It Pays to Listen: Avaya’s $250K Twitter Sale
Avaya can hear you. Maybe you just praised the communications giant online – or took its name in vain. Whatever you said, it’s on the company’s radar.
At a time when businesses are using social media to promote content and start discussions, Avaya has found that listening trumps talking.
“We’re listening to social media and responding,” said Paul Dunay, Avaya’s social media ringleader, who is global managing director of services and social media marketing.
“There is no Tweet that goes unturned. No forum post that goes unturned where our name is mentioned.”
What began as a way to engage and support customers has evolved beyond even Avaya’s expectations. And if Avaya ever doubted its investment in social media, those concerns are now put to rest.
A recent quarter-million–dollar sale, which began on Twitter, soundly answered that question. 
Social Media Monitoring 101, How to Get Started
You’ve probably heard people talking about social media monitoring. It’s wise to listen to conversations before you participate in them. Social media monitoring allows you to do just that.
But many brand and marketing managers responsible for social media don’t quite understand what social media monitoring is and why it’s important. Here’s a quick primer:
Social Media Monitoring Is Listening
Listening to online conversations is technically done without ears. Using search engine technology, social media monitoring tools scan the Internet looking for documents that contain keywords you select. They return those results in some sort of order that allows you to see where people have mentioned your brand, company, product or whatever you specified.
