Hello, Can You Hear Us Now: Tips on Socially Listening

Contactless payments. Delivery On-demand. E-commerce enablement. Three tech enablements that set companies apart amid the drastic cultural shifts fast-tracked by COVID. As a marketer, the ability to read people’s minds and spot emerging consumer behaviors is invaluable. And the global pandemic proved the necessity of consumer trend prowess and the art of the pivot.

Is your brand effectively ‘socially’ listening? Tuning in to your audience is not a novel concept, but one the presence of social media amplifies. This specialized listening tactic is two-fold: monitoring social media channels for keywords, hashtags, and mentions associated with a brand, its competitors, products, and user sentiments. Secondly, and perhaps most importantly, the brand must analyze and choose how to respond to its base’s behaviors and needs. Active listening helps brands stay abreast of valuable insights that drive lead generation, improved customer service, and engaging content. Social listening is the exact tactic that separated Coors ad response to COVID from Anheuser Busch’s cliche ad with its #CouldUseABeer user-generated campaign.

Peek around the corner and tap into your consumer base with three social listening tips in 2021. Ask your marketing team:

What the Tech?

Let’s not act like listening in real-time is easy — especially in a virtual space. Even social discourse even has its challenges. But there are apps for that! Services like Hootsuite, Reddit search, Keyhole, and Mention automate media monitoring and analysis for a reasonable price. 

Who Dey: Industry Influencers?

General social listening will identify key influencers in your industry. Where one finds celebrities, athletes, and tastemakers, one can typically find an engaged audience not too far behind. Influencers are audience allies who are knowledgeable about social group norms and consumer desires. They matter simply because of their capacity for high-impact impressions and brand authenticity.  

Where’s Waldo: Are you following? 

Tapping into influencer insight will crack the code to uncovering emerging trends. But are you following where influencers and audience are going to engage in “real-talk” and uncensored conversations?  After all, brands want meaningful connections and insights, not just sparkling reviews, and high-level brand perceptions. 2020 has produced a growth of private, interest-driven communities that are every bit as powerful as industry influencers. Some of these include blerds, health-enthusiasts, extreme couponers, and black girl magic. While traditional forums like conferences and meetups are a thing of the past, for now, social media sites like Facebook, Reddit, and other social discussion platforms serve as outlets and safe-havens for specialized interest groups. But as the need for distant networking continues amid the pandemic, new platforms like invite-only, Clubhouse will hit the scene. 

Being in tune with your niche market isn’t easy… the answers don’t magically appear. In an overcrowded and noisy marketplace, brands with a listening ear, and the know-how to use those insights are always a step ahead. Whether it be adapting to unexpected change or shaping strategy to align with your community’s future needs, social listening can make a world of difference.