Social listening – why you need to pay attention to social media comments

Queueing up killer content is only half the battle on social media. So many business owners forget to monitor their profiles, which can mean they miss out on crucial information. Here’s why you should pay attention to social media comments left on your profile and how you can use them to your advantage.

If you are scheduling content through a third-party tool, you may not find yourself browsing your business’ social media profiles very often. After all, we have all learnt the hard way that social media is an endless rabbit hole and the place that productivity goes to die. But short, purposeful bursts to review engagement metrics and social media comments are vital to growing your brand and can help you react swiftly to any issues.

Is anybody out there?

Without metrics, social media is valueless, and one of the integral pieces of data you should monitor is your reach and engagement. It doesn’t matter if you create the most engaging and witty post in the world; if no one sees it, it has no value.

Metrics differ from platform to platform, but on Facebook, you will see something like this:

Where are people commenting?

Most B2C businesses will get most of their social media comments directly on their feed. People are unlikely to send a PM unless you have already engaged them in conversation, or they have previously done so.

If you have a B2B business, the split will be more even. Like, reactions and short comments are commonplace for B2B posts, but PMs are the primary way to communicate issues or interest.

Talking behind your back

Whether you are B2B or B2C, many people who engage with your posts won’t tag you in them. If you don’t regularly review your social media comments, people are effectively talking behind your back. You will fail to capitalize on timely information.

What are they saying?

If people are seeing your posts, the next thing to look at is if they are reacting to them. Most people will just leave a like, but if people are saying anything, pay attention! They could be:

• Praising your business – In this instance, reach out for a testimonial.
• Bad-mouthing your business – Help them reach a more positive resolution to their issue. Even if this can’t be accomplished, send a public reply, so that your audience know it is on your radar and you are exhibiting good customer service.
• Giving product suggestions – You would be amazed how often your audience will provide market research for you. You can trigger it with posts asking what they would like to see, but you will also find people will just freely suggest from time to time.
• Giving you recommendations – It may be a part of your sales process or an aspect of your product design just isn’t what your customers need. People who have purchased an item will occasionally let you know what they liked or didn’t, helping you guide future improvements.

Benefits of social media comments

You should check any social media comments on your business profiles daily (or more frequently if you have high-engagement or a busy posting schedule) so that people know that you’re listening and responsive. This will:

• Boost the perception of your customer service and, as such, your brand as a whole.
• Show that your brand is run by humans still and not automation.
• Help you react quickly if someone is trying to buy from you or making a very public complaint.
• Help you find your super-engagers. Every business will find a small subsection of their audience who comment and engage far more than the general audience. If you can ascertain who is in this group, you can market specifically to them.

Need a helping hand?

Creating, scheduling, monitoring, analyzing… social media is an endless to-do. If you need help with any part of your social media posing or wish to talk to us about your overall digital marketing strategy we’d love to chat. Drop us a line today.

Cyber PR Army Solutions Inc.. Understand where you want to be, and we’ll help you get there.