How Can Social Media Listening Increase Customer Advocacy (2021)
Customers are the lifeblood of any business, so how can social media listening increase customer advocacy? Does your business have a social media presence? Is your brand visible to your target audience online? To incorporate social media listening into your customer advocacy strategy, you first need to grow your presence on social media platforms. Different social media platforms require different strategies, which means more time and effort. Ideally, you want to focus on one to two channels where your target audience regularly hangs out. In 2021, it’s vital that you create content instead of merely focusing on hard-selling your products and services. Once you’ve established some form of trust with customers, they are more likely to become advocates of your company because they feel included. Social Media Listening It is not easy to grow your business from scratch. If you are a small business owner, you may feel like there isn’t enough time in the day to get everything done. Social media listening can be such a game-changer; it provides you with ideas and solutions that will keep your business moving forward and growing. It’s more than just monitoring brand mentions; it’s about listening to your customers actively and taking actions based on what is being said. Employing this strategy is how you track what people are saying about your brand across various social channels. Benefits of using social media listening include: Identifying potential customers Allowing quick, appropriate responses to customer issues before they escalate, and Promoting company messages more effectively. Questions Social Listening Tools Can Answer How do customers feel about your brand, products or services? How do they feel about the customer service experience they’ve had with you? What are their thoughts on the pricing of your products or services? How do they feel about how you interact with them on social media? How do they feel about how your business responds to customer complaints? How well are you responding to their needs? Customer Advocacy: What is it, and Why Does It Matter? Customer advocacy refers to how much a customer likes your brand or understands how important they are as an individual customer. If a customer is highly engaged with your brand and feels like they’re being heard or respected by you, that’s an excellent foundation for advocacy. Customers may advocate for your company to others, translating into more business leads and increased brand awareness and reach. How can social media listening increase customer advocacy? Customers are more likely to feel positive about a company that is authentic and incorporates active listening. When they feel appreciated, they become your brand ambassadors, ready to spread the word about your brand. You can also manage negative mentions efficiently in real-time, thanks to social media listening. Perhaps your customers have had a bad experience with your product or service recently. You can swiftly address them and turn the situation around by showing you care to improve their experiences. Listening for keywords in posts that mention your brand or products provides you with a clearer picture of your brand positioning. You can quickly modify your brand tone and messages if you realise your brand deviates from the image you intended for your brand. Conversely, you can utilise these keywords to make your brand positioning stronger. Are Social Listening Tools Worth It? Social media listening is how you stay on top of what people are saying about your brand. It helps minimise the negative impact of customer complaints, increase profitability, and grow advocacy for your brand. The best part is that many of the tools are user-friendly and easy to implement, which means you can start listening in on how customers feel about your brand right away. Some social media listening tools can be pricey, but plenty of them are free or reasonably priced. Here are three excellent tools you can consider: 1. Hootsuite Insights 2. Brandwatch 3. Buzzsumo Conclusion What’s the number one mistake in customer service: Not listening to what customers want! Social media, when used effectively, is an excellent tool for businesses as it allows them to interact with their customers on an individual level and get feedback from the marketplace about how they’re doing. It also lets you see what people are saying about your business, so social media listening is worth your investment to build a base of loyal customers.