When considering a move into social media marketing, often one of the first questions companies ask us is, “What should we say?” We usually answer, “The first thing you actually want to do is listen.” What exactly does “listening” mean when we are talking about social media? There are two definitions. The first is listening as we do in the offline world. Listen to what people are saying to or about you. Listen to how people in your industry are talking to each other. The other definition is more akin to monitoring. Are people talking about your company or your products?
This is all well and good, but how do you actually listen or monitor online? We have some recommendations for you!
1. Basic Google Searches
One very simple idea is to enter different phrases into a basic Google search. For example, you could search for the phrase, “XYZ company is horrible at”. No results? That’s good news. Similarly, do searches for, “XYZ company impressed me…” and see if you get any results for that. That would also be good news. If you get some negative results from a search like this, you need to delve in further and see how severe the problem may be.
2. Platform-specific searches
If you want to find out if there is “buzz” on a specific platform like Facebook or Twitter, you can simply use the search function each of those platforms offer. The nice thing about Twitter search is that you do not need an account to be able to see results. You simply can go to the URL search.Twitter.com. For Facebook you do need to log in to be able to access search results.
3. Google Alerts/TalkWalker/Other Alert systems
In the past, we always recommended that companies sign up for Google Alerts. It was free and effective and easy to understand. As we reported a few months, ago, Google Alerts have decreased in effectiveness and may be on Google’s cutting block. There are other viable alternatives, however, and this is a good way to keep up on what Google is finding regarding keywords that are important to your company, including product names.
4. Monitoring Software
The world of social media monitoring software continues to expand at an exponential rate. In May, SocialMediaToday.com offered a list of 50 different companies offering monitoring software. Pricing ranges across the spectrum from free to very expensive. If you are just starting out, one of the free tools is probably the best bet for you.
5. Study your keywords
This is not specific to social media, but companies can learn a lot about how they are perceived and how people are finding them by looking at the keywords report in Google Analytics. Whether for your blog or your website, Google Analytics will give you insight into what words people were searching for when they landed on your site. By tracking how those web visitors navigated your site (did they visit multiple pages or did they “bounce” immediately) you can gain insights into what people are looking for in your industry and how you can better address those concerns.
Online listening or monitoring is essential even if your company is not currently engaged in social media marketing. You still need to know what people are saying about your industry, your company, and your products. This will not only help you determine if you should in fact jump into social media marketing, but it will also help you answer that first key question. What should you say? You should say things that answer questions, alleviate concerns, and illuminate positives.
We hope this helps! If you have any questions please leave us a comment below.
Image Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/niclindh/1389750548/ via Creative Commons
via Business 2 Community http://www.business2community.com/online-marketing/five-tips-friday-online-listening-0631643?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=five-tips-friday-online-listening
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