What is Social Listening?
Although the term “social listening” sounds like it refers to eavesdropping on neighbors, in the marketing world it is a strategy used by companies first to identify, and then to analyze conversations and trends that occur on various social media platforms. The goal of this type of tracking is to identify the needs and desires of customers in order to connect with them in more meaningful ways. Strategist, Heather Malec, points out: “You need to listen to your audience. What issues do they care about? How can you help solve their problems?” (https://sproutsocial.com). Social listening allows companies to gain an understanding of how their customers respond, not only to their specific brand, but also to the larger industry. It can be extremely useful in the area of product development, as well as in the creation of advertising strategies directed at specifically targeted areas of a consumer base. With its unique capability of providing complex levels of data analysis, social listening has become an effective marketing tactic.
Social listening entails tracking key words, phrases, and even entire questions over a wide range of internet and social media sources, identifying where the words appear and counting the frequency of mentions. The resulting data is then analyzed and used to make improvements. Social listening is a cost-efficient way for companies to gather data in order to create relatable advertising content that can be quickly altered as trends change. By discovering what consumers want to hear and promptly providing them with relevant material, a company can create an individualized niche in the market. Having detailed information about consumer concerns, and addressing those concerns, will result in stronger bonds between companies and their audiences, while attracting new customers with similar interests. Among its many benefits, social listening enables companies to gain industry-related insights, monitor the effectiveness of advertising campaigns, and keep track of the competition. By gauging how people perceive them, companies are better equipped to establish and maintain robust brand health.
Social Listening vs. Social Monitoring
Although they employ similar strategies, social listening and social monitoring each have distinct features. Social monitoring provides a means of staying informed about what is happening on social media platforms, tracking changes as they occur. Its primary focus is the collection of data pertaining to certain metrics, such as numbers of mentions of a brand or of its competition, engagement rates, and keywords associated with particular markets. This type of monitoring is especially useful in determining the effectiveness of advertising campaigns. Social listening, on the other hand, is designed to go beyond raw data in order to introduce a distinctly human element into the equation, often through direct engagement with consumers. Social monitoring is generally used to point out immediate marketing difficulties; social listening tends to focus on more ongoing concerns.
Social monitoring collects information. Social listening tools are equipped to translate that data into strategies companies can employ to establish and maintain positive relationships with their customers. Social monitoring can tell a company about the “what” regarding its products or brand, while social listening can inform about the “why.” Pointing out the differences between the two, marketing director, Kimberly Surico, urges us to “…think of it this way: Social monitoring is like getting a flu shot when everyone around you is getting sick, whereas social listening is like eating an apple a day so your immune system is healthy and strong no matter what you’re exposed to.” (https://netbasequid.com). Although they have separate functions, social monitoring and social listening are sometimes considered to be two stages of the same process. Step one: the tracking of social media platforms to obtain data, and step two: the implementing of that data into actions designed to improve the perception of a brand. The scope of these actions can range from the single response to a customer query to the redirection of an entire advertising campaign.
Social Listening Strategies
Social listening analysis gives companies valuable insights about customers, the larger market, and even their competition. It is a good way to track brand health, and then respond to any issue that comes to light. An example of crisis management using this tool can be found in an incident that occurred in 2019, involving Nike and then-Duke basketball player, Zion Williamson. During a game, the sole of Williamson’s shoe became detached, causing him to sustain what turned out to be a mild knee sprain. Fans immediately caused a commotion on social media, which could have resulted in an inestimable degree of negative press for the brand. To make matters even worse, former President Obama was at the game! Nike’s social media team was able to address the situation by issuing a statement that expressed concern and that included the assurance of a prompt investigation into the matter. Subsequently, they offered Williamson a lucrative advertising deal (https://medium.com/). Zion later passed on that deal in favor of Jordan brand, which ironically is manufactured by Nike. A potential PR disaster was averted, due to the quick and appropriate action the company was able to take as a direct result of social listening.
There are a number of social listening tools available. Hootsuite provides monitoring that allows responses from a single dashboard, and can follow influencers and advocates as well as potential new consumers. Mentionlytics, which is connected with Hootsuite, specializes in tracking keywords, mentions, and messages across different languages. Adview is specifically designed for social listening on Facebook and Instagram. Synthesio is good for monitoring specific topics in targeted audiences, and even offers a “social reputation” rating. One of the most widely used social listening tools can be found in Reddit, a social news platform that provides a forum for users to discuss and evaluate social media content. These represent only a sampling of the tools available for companies to use.
Marketing consultant Tony Tran advises: “Listen everywhere. Find out where your audience is talking about you—not just what they say. This means casting a wide net for your social listening program. Conversations around your brand on LinkedIn are likely going to be much different than on Instagram. And you might find that people talk about you all the time on Twitter, but not on Facebook.” (https://hootesuite.com). Possessing as wide a range of information as possible can prove to be the deciding factor in any successful social listening strategy.
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