A while ago a client at the agency said, “The problem with social media is that everybody wants to talk and nobody wants to listen.” It’s an interesting thought. Sometimes it feels like social media only achieve the same thing as traditional media have always done – i.e broadcast a message.

In consumer advertising an attention-grabbing film on YouTube may be enough for a breakthrough. You watch a funny film about say ice cream, and then you buy a tub next time you are out shopping just to try it. If you like the ice cream everything’s OK. If it’s not that good, just go back to your favourite sort next time.

But purchasing decisions within business-to-business are a bit more serious. It can take weeks, months, sometimes years from the point when a buyer checks out the market landscape to the time he or she is ready to sign a contract. Listening to a client’s needs is crucial to success. The better you listen, the better your chance of putting together a winning proposal.

Which brings us to the crux of the matter: Don’t just think about social media as a way to spread your message. Use them to hear what your customers want to buy. Follow the debate in blogs and forums. There you can find out more than your customers will ever tell you in a sales meeting.

Difficult to know where your customers are? Try Google Blog Search, BlogPulse and Twitter Search.

If you then want to take part in the debate – that’s another ball game. Apart from the usual question of resources it can be wise to leave the source of information untouched and make other online investments instead. Why not buy sponsored links for the key words you’ve just found out that your customers use?