Many brands see social media as just another megaphone to blast their marketing campaigns and news releases at their customers and prospects. Then they give up because no one seems to care. Why do they fail? Because they don’t bother to listen.

There’s a multitude of social media activity you can monitor that will give you insight into how you can grow your brand, delight your customers, stop a crisis, generate leads, surpass the competition, improve your products, learn from industry trends, and win over passionate advocates.

But to get this insight, you have to listen—and listen in the right way.

A great way to do this is by implementing a social listening technology that will help you monitor keywords related to your business. One tip for getting started is to simply use the SEO keywords that your customers and prospects search for on the Internet. 

Let’s take a look at other types of categories and terms you should be tracking:

Brand Monitoring

• Brand name

• Seasonal campaign names and terms

• Names of executives or stakeholders

• Names of specific products and services you offer

• Support, complaint or negative issues (so you can resolve, understand customer issues, and create resources to help in the future)

• Nicknames, misspellings or abbreviations of any of the above

• Hashtags you want to be associated with

• Hashtags you use for live event social sharing 

Industry Monitoring

• Terms related to verticals you specialize in

• Phrases that define the markets you serve

• Customers you have, or want to have, a strong relationship with

• Industry keywords or categories

• Professional organizations you belong to or that fit your business profile

• Names of your industry thought leaders

• Keyword phrases that indicate an intent to purchase or learn more

Competitor Monitoring

• Names of competitive companies, brands, products, and services

• Stakeholders in those companies

• Buzz around competitive campaigns or promotions

• Nicknames, misspellings, and the like of any of the above

Businesses who practice social media listening gain an unprecedented agility and reach. They also foster the kind of dialogue needed to create a feeling of loyalty and trust with customers—and beyond.
 

Your prospective customers are active in social media—in fact, they spend hours there every day. This e-book will help get you up and running with a social marketing strategy that can help your business grow.