It’s important to regularly monitor the social media platforms for your brand and keep an eye out for any warning signs. The most effective way to do this is through social listening, which allows you to take note of brand-related conversations, both positive and negative and address problems as they appear.
Social listening is the process of keeping an eye on your company’s social media channels for any customer feedback, direct brand mentions or discussions about particular keywords, subjects, competitors or industries. This is followed by an analysis to gain insights and take advantage of any opportunities that arise.
Social listening enables you to hear what your consumers are saying as opposed to making assumptions about what they want or need. People often publicly express their thoughts, therefore it’s not surprising that they often do the same with regard to the brands they deal with.
When it comes to finding problems with your product or service, your business procedures, or both, your consumers frequently do the legwork for you. When you use social listening, you’ll discover consumer chats that describe any problems they may have been experiencing and what they think overall of your company. Your advantage in ensuring that the modifications you make speak directly to your consumers’ desires comes from the fact that your customers frequently express how they want their problems fixed.
On social media, customers want to feel heard. 46% of consumers believe that interacting with your audience on social media is what distinguishes a brand as the best in its category online, according to Sprout Social’s research. According to Sprout Social research, “By prioritizing responsiveness and relevance on social, marketers may positively influence consumer behavior to benefit the entire organization.” Being responsive on social media does make a difference. 90% of people who follow brands on social media are more likely to buy something. They want a response from you. But it goes beyond that. It involves carefully planning responses based on social listening that add genuine value. Such replies will promote brand loyalty and raise consumer retention rates.
Sometimes brands deal with major problems or scandals. Unfortunately, it does happen, but merely one event might start a cascade of unfavorable comments on your social network. It’s simple to brush off a few occasionally unpleasant comments, but a rise in criticism can be an indication that something is off. It would be a fantastic chance to use social listening if that were to occur. You can identify the incident’s primary cause and the appropriate course of action for your company by analyzing it.
Social media can be used to identify escalating and changing consumer trends. Your brand will lag behind those that pay attention and roll with the punches if you don’t. Your target market wants a brand that is dynamic and engaging which offers them helpful and interesting goods, services, support and information.
