by consensus or designing by committee...it means listening, respecting, being open, transparent and being part of the social conversation...and through this approach to social media creating a higher value added for the market.
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