Social media is more important now to businesses, and it’s an evolving part of online behavior. What was once a way to connect with friends is now a way to market businesses of all types and sizes. Social media allows businesses to share live videos and news publications, respond to customer service inquiries, and inform their audience about new products and services. With 79 percent of American internet users on Facebook, brands are actually expected to have a presence on social media and to use it as a way to keep their customers informed. Brands should have a vested interest both in securing their presence on various social media platforms and in using it to track their brand. This is where social listening comes into play.
Social listening is when brands monitor what is said about their business or industry in online conversations. A brand may follow a set of relevant keywords or their specific brand name and watch what is said about them. This can provide useful information, such as product shortcomings, so the business can utilize these insights to address problems. If you want to learn how to perfect your social listening skills, take a look at these four tips.
Get content inspiration
If you have a blog, you know that the ongoing quest to come up with fresh ideas for content is challenging. Providing valuable content is one of many ways to use your website to grow your business and social listening can help with that. Read any mentions and conversations that are happening surrounding the keywords pertaining to your industry so you can find out what questions your audience has and what they’re excited about. This can generate new ideas for your blog posts so you can share content that will get your readers hooked and coming back for more.
Identify any problems
If you are observing a specific topic, product, or service, use social listening to recognize any issues that need to be addressed. There may be a glitch in a product that consumers are discussing or a problem on an online service. Find out these snags through social listening and see what others are saying so you can take that knowledge and use it to pinpoint and correct any problems related to your brand. For instance, if you want to provide memorable air travel experiences but your customers are sharing negative comments online, you need to know. Once you’re aware of what they’re dissatisfied with, you can make some changes to improve the customer experience.
Manage your reputation
Social listening can do more than identifying problems; it can also help manage your brand reputation. Through monitoring what is being said about your business online, you can combat any potentially damaging comments or mentions that could contribute to a poor image. Customer values are transforming brands today, so you need to know what’s being said online about your brand can stay on top of its reputation.
Find influencers
Influencer marketing is now one of the most effective ways for brands to communicate with their audience. However, it’s not always easy to find the right influencers. Social listening allows brands to find users that are saying all the right things about their products and services in the online world and potentially recruit them to be a brand advocate.
The internet provides a lot of benefits for today’s business, and social listening is one of them. Learn what is being said about your brand online and take that information to help better your business. Leverage your findings so you can more effectively solve problems, attract new customers, and improve customer care.
