Listen First! Turning Social Media Conversations Into Business Advantage

"This superb book synthesizes the industry?s best thinking on the massive upside of listening. Listen First! is an invaluable resource for marketing executives and will help organizations create real competitive advantage." —Dave Hudson, CEO, NM Incite, a joint venture of McKinsey and Nielsen "Listening is a business imperative . . . especially in a world of empowered consumers. Brands are getting built and nurtured in a very different way. This book is a must read for anyone who wants to succeed in this new world order." —Stan Sthanunathan, Vice President, Marketing Strategy & Insights, Coca–Cola "One by one, the best marketing companies are putting ?listening to consumers? on their strategic agenda. Following each announcement, we hear . . . silence, as staff groups try to grapple with the new directive. Listen First! is a timely, unhyped, and pragmatic field guide for those exploring the world of listening." —Ted McConnell, EVP Digital, Advertising Research Foundation; former head of Digital Marketing Innovation, Procter & Gamble "How many of you have an effective listening strategy? To help guide you in the listening maze, identify new business opportunities, and select the right partners for the development and implementation of an effective listening strategy, this book is a must and an enjoyable read!" —Prof. Yoram (Jerry) Wind, The Lauder Professor, The Wharton School "We started J&D?s with a single idea – to make everything taste like bacon. All we needed now were customers. So we decided to go where the conversations were, and we?ve been listening ever since. We use social media to connect with our customers, promote our advancements in bacon–o–vation, and ask for their feedback on new product development. If you?re an entrepreneur or run a small business, this book will give you lots of examples and terrific and practical ideas for creatively listening to your customers and growing it." —Justin Esch, cofounder, J&D?s Foods