As businesses focus on growing relationships with their clients through the social networks, one of the most powerful benefits of using social media is coming to the fore: social feedback. Never before have businesses had such an effective and economical means to solicit and receive direct feedback from those who use their products and services. Further, our socially-engaged customers are more willing than ever to talk about brand experiences. Smart phones and location-based social networks have added to our “always on” culture, and further facilitate instant posting of feedback as customers use local services.

A Mixed Blessing?

Business owners often approach their most vocal customers with caution, unsure whether they want to risk the uncertainty of public review. Social feedback is often viewed as becoming publicly vulnerable to any and all commentary. After all, no business is perfect, and given a public forum, the business is open for both positive and negative remarks. However, there is no denying that if you have an unhappy customer, he will talk, whether or not you choose to acknowledge it. The upside is that while social media undoubtedly provides a forum for dissatisfied consumers to express their discontent, it also enables the business the opportunity to respond to any claims or complaints made. If someone has a complaint about your product or service, wouldn’t you like the opportunity to know about it so that you can address it? The key to successful mining of social feedback lies in how you choose to deal with the feedback you receive.

Customer comments provide a fantastic opportunity for companies to see which aspects of their businesses are working and which are not. Do you have a customer service superstar? Or does service take too long? Is there confusion about a new product offering? Are customers excited about your summer hours? It’s smart business for owners and managers to participate in these conversations, and historically, consumers have rewarded those companies who sincerely seek out—and respond to—feedback.

Mining for Social Feedback Gold

There are many sites, from the general to the industry-specific, which allow consumers to share their ratings and reviews on businesses and their products and services. Here are some quick ways to find what has already been written about your business:

• Search for your company name on Google, Yahoo, Bing, and other search engines. Expand the search to include the names of any branded products or services you offer, along with adding the word “reviews” (“Companyname Reviews”, “Productname Reviews,” etc.)

• Search for your company name and the names of your products on Twitter.
• Visit and search review sites like Yelp, Angie’s List, Epinions, CitySearch, and Merchant Circle.
• Use Google Alerts to set up automated notifications for mentions of your company, branded products, and services (http://www.google.com/alerts).

Genuinely Solicit Feedback

In addition to staying abreast of what is being said, directly solicit feedback from your customers and stakeholders. Not only does this provide great insight for continuously improving your business, but it communicates to your customer base that you are sincerely interested in gaining their input.

A few easy ways to use social media for gaining feedback and inspiring helpful discussion are:

• Use your Facebook page or Twitter account to ask for details on new features customers wish your product had or service enhancements they would like to see.
• Post discussions in your LinkedIN groups requesting insights on how customers use the type of services your company provides. (Be mindful to sincerely solicit feedback and not to appear that you are veiling self-promotion.)
• Utilize polling or surveying apps (free add-ons to Facebook) to solicit specific feedback on a limited/pre-defined set of options.
• Initiate conversations on Twitter; use hashtags to monitor and track them.
• Harvest content from your email newsletter, blog, or extended social network posts to stir up conversations and get customers talking.
• Ask the hard questions. This is the only way to give yourself the chance to build on your successes and make improvements where needed. Your customers will appreciate that you want their honest opinions.
• Most of all—ASK! With each post introducing new products, services, or enhancements, include a quick statement requesting feedback. (“Let us know what you think!”)

Respond and Act!

One of the easiest, and most powerful ways to respond to feedback is by publicly communicating how you use customer input to inform your business decisions. Have you made product or service improvements based on feedback you’ve gotten? What happens with the feedback you receive?

Gaining solid feedback is priceless; making good use of the insights provided is the final critical step. Customers pay close attention to how you use the information shared. Your responses, and later follow-through on implementing suggestions will impact how your business is perceived and the future feedback you will get.