Is your business looking to improve their social media strategy? Then you should know about the best social listening tools available!
Did you know that fewer than half of companies using a social media strategy have rated their efforts online as “very effective”? This means that most companies are being left out of the benefits that a strategic social media strategy can have.
The biggest issue here is how they are using their resources and abilities on social media. Using social listening to understand what your audience wants and implementing what you learn are the best steps to take.
The ‘how’ part of the strategy – how you implement it – is just as important as the ‘what’ and the ‘why’! We answered the ‘what’ and ‘why’ questions about social listening and B2B digital marketing strategies in the first part of this social listening blog post series.
To summarize, one of the best reasons to adopt social listening: establishing your company as an industry leader!
Use Social Listening to Establish Your B2B Company as an Industry Leader
Social media helps to adds value to content you are publishing on your website and other channels. By promoting your content on your social media platforms, you are presenting a solidified and consistent brand messaging across the board. In addition to the branding capabilities, as you create and promote your content consistently, you are establishing yourself as a credible source of information and an important player in your industry.
Use social media listening tools and strategies to create content that your target audience is searching for. Also, make sure your online brand image and messaging is consistent and solidified. One of the best ways to appear consistent online is establishing a value proposition. To learn more about B2B value proposition strategy, check out this blog post.
Now that those basics are established, we can officially move onto the “how” part of the journey.
How Should Your B2B Company Partake in Social Listening?
Let’s talk about how to implement your social listening strategy if you are your in-house marketing expertise. Here are four simple ways to incorporate your social listening strategy into your social media efforts.
Use Social Media Listening Tools
The best thing about marketing today is how many tools are available at the click of a button! We understand that the world of MarTech can be overwhelming, in fact we even wrote an entire blog post about the issues of too much MarTech. Here is a shortlist of a few tools you can use to take your social media and social listening strategies to the next level.
The Content Marketing Institute identified some of the best social listening tools your business can adopt:
- Hootsuite – It’s great for keeping on top of your social media channels and scheduling your posts. It can also track key industry topics and keywords using the “stream” function.
- Awario – we can track client mentions and monitor your brand’s reputation online so you can identify internal pain points and missing pieces.
- Brandwatch – We can track consumer trends and identify new market opportunities so you can tackle those industry trends before they peak.
See (and React to) What Your Audience Is Sharing
One of the easiest ways to create a dialogue between your business and your target audience is to engage with them on social media platforms. By engaging with them, you are not only fostering a stronger client relationship, but you are also able to see what they are sharing. This essentially opens your audience research to a more personal and direct level that can give you great insights for planning your future marketing tactics!
Follow Your Competitors and Important Industry Names
You should also keep track of your competitors and monitor developments in your industry. If you want to stay ahead of the curve and hop on industry trends right as they emerge, one of the most convenient (and free) ways to get this information is through social media! Follow your competitors and any other industry players to make sure your marketing initiatives are staying current, and better yet, that they are standing out from the crowd!
Listen to Relevant Criticism and Answer Key Questions
Seeing criticisms online about your business can be very tough but responding to it appropriately and effectively can benefit your business tenfold.
Additionally, answering online questions from active or potential clients can show that your business is active in delivering exceptional customer service. Whether or not you’re chiming in on questions directed at your company specifically, involving your brand in hot industry topics online is a great way to show knowledge, skills, and personability to potential clients.
These questions or criticisms can also point out blind spots or opportunities that are missing in your existing marketing channels or strategies, showing what new landing pages you should add to your website, or even ideas for new content marketing initiatives and creating innovative digital marketing campaign opportunities.
Ready to Invest in B2B Social Listening?
We just went through a few ways of how you can implement social listening within your digital marketing. It’s important to note that social listening is time consuming, so be patient and ensure you go about it strategically and track your results and performances so you can see what’s working and what needs improvements! For a list of key social media metrics, check out our blog post dedicated to outlining these key metrics.
If you need to back up a few steps, make sure to check out part 1 of this blog series to learn about what social listening is and how a social listening strategy can benefit your B2B today!
Are you ready to invest in your social media strategy? We would be happy to support you on your journey. Reach out to us at Pace Creative to see how we can help you plan and execute your social media strategy to build a relevant and meaningful audience and following on social media!
