Social listening is the process of monitoring digital conversations to understand what customers are saying about a brand and its industry online. It involves analyzing the data gathered from these conversations to make strategic business decisions. Social listening captures and evaluates the mood behind the data, providing insights into the public's feelings, opinions, and trends. This feedback can be invaluable in shaping everything from marketing strategies to product development.
What's the Difference Between Social Listening and Social Monitoring?
While often used interchangeably, social listening and social monitoring serve different but complementary functions:
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Social Monitoring involves tracking and collecting mentions and conversations based on predefined keywords, phrases, or brand names. It focuses more on metrics like frequency and volume and is often reactive, primarily with responding to comments, questions, or complaints as they arise.
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Social Listening goes a step further by analyzing the mood and sentiments behind the social conversations and extracting actionable insights. This strategic approach looks at the bigger picture, aiming to understand the underlying trends and long-term shifts in public opinion, enabling proactive business strategies.
What Should You Include in Your Social Listening Strategy?
Your social listening strategy should encompass the following elements:
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Set Objectives: Define what you aim to achieve, whether it's improving customer service, tracking brand health, or identifying market opportunities.
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Select your tool: Choose the right social listening tools that align with your business needs and objectives.
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Keyword and Query Setup: Determine the keywords, phrases, and topics relevant to your brand that you want to monitor.
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Audience Analysis: Understand who your audience is and segment the data to tailor your messaging and strategy accordingly.
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Sentiment Analysis: Gauge the sentiment behind the mentions to measure brand health and perception.
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Competitor Analysis: Monitor not just your own brand but also your competitors to stay ahead of the curve.
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Reporting and Action: Regularly review the insights gathered and use this information to inform and adjust your marketing and business strategies.
What Should You Consider for B2B Social Listening?
B2B social listening can be particularly nuanced due to the nature of the transactions and relationships involved. Considerations include:
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Longer Sales Cycles: Recognize and monitor discussions that reflect the longer decision-making process in B2B transactions.
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Industry-Specific Platforms: Beyond mainstream social media, track industry-specific forums, websites, and platforms where professionals discuss relevant topics.
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Decision-Maker Targeting: Focus on identifying and understanding the specific roles and individuals involved in the purchasing process.
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Content and Thought Leadership: Evaluate how your content performs in terms of engaging potential business clients and establishing your brand as a thought leader.
What Are the Social Listening Analytics KPIs?
Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for social listening might include:
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Volume of Mentions: Tracks how often your brand is mentioned over a specific period.
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Reach: Measures how many unique users have seen posts mentioning your brand.
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Engagement: Analyzes how actively involved your audience is with your content through likes, shares, comments, etc.
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Sentiment Analysis: Assesses whether the mood surrounding your brand is positive, negative, or neutral.
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Influence Score: Determines the influence level of the people talking about your brand.
What Are Social Listening Tools?
Social listening tools are software solutions designed to collect data from various social media and other digital platforms to monitor mentions of specific keywords, phrases, brands, or industries. Examples include:
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Brandwatch: Provides deep insights into brand mentions, trends, and consumer sentiment.
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Oktopost has [social listening]
(https://www.oktopost.com/platform/social-media-listening) features created for B2B social media managers.
Are There Additional Capabilities for Social Listening with LinkedIn?
LinkedIn, as a professional network, offers unique opportunities for B2B social listening. Features include:
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LinkedIn Articles and Posts: Monitoring these can provide insights into industry trends and thought leadership.
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LinkedIn Groups: Participating in and monitoring relevant groups helps in understanding industry-specific discussions and pain points.
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Advanced Search Filters: These can be used to refine searches and focus on specific industries, job roles, or regions.
This glossary aims to equip professionals with a deeper understanding of social listening and its strategic application in B2B contexts. Businesses can gain significant competitive advantages by effectively utilizing these tools and strategies.
Request a demo to discover how Oktopost can help you plan, execute, and measure successful B2B social media marketing.