Social Listening: Why online activity is so much more than chatter
There has been much discussion of late regarding ‘Social Listening’. It’s essentially another buzz word for social media monitoring and is fast becoming a focus for many organisations.
It begs the question - Do Irish companies really want to find out what is being said about their brand on social networks, particularly given that it can be a case of trying to find a needle in a haystack? It can be time consuming, frustrating and in the end, you may not like what you see.
Cutting through the noise is worth it!
Latest worldwide statistics reveal there are on average, 400 million tweets and 4.5 billion Facebook likes per day plus hundreds of thousands of Instagram shots and YouTube uploads. So what is the best way to harness this Big Data for your company’s benefit?
Surprisingly it doesn’t have to be complicated. Valuable insights can be obtained from built-in analytics on Facebook, Twitter and Google. More in-depth social intelligence through monitoring providers or specific web portals involves an investment for companies however the rewards are tangible. These can provide tailored reports with insights to the social conversation surrounding a brand.
Listening, learning and engaging
So why do this? Social Listening can provide companies with relevant information about how they are perceived in their market. Insights are useful to define marketing goals, improve reputation by engaging directly with social media users and even indicate new leads for product development and sales generation.
What was once regarded simply as ‘chatter’ on social media must now be respected as a source of insights more accurate and relevant than ever before
Paul Moriarty is Head of Insight at Newsaccess Media Intelligence. Newsaccess is the leading provider of media monitoring and media analysis service in Ireland. For more information on Newsaccess click here.
