Social media has revolu0onised the way people do business. 85% of companies now use platforms like
Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn to increase brand awareness and communicate with their
customers, and social media is a fantastic way to boost profits. But it also has a darker side. Customers
now have free rein to say whatever they like about your business, to a potential audience of millions.
That’s why it’s essential to not only keep a close eye on your all your social media accounts and respond
to any comments, but also regularly check that they’re giving your customers what they want.
Like all relationships, listening is an important skill on social media. There are lots of tools available to
help you listen to what your customers are saying, and they can all help you build strong relationships
and keep your competitors at bay. From Tweetdeck to Hootsuite, Social Mention to Google Analytics,
these handy pieces of software will give you a clear vision of how you’re doing and help you identify any
areas of improvement.
Social media tracking can help your business grow in lots of ways, including:
Gaining Important Feedback
Until relatively recently, it used to take a while to measure the success of marketing campaigns and
product launches. Thanks to social media tracking businesses are now able to gain a real-time picture of
how people respond to new products and announcements; enabling them to act fast and make
appropriate changes.
Improving Customer Relations
Social media can help even the largest corporations come across as friendly and approachable- both
essential ingredients for reaching a wider audience and building loyalty. With well thought out, targeted
marketing campaigns that customers enjoy and want to share. Humanising your voice can go a long way
towards gaining trust with your consumers, especially if you respond to comments in a timely and
convivial manner.
Checking out the Competition
Sun Tzu wrote The Art of War in the Sixth Century BC, and his strategies still relate to businesses even
now. Knowing your enemy will help you stay one step ahead, and social media is a great tool for
gathering intelligence that can help you set new business goals.
Effective social media is all about engagement. When people are talking about you, or related services,
it’s a great opportunity to join the conversation and get them onside. Using hashtags on Twitter and
Instagram are great tools for engagement, but use them wisely- the savvy tweeter can always tell when
people are using hashtags simply to get more follows, so it pays to make your posts relevant and
intelligently thought out.
Social media tracking can help you identify which posts people respond to the most, which ones they
don’t like and how shareable your content is. It will also help you to understand more about your core
demographic and how to reach out to a wider audience.
Engaging with customers has always been important, but it’s now more so than ever. Make sure you get
it right by making full use of the social media platforms available to you and tracking how people
respond.
