Social platforms improve the traffic of a website effectively that help rank well in search
engines. However, it is important for a business or company to use some metrics for
enhancing the views and conversion rates. Social listening is one of the techniques meant
for monitoring online conversations which provides ways to understand what people think
or say about a brand, topic, business, industry, etc. It is not about tracking comments and
mentions. A business can analyze the tone, sentiment, trends, and themes behind what
people are saying online with social listening.
How to start the social listening strategy?
1. Setting clear goals
Setting clear goals is the foundation of any marketing strategy conversation; strategy and
social listening are no exceptions. A business or company should start by identifying the
specific insights it wants to cover. Defining the objectives upfront helps focus on the
listening efforts and streamlines the setup process. Moreover, they provide ways to save
time when evaluating and presenting results.
2. Selecting the right tools
Many social listening tools are available on the market, and finding the perfect fit for a
brand can feel overwhelming. It is important to start by researching top-rated platforms in
the market that align with the business goals. This is because some platforms show methods
to filter the results by industry, company size, and use cases.
3. Selecting keywords, brand terms, and competitors
A company or business should build the search queries after setting the objectives and
keywords. It can be started by selecting relevant keywords, hashtags, and phrases that are
relevant to a topic. If a business is searching for brand mentions, it should include the brand
name and any related campaign or product hashtags. Using the product name alongside a
brand name will help capture more specific insights.
4. Evaluating the sentiment and trends
It is time to dive into the analysis after gathering the data, and most social listening tools
offer built-in analytics. At the same time, a business or company should consider starting
with sentiment analysis to perform deeper insights.
This will help a business to know about how people feel about a brand, product, or service.
Besides, they provide methods to understand the patterns, emerging trends, or unexpected
outliers in the data that can influence the strategy.
5. Acting on insights
Taking action is the most valuable step in social listening, and a business or company should
consider implementing next steps after evaluating the data thoroughly. Implementing the
actions not only strengthens a strategy but also serves end users in meaningful ways.
What are the best practices to follow in social listening?
1. Monitoring regularly
Since social conversations move fast, setting up consistent monitoring will help know the
important shifts in sentiment, trending topics, or potential issues. Monitoring results daily or
weekly enables a business or company to make changes in strategies accordingly.
2. Avoiding analysis paralysis
Data is important for any business or company to gather more insights, and a website
should focus only on insights that align with the goals.
3. Responding with purpose
Not every insight requires an immediate reply, but it should move to the next steps. A
website should always act strategically when it comes to content adjustment, refining
messaging, or flagging an issue internally.
4. Looping in cross-functional teams
Social listening insights are valuable beyond marketing; a business or company should share
findings with other teams. They include PR, customer support, feedback, and surveys that
help improve a product. A business can use them effectively to enhance customer service,
offer solutions for problems, or guide product development. It even gives methods to grow
a business with high success rates.
