You may have heard the cliché that you have two ears and only one mouth for a reason. The same is true of eyes if you are referring to online social media listening while chatting. Whether a voice or written conversation, social listening is not a process you should take lightly.
What is social listening?
Social listening involves any activity that helps you learn more about your target online audience. For instance, you might engage in a conversation during a fundraiser or raise hype with a contest. After you start your promotion, you then also see how your viewers and participants respond to your posts.
How to Be a Good Social Listener
Either way, here are six ways to be a good social listener.
Observe the words and phrases used in comments.
Observe the words and phrases used in comments. Notice not only what people say but how they say it. This along with applying online utilities that analyze speech algorithms will determine what people do exactly mean when they are talking online.
As you learn the language of your target audience, it can help you tailor future conversations to their interests. Your portrayal of compassion will show them you care.
See how many likes, shares or comments your posts have.
See how many likes, shares or comments your posts have. Then, concentrate on providing similar updates on the content they like the most. At the same time, expect certain topic trends to eventually decline.
Awareness of changing interests will help you gauge when today’s news has become forgotten history and know when and when not to talk about certain issues.
Pay attention to differing trends.
Pay attention to differing trends. In addition to paying attention to trending topics, you also need to watch what you say on different platforms.
For instance, your social media audience usually would expect you to be a little bit more serious and professional on LinkedIn than Facebook. On Twitter or Instagram, you probably want to share more video, and Pinterest often is a space for crafts, arts and other creativity.
Make adjustments to social media campaigns when needed.
Make adjustments to social media campaigns when needed. Learning social media listening best practices is not going to happen overnight. Give yourself room for error and gracefully recover from any campaign mistakes you have made.
Do not be afraid to express yourself but apologize if you have offended someone as soon as possible. On a lighter note, adjust the type of media (e.g. videos instead of blog posts or images with text instead of long text messages) when needed.
Respond to customer feedback and questions.
Learning what it means to be a good online listener and how to use the data you accumulate will help you grow your business. If you do not have the time to sit online for hours a day engaging in conversations in real time, at least put in as much effort as you can. Alternatively, you may need to hire someone who can give your social media audiences the attention and care they need.
Respond to customer feedback and questions.There’s no point in eavesdropping on your social audience if you do not apply the information. Especially if someone initiates a conversation on your page, you must not forget to respond. Faster reply rates will improve your brand’s reputation and will usually result in positive buzz about your company.
Benefits of Social Media Listening Reports
The benefit of using a tool like Netbase is that it can provide a positive, personal interaction between you and your client. In the process, it allows you to keep in touch with your audience and learn how to best serve them without having to remain online 24/7.
Choosing the right social media listening tool will also enhance your ability to learn how healthy your brand is across all networks.
