What do your consumers say about you?
Social media monitoring - also known as social listening - is used to recognise what people are saying about your company, whether it’s positive or negative. Social listening isn’t just about patrolling the social media borders either – a good strategy encompasses blogs, comments, forums, podcasts, and videos too. Understanding what people think about your company is highly beneficial – here’s why intelligent businesses are using social media monitoring.
Know your reputation
Reading what people make of your company is extremely important. You have the ability to see what people like and dislike about your business, which tells you a lot about your company and your consumers. Act on your feedback in a timely manner to maintain healthy relations with your audience.
Jump on opportunities
Does somebody have a question related to your company or industry? Well don’t just ignore it. Make it clear that you’re interested in your audiences’ welfare and demonstrate your knowledge by answering their query. Or simply contact them and let them know you’re happy to talk. Establishing a relationship with your audience will all help to ensure that you’ll be front of mind when they’re ready to buy.
Control problems
Unfortunately, you may well come across a negative comment or two. You can’t please everyone, not unless you’re handing them a large bag of cash. Get your politest hat on and let people know that you aren’t afraid to fix any problems. Showing you care for your consumers will boost your brownie points.
Know your competitors
No matter how original and unique you think you are as a company, the chances are there are plenty of others thinking the same thing. Get the edge on knowing what consumers think of your competitors. That way you can compare yourself against those markers that determine your own success or failure. We’re not endorsing blatant plagiarism, but merely taking inspiration from your competitors could benefit your company greatly.
Understand your audience’s needs
This is arguably the most important factor for your business to succeed. Your consumers are what keep you going. Take some time to understand what they want and use this knowledge to your advantage. Then sit back, drink your coffee and reap the benefits.
What should you monitor?
Use your company name, taglines or trademarks, products names, competition and executives names to monitor relevant information about your company or others within your industry.
Where should you monitor?
The internet is a massive place. So to find the information you require, you need to be looking in the right places. There’s no point looking for a stickleback in the deepest part of the Pacific. You should be monitoring the areas of your industry that your clients and consumers are most likely to be lurking in the depths of.
What tools can help you to listen?
There are countless tools for social media monitoring, and just like most applications, it’s a matter of personal preference. We like to use Talkwalker. It’s easy to set up and free to get you up-and-running (there is a pro version). Simply enter your search query and select options from the drop downs to get started with your monitoring. You’ll receive regular alerts sent to your email! An extremely useful tool, it has to be said.
What tools do you use for social media monitoring? Perhaps you’ve used social media monitoring to your advantage, and you have some advice on using it? Let us know in the comments section below.If you want to see more blogs related to social media marketing, sign up to our fortnightly newsletter!
