Billions of conversations are happening right now on Facebook, Instagram and other social media platforms. Around the clock and all over the world, people share what they love (and what they don’t) and discuss their problems, in hopes of discovering solutions, on social media.
That’s where social listening comes in. As a business owner, knowing what conversations are happening on social media around your brand is essential. But hearing from people in your target audience who both have and have not heard of you, opens the door to growth opportunities you’ve likely not thought of yet.
Compassionate brands looking to make a real impact on the world use social listening to pinpoint customers’ pain points that they can go and create solutions for. These brands aren’t just looking for customer feedback on what they already offer. They are listening to discover how they can invent new ways to help more people.
That is the beauty of empathetic marketing and the reason why so many marketers are interested in social listening—because it allows you, as a business, to listen and respond. You no longer have to guess what your customers want and you can stop pushing so hard to convince them that you have what they need. With social listening, you can create a product or service that your audience is already seeking.
Let’s take a further look at this new technology and why it matters.
What is Social Listening?
Social listening is “the active process of attending to, observing, interpreting and responding to various stimuli through mediated, electronic and social channels.” (Stewart & Arnold, 2017)
Brands have been using “listening” techniques for years to tune-in to how customers respond to their products and services. Social listening is the evolution of those techniques, born from the advancements in technology today, to include social media.
Why is Social Listening Important?
In this digital-first world, social listening is extremely important—and not just for large companies. Small businesses, nonprofits, charitable organizations, schools and more can use social listening to learn about their audience and grow their following with a human-centered approach.
Social listening allows you to:
Humanize your brand. Customers today aren’t just looking to buy. They want to feel and experience. They want brands to engage with them—offering real value on a personal level.
Learn about problems you didn’t know existed. Social listening allows you to put yourself in your audience’s shoes on an even deeper level. Challenges they face are opportunities for you to make a difference.
Strengthen your online presence. There are many opportunities to grow your business using social media and social listening. It can help you discover more about the types of content and various avenues your audience enjoys the most.
This is barely scratching the surface of what social listening can do for your business. The most important thing to take away is that social listening and empathetic marketing go hand-in-hand.
Get Started Today!
As we venture into this “next normal,” social listening will play a critical role in fully helping brands understand what individuals are experiencing and needing help with during these strange times. Don’t wait to get started mapping out impactful solutions with the help of social listening today!
At Branding Bear, we offer social listening to clients looking for more in-depth Social Media Marketing Services. As a Sprout Social Certified Agency, we can help you take your social media marketing strategy to the next level. Contact us today to get started!
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