There has never been a marketing tool as powerful and accessible as social media. Using just a device, an internet connection, and an email address for a login, people from all over the world can communicate with almost any company in a matter of seconds. By 2021, most companies should already have their social channels created but are they maximizing these channels as they should? With something this valuable it is imperative that companies make full use of its potential.
In our Social Media – Your Company’s Secret Weapon blog series, we will be diving deep into the intricacies of social media. On the surface, social media seems relatively simple. However, it is much more complex than it appears so we will be serving you bite-sized, easy to digest content in separate blogs. These tips are actionable items that you and your team can implement right away to start seeing results. Let’s dive into our first topic of discussion: Social Listening.
Social listening refers to the monitoring of your social media channels and others in your industry. Incredible value can be extracted by doing something as simple as sifting through comments on posts. On their own accord, people willingly express their thoughts, opinions, and ask questions.
Let’s examine a scenario: Perhaps your company made a Facebook post showing all the colors coming out for a new t-shirt design. Someone leaves a comment asking, “Is one coming out in green?” and it gets a substantial number of likes. That small piece of information is extremely useful and lets you tailor your company’s strategy around what your customers want – ultimately benefitting your company’s profits at the end of the day.
According to Socialbakers, a global AI-powered social media marketing company,brands only respond to 30% of questions posted by fans on Facebook. This is a huge mistake if you are in the majority 70% that doesn’t respond to questions like the one in our example.
Gartner reports– (51%) Half of worldwide marketers have turned to social listening to understand consumers’ changing preferences during the pandemic.
With a response, not only will your comment give your customer base an answer which will create a buzz among those that liked the comment, but it shows your customer base you are active in the digital space. People will know their future queries will be seen and taken into consideration – a huge step in the right direction towards creating a community feel and humanizing your brand.
Focusing on competitors, paying close attention to their social channels and what is being discussed on them is just as important. You should be checking out their social channels on a daily basis in order to get a feel for how they interact with their audience and the type of content they are posting. See what their followers want that they aren’t currently getting. Take advantage where your competitors are lacking. It could just be what helps propel your business ahead of theirs in the long run.
A lot of this maintenance is easier said than done. It takes a significant amount of time and effort to track trends and run multiple social media accounts. Are you looking to advance your social media strategy? Contact us today and see what we can do to help your social channels thrive.