Reflection post 2

Listening to the groundswell tells about how companies need to listen to their customers. Groundswell says that the brand does not belong to the company, it belongs to the customers. The company creates the value for the brand but the customers create what the brand is, they say what it is, just like Bernoff J, Li C  (2011)stated that "Your brand is whatever your customers say it is".

Market research is the form of listening to the groundswell. There are two listening strategies.
1) Set up your own private community (DELL example)
2) Begin brand monitoring

DELL had a online community called Idea Storm. This was a community in which DELL invited customers to come and share ideas about product improvements that they want. Until 2016, here have been close to 550 different ideas from this community that have beed implemented in DELL products. (https://biznology.com/2016/08/12-inspiring-social-media-monitoring-case-studies/)

Listening is important to do for company because:
1) Find out your brand stands for
2) Understand how buzz is shifting
3) Save research money and increase research responsiveness
4) Find the sources of influence in your market
5) Manage PR crisis
6) Generate new product and marking ideas


Talking with the groundswell could been seen as an active conversation between companies and consumers. Two main forms are advertising and public relations.

Techniques for talking with the groundswell
1) Post a viral video
2) Engage in social networks and user- generated content sites
3) Join the blogosphere
4) Create a community

Videos are best for breaking through the everyday noise to create awareness, and it is easy for people to share them. Using social networks and user- generated content could extent the brand reach and increase word of mouth. Blogging are useful when the products information are complex and difficult to understand. Create a community "for those customer markets that depend on each other to learn about your product, instead of listening to your company a community can be a solution" (https://danhein.wordpress.com/2016/03/21/talking-with-the-groundswell/).

DELL's online community allows consumers to bring forward problems and find answers that they need. Communities provide a place for members or participants to search for information, read and post about topics of interest, and learn from each other. Members (registered users) can post messages or comments, track discussions, and get email notifications on posting activity and other community actions.

Energizing the groundswell means customers are willing to spread products or services information of the brand, through groundswell technologies.

Word of mouth is one of the most important methods of energizing the groundswell because:
1) It is believable
2) It is self- reinforcing
3) It is self- spreading

Techniques of energizing enthusiasts
1) Tap into customers' enthusiasm with ratings and reviews
2) Create a community to energize your customers
3) Participate in and energize online communities of your brand enthusiasts.


Helping the groundswell support itself indicates that the business using groundswell technologies to create platforms where customers could help themselves and support others.

New support applications, such as forums work, bring new benefits. For example, setting forums could help business to save money and support passion.