Listen. Ask. Then listen again: Getting to Know Your Audience

There's a common lesson running through the conversations of those who live and breathe social media: listen. Listen to your customers. Listen to how they use your product/online store/service. Listen to what they are saying about you.

This is critical. But an added lesson? Ask. You learn by listening, but you can learn a great deal if you ask prospective customers directly as well. How do you like to interact with our brand (or brands like us) online? What types of social activities do you spend time online doing? What do you want out of your online experience?

Opening your ears and asking the right questions can set up your social media efforts for success. Because people are social media, and all people are different. Whether you're wanting to engage more with Gen Y, tweens, moms or another common demographic, your current and prospective customers are as unique as your brand. Lumping them solely in one group and using that data to reach them through social media marketing can be done, and often is. But there's always one more layer you can uncover; one more that both shows them you care and that you've properly thought out your social media strategy.

The advice to listen is golden. But keep listening, and ask the right questions, too.

Image: Atomicity/Flickr