What is social listening and how can it benefit small businesses?
Have you ever noticed a specific business, person or, worse, one of your competitors, is always popping up answering questions asked online on social media, online forums or other websites?
Have you wondered how they stay across all these platforms at all hours of the day and night? Do they ever sleep? Have they got a team of minions monitoring every social media platform and online forum trawling for questions relating to their industry, products and/or services?
Probably not. My guess is they’re using social listening software to track conversations relating to their industry, products and/or services.
What is social listening?
Social listening is the process of using a tool or software that listens to what is being said (or typed) online across a wide range of platforms and websites. After entering your chosen keywords into the tool, you’re sent a notification whenever these words are mentioned online. I haven’t used it personally yet but it’s favoured by internet giants such as Amazon.
Below I have provided a few scenarios that might better explain how small businesses can benefit from social listening tools.
A dog trainer can monitor posts on Facebook that mention keywords relating to his/her business, for example, “dog”, “behaviour”, “problem”, “barking”, “solution”, etc. Upon receiving a notification that someone has typed a post using these keywords, the dog trainer can quickly review the post and respond accordingly – hopefully converting the person into a customer – even attract multiple, new customers as other dog owners are likely to be following the same thread.
A company that sells environmentally friendly clothing might monitor an online forum for keywords such as “organic”, “clothing”, “recommendations”, “environmentally friendly”, “Australian made”, etc. Upon receiving a notification that someone has posted a question asking for recommendations on quality, Australian-made clothing, they can respond quickly and direct the potential customer to their website.
A consultant who assists small businesses to reduce expenditure might monitor LinkedIn for keywords such as “business accountants”, “small business financial advice”, “reduce business expenses”. Upon receiving a notification that someone has posted a question to the LinkedIn community using these keywords, the consultant could directly reach out to the business owner by commenting on the post or via a direct message.
Social listening can also be used to gain a greater insight into your potential customer’s likes and dislikes, their buying habits, what they’re saying about your products and your competitor’s products, and so much more.
You don’t have to just listen out for what potential customers are saying but can track your competitors by using keywords relating to their business name, products, services, etc.
The possibilities are endless.
Does social listening sound like something your business could benefit from?
If you think social listening is an exciting possibility for your business, let me know and I can steer you in the right direction regarding tools, keywords, setup and much more.
NB: It should be noted that not all websites and forums allow social listening tools to access their content.
More information
Have you got questions about social listening and more internet marketing tips so you’re equipped to excel in 2020, call me direct and we can discuss the unique needs of your business.
Rebecca Mitchell
Call : 0418 118 401
Text : 0418 118 401
Email: rebecca@rammarketing.com.au
