Everything you do and say, every new product or service you start offering stirs the opinion of your current and prospective customers.

This opinion is really important, because it shows one very important perspective – that of the people who actually need what you offer and therefore know its pros and cons from experience.

In this sense, listening to what they have to say and using it to improve your business is worth the effort and it can be achieved by the process  called social listening.

Social listening is the practice of following what is said about you in the media, especially the social media, where you can find the most objective and unbiased opinion.

Of course, opinions will range.  You will always find people who love your products and those who perhaps don’t think so highly of them, but that is a good thing. Through their opinion you will see where you are performing well  and also see what you fail to deliver to your prospective customers.

In other words, social listening is a way to obtain precious insights, which will allow you to improve your image and business according to the needs of the market and the success of your products so far.

You will also see if the message you are trying to deliver is clear enough and is fairly received. If it is not, then it tells you that some stage of the process is not working and you need to reconsider your strategies.

Social listening will help you with improving your product and spreading the word, even when it comes to promotions, discounts and special events.  It will also help you build the perfect image for your business. You can be sure that your customers – current and prospective, will always have their questions, some of which won’t be asked directly to you, but will be asked across social media. Social listening will allow you to always be aware of these questions, giving you the time and the opportunity to prepare and release the answers when and where they will be most effective and beneficial.

By practicing social listening you will be in control of your image and brand.  You will know what people think of you and what it takes to change their opinion and impression in your favour. Moreover, you will be able to protect yourself against false claims and accusations by giving an honest response.  

In other words, Social Listening is really worth the effort!

In our next post we will show you some of the tools you can use to help you remain aware of what is being said about you across social media.