{"id":16909,"date":"2018-09-05T11:18:15","date_gmt":"2018-09-05T17:18:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/memberpress.com\/?p=16909"},"modified":"2018-09-05T11:18:15","modified_gmt":"2018-09-05T17:18:15","slug":"social-media-listening-ears-on","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/memberpress.com\/de\/blog\/social-media-listening-ears-on\/","title":{"rendered":"Social Media Listening: Ears On!"},"content":{"rendered":"

It seems like every day there\u2019s a new fad in social media\u2014a rising-star platform, a trending hashtag, a new social media term. Everything changes so quickly it\u2019s becoming necessary to keep up with it in real time. And that\u2019s where social media listening (sometimes known as \u201csocial listening\u201d) comes in.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Wait, you\u2019re thinking, you already know about this and you\u2019re already doing it\u2014right? You\u2019re tracking your analytics, responding to comments, messages, and mentions, and engaging with your audience. Those are all good things\u2014but they aren\u2019t what\u2019s considered social listening.<\/p>\n

Social Media Monitoring Differs from Social Media Listening<\/b><\/h4>\n

These two things are actually quite distinct from each other; they\u2019re not synonyms and shouldn\u2019t be used as such.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Monitoring<\/i> is the process by which you gather and analyze your social media data. And with monitoring, you can take immediate action. For example, if someone comments on your Facebook post that they are unhappy with your product, you can immediately respond by replying to the comment or sending them a private message. It\u2019s also looking at past data to see what happened\u2014what worked, what didn\u2019t work.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

But once you start looking at that data to determine your future actions\u2014not with just social media campaigns but with your business as a whole\u2014you\u2019ve stepped into the realm of social listening<\/i>. When you listen to what others have to say about your business, brand, or product, you start to understand how they feel about your business as a whole. And that\u2019s an important thing because the more you understand, the easier it is to repair any negative perceptions or to capitalize on positive reviews.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

What Social Media Listening Is<\/b><\/h4>\n

Just because social media monitoring and social media listening aren\u2019t synonyms, it doesn\u2019t mean they can\u2019t get along\u2014in fact, they work better together and should be used as side-by-side partners. Social monitoring comes first, whereas social listening is the next step toward seeing your online presence as a whole\u2014a bird\u2019s-eye view, so to speak. It\u2019s about extracting key insights from social conversations, insights you can apply to your overall strategy.<\/p>\n

Social listening is where you, well, listen<\/i> to what\u2019s being said about your company and your brand\u2014even when you\u2019re not mentioned\u2014and even what\u2019s being discussed about your competitors and in your industry. Social listening is keeping your ears (and eyes) open for online conversations your current or potential customers are having that have to do with your business by tracking topics, themes, keywords, and hashtags relevant to your industry.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s also important to note that many of these conversations may not be happening on your posts, tweets, or time lines. Much of the time they are being held away from your immediate platforms\u2014that\u2019s why learning which hashtags, keywords, and topics your audience is discussing is important so you can find those conversations.<\/p>\n

Why Should You Listen?<\/b><\/h4>\n

Great American writer Ernest Hemingway once said, \u201cI like to listen. I have learned a great deal from listening carefully.\u201d And that\u2019s exactly what you\u2019re doing with social listening\u2014the purpose is to learn \u201ca great deal\u201d about your business, your customers, your leads, and your social presence and industry environment. By paying close attention to what people are saying, you\u2019ll gain valuable insight into what your audience wants, and you can then use that insight to tailor marketing your strategy, refine product offerings, and provide even better customer service. When people are having conversations about you\u2014whether good or bad\u2014you\u2019re going to have an idea of what exactly they think about your business and product, and even what they expect from you.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

For example, let\u2019s say you\u2019re in the wedding-planning business and you want your weddings to be unique. It would be wise to listen (via hashtags, keywords, comments, etc.) to see what \u2018 being overdone, what\u2019s considered \u201clast year,\u201d and what, especially, brides and grooms are looking for in the upcoming wedding season. Social listening helps you discover these conversations, giving you the opportunity to find these customers\u2014those looking for you, those with problems, those who need your help but might not know it yet\u2014and provide customer service before they\u2019ve even asked you directly.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

And one more thing: when you listen to the conversations around you (\u201cyou\u201d being your business and industry), you also learn what people are saying about your competitors, which can help you determine how you\u2019ll respond to them, whether through a competing product or service. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

How to Listen Effectively<\/b><\/h4>\n

So now that you understand what social media listening is and why it\u2019s important, it\u2019s time to put that knowledge to use. Here are a few tips on how to listen:<\/p>\n