Want to improve your targeted marketing efforts? Start with your social listening skills!

Social listening is the practice of monitoring online conversations across social media platforms, online forums, blogs and other digital spaces to learn what people are saying about your industry, your brand, your products and services, and your competition.

Excellent social listening skills can give your business a boost by giving you great insight into customer needs, preferences and concerns. It can also help you assess how potential customers feel about your brand, gain helpful feedback, and keep an eye on your competition’s activity.

Here are 3 easy ways to incorporate social listening into your targeted marketing strategy:

• Use Dedicated Social Listening Tools

With so many social media platforms available, you’ll need effective tools to maximize your insights. The right tools enable you to monitor industry-specific keywords, which can help you stay on top of the conversations and trends that affect your target audience.

Tip: Use dedicated social listening tools like Sprout Social, Brandwatch, or Hootsuite Insights to monitor keywords, brand mentions, and competitor activity across multiple social media platforms.

• Monitor Customer Sentiment

Online conversations can give you lots of information about how your customers feel about your brand. Use social listening to determine if overall sentiment is positive, negative or neutral, so you can manage customer relationships effectively.

Tip: Keep communication flowing for maximum customer satisfaction. Respond quickly to both positive and negative comments, and address complaints ASAP. Build customer loyalty by thanking customers for their comments and positive mentions.

• Keep an Ear on Your Competition

Monitoring your competitors’ strategies and social activity can help you identify gaps in your own targeted marketing efforts, or opportunities for your business.

Tip: Tracking mentions of your competitors can help you identify pain points that aren’t being addressed effectively or unmet customer needs. You can use these insights to improve your product, service, or messaging, and set your business apart from your competition.

When you use social listening to gain insight on your customer’s thoughts and feelings, you can tailor your marketing message more effectively and see a greater return on your marketing efforts.

If you’re ready to improve your targeted marketing and create real connections with your ideal customers, check out www.sophiezo.com to see how our team of marketing experts gets your brand in front of the right people at the right time, every time!