It’s no surprise that people are talking about your brand online. Whether it’s a comment thread on Instagram, hashtag mentions on Twitter, or testimonials on customers’ personal Facebook accounts, there’s a cacophony of conversations happening.
Gathering information and data from these conversations and using it as insight into everything—from advertising approaches to content strategy, product updates to customer service operations—that’s social listening.
Have a quick listen and see how you can learn more about your audience by digging through the noise to see what people are saying about your business. And using those insights to impact your business strategy.
Gather Product Feedback
People are unabashed on social media. They’re sharing the good and the bad; what they can and can’t live without:
And while every business loves reading glowing reviews, the thought of sifting through negative reviews can be difficult and frustrating. But wading through the chatter and paying attention to what your buyers really think about your products and services is a great way of getting honest feedback, in real time.
Social listening can help your business get ahead of a social media crisis, and influence future product launches, influencer partnerships, ad campaigns, or organic social content.
Respond In Real Time
Is a customer discussing an issue that your customer service team can resolve with a quick DM or call? Even if your goal is to resolve the issue offline, replying directly on a comment thread and being transparent builds confidence in your brand.
You might even resolve the issue on the comment thread:
Being transparent and replying in real time to customer complaints shows that you care about the people buying your products, which is valuable to customers. And invaluable to your business and service reputation.
See What People Are Saying About the Competition
The incredible thing about social media? It’s blown the door wide open into what your competition is doing. Within minutes, you can see their most-liked posts on Instagram, new product launches, track mentions from their cadre of influencers, and read customer reviews and complaints. Social listening can give you a better idea of how the competition is positioned in your industry, how your business measures up, what’s working for them—and what’s not.
Discover Brand Advocates
Social listening can help you find brand advocates who already love your brand, and who speak to your target audience. Though not everyone mentioning your brand will have legions of followers, you might find that tapping a handful of authentic brand advocates and “micro-influencers” might better suit your campaign objectives.
Finding brand advocates organically through social listening helps you reach a new, engaged audience, and get access to delicious visuals and content. Hopefully, social listening also gives your business unique, valuable insight into how your new audience is using your products and services.
The main takeaway? Lean in closer—there’s a lot you can learn from the honest, real-time feedback gleaned from social listening. Sift through the chatter and dig deeper into conversations to help grow your business.
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