Social Media Monitoring or Listening: Find Out What Your Audience Wants

Have you ever wondered why some brands seem to have an almost psychic connection with their audience? They know exactly why feedback matters, what their customers want, and how to fulfill their demands. The secret lies in the understanding of social media monitoring and social media listening.

These advanced techniques go beyond mere observation, diving deep into the data to uncover insights that drive strategy and engagement. Understanding the difference between social media monitoring and listening, and learning how to use both effectively, can greatly improve your social media strategy.

Let’s go through the core distinction between social media monitoring and social media listening.

Understanding Social Media Monitoring

Social media monitoring involves tracking specific keywords, phrases, or brand mentions in real time. It's about keeping an eye on the conversations happening around your brand, your competitors, and your industry. Think of it as the immediate pulse-checking mechanism for your online presence.

How Social Media Monitoring Works?

Social media monitoring operates on a real-time basis. It involves using tools like Hootsuite, Brandwatch, or Sprout Socialto track mentions of your brand, industry-related keywords, and even your competitors. Here's how to set it up effectively:

Identify Key Terms and Phrases: Start by identifying the key terms and phrases relevant to your brand. This includes your brand name, product names, hashtags, and industry-specific terms.

Choose the Right Tools: Select tools that align with your monitoring needs. Tools like Mention and Brand24 offer strong tracking features that can help you capture real-time data.

Set Up Alerts: Configure alerts to notify you whenever your specified keywords are mentioned. This ensures you never miss a critical conversation.

Analyze the Data: Regularly analyze the data to identify trends, spikes in mentions, and sentiment around your brand. This immediate feedback helps you address issues promptly and engage with your audience in real time.

What is Social Media Listening?

Social media listening takes a more analytical approach. It involves analyzing the broader context of conversations to uncover insights about customer sentiment, market trends, and brand perception. It's about understanding the 'why' behind the 'what'.

How Social Media Listening Works?

Social media listening is a more in-depth process that requires sophisticated tools and a strategic approach. Here's how you can implement effective social media listening:

Define Objectives: Start by defining what you want to achieve with social media listening. Are you looking to understand customer sentiment, identify market trends, or measure the impact of a campaign?

Select Listening Tools: Tools like Talkwalker, Synthesio, and NetBase Quid are designed for comprehensive social media listening. These platforms analyze large volumes of data to provide deep insights.

Analyze Conversations: Go beyond mentions and analyze the context of conversations. Look at themes, sentiments, and emotions driving discussions about your brand.

Generate Insights: Use the data to generate actionable insights. Identify patterns, understand customer needs, and uncover opportunities for innovation.

Key Differences Between Social Media Monitoring vs. Social Media Listening

There is a significant difference between social media monitoring and social media listening, and understanding these differences is crucial for effectively using social media to improve your brand strategy and customer engagement.

SCALE: Micro vs. Macro

The Social Media Monitoring focuses on the micro-level. It keeps track of specific keywords, phrases, brand mentions, and direct interactions. It provides detailed, real-time insights into what is being said about your brand or product at any given moment. For example, monitoring can alert you to a spike in mentions of your brand name or a sudden influx of customer complaints, allowing you to address these issues immediately. It's about capturing the immediate, day-to-day chatter related to your brand.

In contrast, social media listening operates on a macro scale. It involves analyzing broader conversations and trends across social media platforms to understand the bigger picture. Social listening looks at the context behind the mentions and tracks sentiment over time, helping to identify long-term trends and overarching themes. For instance, listening can reveal a gradual shift in consumer preferences or emerging market trends that can inform your long-term strategy. It’s about understanding the deeper, more nuanced patterns in online conversations.

TOOLS: Manual vs. Automated

Social Media Monitoring involves manual processes where specific terms and brand mentions are actively tracked using tools like Hootsuite, Brandwatch, or Sprout Social. Setting up these tools involves defining the keywords, hashtags, and mentions that are important to your brand and configuring alerts to notify you in real time when these terms are mentioned. The process requires regular checking and manual intervention to manage and respond to the data being collected.

Social Media Listening utilizes more sophisticated, automated tools such as Talkwalker, Synthesio, and NetBase Quid. These platforms are designed to handle vast amounts of data and use advanced algorithms and AI to analyze the information. Social listening toolsautomatically sift through large volumes of social media data to provide insights into sentiment, trends, and themes without the need for constant manual oversight. They can generate comprehensive reports that highlight significant patterns and changes in online conversations.

APPROACH: Reactive vs. Proactive

The Social Media Monitoring is primarily a reactive approach. It’s focused on responding to specific mentions and events as they occur. When a customer tags your brand in a tweet with a complaint, monitoring tools alert you immediately so you can address the issue. This real-time responsiveness is crucial for customer service, crisis management, and maintaining your brand’s online reputation. The goal is to manage immediate feedback and interactions effectively.

On the other hand, social media listening is proactive. It involves analyzing the data to anticipate customer needs, identify potential issues before they escalate, and uncover opportunities for engagement and innovation. Social listening helps you understand the underlying reasons behind customer sentiment. It allows you to make strategic decisions that can preemptively address concerns and capitalize on positive trends. This proactive approach supports long-term planning and strategy development.

BUSINESS GOALS: Specific vs. Diverse

Social Media Monitoring aims to achieve specific business goals such as improving customer service, improving real-time engagement, and promptly addressing issues or crises. The focus is on immediate, actionable insights that help you respond directly to what people are saying about your brand. Social monitoring is essential for maintaining a strong brand presence and ensuring that no customer interaction goes unnoticed.

Social Media Listening supports a broader range of business goals including product development, market research, and strategic planning. By analyzing broader social media conversations, listening helps you understand market dynamics, customer preferences, and industry trends. This holistic view enables you to make informed decisions that affect various aspects of your business, from marketing and sales to product innovation and customer experience. Social listening provides the insights needed to shape your long-term strategy and drive sustainable growth.

Conclusion

Mastering social media monitoring and listening is essential for any brand looking to grow in the digital age. By understanding the differences between these two practices and implementing them effectively, you can gain invaluable insights, engage with your audience more meaningfully, and drive your business forward.

Remember, it's not just about what people are saying—it's about understanding why they’re saying it and how you can respond strategically. Dive deep into the data, utilize the insights, and watch your social media strategy transform.