Social Listening – Still an Underrated Recipe for Your Brand’s Success Online

What is social listening?

In the simplest terms, social listening involves paying attention to online discussions. Internet monitoring should ideally be conducted using modern tools powered by artificial intelligence. Through unique and advanced algorithms, we can acquire a dataset that has already undergone partial analysis. This allows us to quickly and efficiently understand the outline of a specific situation or identify areas for further, more in-depth analysis. A dry definition may not stimulate the imagination, so let’s define social listening with a practical example.

Let’s assume we want to find out what people are saying about Brand XYZ in the electronics industry. We select one of the many available internet monitoring tools on the market (e.g., SentiOne or Brand24). Next, we set up a project where we define keywords related to Brand XYZ and include links to its official social media channels. This enables the system to provide us with a variety of statistics regarding mentions (articles, posts, comments, and shares) about Brand XYZ. Below is a screenshot from an analysis using the SentiOne tool.

The widgets available in the Analysis view (there are many more than shown in the screenshot) display key data such as the number and reach of mentions over time, their sentiment, and the most popular sources. The analyst’s task is to dive deeper into the numerical summaries and extract key and valuable insights. For even more detailed research, we have access to the Mentions tab, where we can read and tag all the publications gathered by the system. This allows us to categorize the data and present a detailed breakdown of the topics discussed in the context of Brand XYZ.

What benefits can you gain by incorporating internet monitoring into your strategy?

Combining quantitative and qualitative analysis of online opinions provides a wealth of knowledge that can be turned into actionable steps.

Consistent strengthening of customer relationships

By tracking and responding to what people are saying about your brand, you engage directly with your audience. You build a sense of community, showing that their opinions matter to you. Today’s consumers want to be heard and seek to have a tangible impact on a brand and its products or services.

Increased interest in the brand among potential customers

When setting up a project in a monitoring tool, you can include keywords that help you identify sales leads. There’s also the possibility to set up alerts that notify you when such mentions appear online. This way, your team can quickly and effectively reach out to individuals looking for products and services similar to yours.

Expanding reach – real-time marketing

By consistently monitoring online activity, you stay on top of the conversation and can capitalize on spikes in user discussions to grow your audience. Additionally, real-time marketing allows you to do this entirely for free. A prime example of this strategy is IKEA. Be sure to check out the details in point 3 of this article.

Collaboration with key influencers

Thanks to mention analysis, you can identify individuals who speak positively about your brand and have a significant number of followers. Monitoring general keywords related to products similar to yours also gives you the opportunity to discover key influencers in your industry. It’s worth establishing partnerships with these individuals, even as part of marketing campaigns, by appointing them as brand ambassadors.

Marketing strategies based on consumer needs

By reading comments from your customers or potential consumers, you get insight into their problems and needs. You can systematically address these, for instance by adding a desired feature to your app or fixing a UX issue on your website. Research based on analyzing online mentions provides valuable information that can guide educational campaigns. A great example of this is Durex, which is covered in more detail in point 3 of this article.

Product and service improvement

Review platforms are a particularly valuable source of mentions regarding products and services. These are places where users spontaneously express their emotions and opinions. When complaints about a specific aspect of your product repeatedly appear in such mentions, you know what actions you can take to prevent a drop in sales—or even increase purchase frequency.

Staying one step ahead of the competition

By staying up-to-date on current trends and hot discussion topics online, you can adjust your brand’s communication to match the interests of your target audience. Additionally, by paying attention to negative mentions about your competitors, you can turn these into your own advantages or unique selling points.

Protecting the brand from a crisis

Keep an eye on phrases related to potentially crisis-prone topics in your industry and regularly check if your brand is mentioned in this context. Sometimes, false opinions circulate online accusing brands of things like animal testing, using toxic substances in products, or harming the environment. It’s essential to closely monitor these discussions and respond promptly to prevent them from spreading.

Examples of effective social listening by global brands

IKEA and real-time marketing (RTM)

Below is a screenshot from the SentiOne panel, showing the distribution of mentions over time. These posts included the word “śpiulkolot” in their content or context.

A notable peak in the number of mentions occurred on December 7, 2021, when the word „śpiulkolot” was declared the youth word of the year. IKEA leveraged this trending topic to promote its offerings, and the brand’s post went viral.

Durex and long-term education

The SentiOne team, commissioned by the brand, analyzed topics related to sex that appeared on the most popular youth forums. These discussions were categorized into themes such as anatomy, contraception, masturbation, myths, sex, and others. Each category was then thoroughly analyzed. Durex, in collaboration with Abstra Group (now Studi), used the data and insights from the report to create a sexual education channel, “Jak TO Robić” (How TO Do It). The channel now has 224,000 subscribers and over 45 million views. More details can be found here.

Netflix and online discussions

Netflix has repeatedly demonstrated its commitment to building close relationships with its audience. The brand’s communication consistently shows that Netflix understands its viewers and the trends they follow. In response to the phenomenon of binge-watching and the accompanying problems described by users online, Netflix produced intelligent socks that pause the show when the user unexpectedly falls asleep. Additionally, the brand shared instructions on how to make the socks yourself.

Conclusion

In today’s digital world, social listening seems essential for any brand looking to succeed in the market. Yet, many marketers still underestimate this research method. It’s worth paying closer attention to Netflix’s everyday communication, as mentioned above. One could confidently say that much of the brand’s success is based on skillfully using internet monitoring—whether through precise communication targeting millennials, clever memes, posts aligned with current industry trends, or engaging with users mentioning Netflix on various channels.

When planning your marketing strategy for the new year, consider the benefits of research based on internet monitoring. It will help you strengthen relationships with your customers, understand your audience and the trends they follow, improve products and services, expand your reach through effective real-time marketing, and collaborate with key influencers. Most importantly, you will have control over your brand’s image and safety online. Embrace new insights and stay one step ahead of the competition!