3 Reasons Why Social Media Monitoring Really Matters

When it comes to social media usage for businesses, blind spots will bite you. 

We've reached a point where information is ceaseless, and extracting value requires actual work. In order for a productive conversation to occur, businesses must not only talk, but also listen. 

Plugging into the online conversation helps businesses understand their role, track consumer behavior, and gain insight into both their successes and failures. 

After all, if you're not actively listening, do you really know what your customers want?

The intelligence a business can gain through social media monitoring is unparalleled, which is why we've outline 5 reasons why your business need to start taking it seriously starting today. 

Lead Generation

If your business doesn't have a social media lead generation strategy, you're missing out on a highly lucrative source, and it all starts with listening.

Before you start putting forth content, it is important that you take the time to understand the lay of the land. Make note of the topics and types of content that are performing well in terms of engagement, and use this to inform your own strategy.

Ebooks, webinars, and contests are just a few of the ways that businesses are using social media as a way to capture and qualify more leads. 

Listening to prospects on social media will also help you build more authentic relationships with them. If you can uncover their pain points and reach out in a way that appeals to them, you'll find it's much easier to open up the door for further discussions. 

Competitive Advantage

A little friendly competition never hurt anyone. 

By tuning into the feedback your competitors are receiving on social media, both positive and negative, you are providing your business with an opportunity to improve.

By monitoring the progression of complaints or compliments, you can learn from their mistakes and use their successes to inform your future endeavors. 

Additionally, if you find that one of your competitors is receiving negative mentions, you can find a way to treat them as an opportunity for your business. For example, if you come across a complaint aimed toward your competitor, interject the interaction with a coupon for your product or some insight into your service. It's all about opening up the door for communication at the right time, in this case, when the consumer is already dissatisfied.

It's like they always say, "strike while the iron is hot", right?

Customer Service

What's truly remarkable about social media monitoring, is that it presents businesses with the opportunity to respond to customers in real-time.

The minute a complaint arises, or the moment someone falls in love with your product or service, you'll know. 

In terms of customer service, social media should be used to track conversations, humanize your brand, and initiate interactions as you see fit. 

Consumers are constantly seeking solutions to their problems, and more than often they turn to social media to ask questions. If your product or service is the solution, initiate a conversation with them. 

Once you've heard them out, use social media as an avenue for communication. Provide them will information, insight, or resources that help to resolve their challenges.

Sometimes free information is all it takes to turn a visitor to a loyal customer.

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