Social Media for Audience Intelligence

Social media is more than just a valuable tool for starting and participating in conversations. It is equally valuable as a way to listen to what your target audiences and thought leaders are saying about your organization, product, or service.

1. Establish a listening framework

All of our social media plans — as well as most other digital marketing plans — include a recommendation for establishing a listening framework to ensure you are aware of audience perceptions, problems, interests, needs, likes and dislikes, satisfaction level, and more. A listening framework is an exceptionally effective way for you to gain intelligence about competitors, audiences, topics of interest, and more, giving you the information you need to increase the effectiveness of your social media strategy and overall marketing programs.

An effective listening framework can help you answer the following questions.

• How often is your company mentioned in comparison to competitors?
• What is the tone of mentions for your company compared to competitors?
• Where are these mentions occurring?
• What exactly is being said?
• Who is "saying" what?
• How are people who mention your company connected?

2. Glean intelligence about your audiences

It's important not to confuse the framework with the listening. Data alone won't tell you if any of those mentions are significant. To understand your audiences, you have to read what is being said, think about it, and discuss it in order to glean intelligence and meaning from the comments and conversations. This takes time, but it is time well spent.

3.  Take appropriate actions based on your intelligence

The framework and the intelligence gathering together make up a listening platform. Some companies have implemented social media command centers, sophisticated listening hubs with dedicated employees who monitor for brand mentions, watch for signs of trouble, and analyze user experiences. Regardless of the size of your listening endeavor, the final and most important step is to translate your intelligence into actionable recommendations that are distributed to the appropriate personnel across your organization. Your process should include a feedback mechanism by which you are made aware of any actions taken so you can leverage your listening framework to monitor success.

If you are ready to start listening to your audiences so you know how to converse with them in interesting, relevant, and valuable ways, we can help. Contact us today to learn how. Call (408) 418-4620 for a free consultation. Based in San Jose, California and Silicon Valley, HiveMind Marketing specializes in social media services and solution, marketing campaigns, and Web 2.0 applications, tools and design for companies in the San Francisco Bay Area and across the U.S.A.

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