What is social listening and why is it so important?

As a digital marketing agency, Air Social knows how important it is to build a good reputation online. Every business wants to be respected and these days, a good following on social media is part of that respect and reputation-building process. Having lots of followers not only builds better awareness of your brand but also helps show authenticity and garner trust.

Things aren’t always plain sailing however. Every company will experience ups and downs and sometimes things just don’t quite go to plan. Where in years gone by customers who might have had a negative experience would complain direct to the business in question – by telephone, post or email – it’s now so easy for people to voice their opinions publicly online, before a company has had chance to address their concerns and nip any negative publicity in the bud.

It’s therefore vital to continuously track your brand’s social media channels and look out for any red flags – this is where social listening comes in. Social listening is a way of monitoring what is being said about you on social media through direct mentions of your brand or discussions regarding specific keywords, topics, competitors, or industries, followed by an analysis of that information.

By analysing what is being said about your business you can gain insights, act on opportunities and implement long-term strategy changes to better your brand and the customer experience as well as create the kind of content your followers actually want.

If you’re not already social listening, here are a few more reasons you should incorporate it into your digital marketing strategy for 2020.

Turn a negative into a positive

If someone is criticising your brand online, it can be stressful and frustrating to deal with – particularly if their comments are unsubstantiated. However, through social listening, negative comments or reviews about your brand can be used to your advantage. If addressed promptly and in a respectful way, you can minimise damage and encourage positive discussion surrounding your brand.

Better customer retention

Being responsive on social media can make a huge difference. According to a survey by Sprout Social, 48% of customers make a purchase with a brand that is responsive to its customers on social media. Social listening enables brands to craft thoughtful responses that will generate brand loyalty and increase customer retention rates.

Discover new opportunities

Interacting with your customers and monitoring what they are saying about you online can open up discussion about your brand and highlight opportunities to improve or grow your business. That could be anything from introducing vegan-friendly products to your menu if you’re a café or perhaps allowing customers to bring dogs into the premises at certain times of the day.

Acquire new customers

It’s much easier to convert your followers and those already consuming your content into leads/customers than it is to approach random strangers and hope they’ll be interested in your products or services. By monitoring and analysing your followers’ posts, shares, hashtags, and photos, you can shape your content according to their likes and dislikes and entice them further into your brand.

Keen to incorporate social listening into your business’ digital marketing strategy but aren’t sure where to start? Contact the experts at Air Social Digital Marketing in Guildford and we’ll be happy to help.