For a while now, social listening has been a big deal for businesses and their online marketing efforts. Now, more than ever, we are able to capture data on our audiences’ behavior, which helps us better understand what they want.
Even though social listening is ever-increasing in its benefits to brands, there are still so many companies that aren’t taking advantage of this opportunity. And if your business is one of the smart ones already engaging in social listening, there might be some things you can do to step up your game even more.
What is Social Listening?
For our purposes, we are discussing social listening outside of the usual suspects like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Instead, we are referencing other sites on the level of Quora and Reddit. The level of discussion happening on these sites, especially about brands and places, is something you can’t ignore.
Why Does Social Listening Matter?
If someone were to walk into your store, buy something, and thank you in person for a great experience, it’s very unlikely that you’d ignore them as if they’d never been there at all. That is what it looks like online when businesses aren’t timely or are flat-out absent in responding and interacting with reviews and comments.
When a user posts about your business on social media, it’s easy to find—they may have even tagged your business in the post. However, other sites like the ones we listed above host a lot of chatter about businesses but easily fly under the radar. By practicing a little social listening, you’ll stay aware of when and where your business is being talked about, which will allow you to provide more robust customer service.
For example, on Quora and Reddit, the conversation topics cover a huge range, giving you a playground for educating yourself on trends in your company’s niche and industry. Plus, seeing these unfiltered, organic threads opens your eyes to opportunities to enter the conversation.
The whole point of social listening is for you to gain a deeper, more well-rounded understanding of how people view your brand. Depending on the crowd or platform, you’ll see different conversations, some that may even seem night-and-day different from one another. Because of this, it’s important to reach out beyond the big five social platforms, which allows you to see more perspectives and ultimately leads you to new customers you didn’t even know existed.
Want a Leg Up? We Can Help!
Uptick Marketing is made up of experts in all things digital marketing, including social media management. If you want your brand to hone its social listening efforts, look no further! Contact us today.
