On Monday, we discussed the advantages of listening to your target audience. Now, let’s discuss how you can go about listening to your target audience via Google Alerts and the different social media networks.
By listening, your brand will be able to build relationships with your target audience, create superior content, and deliver exceptional experiences. If you missed part 1, you can still review the advantages to listening to your target audience.
By paying attention to the ongoing social conversations in your industry, you can pick up on emerging trends, new customer pains, and other valuable information. Here are some ways that will help you follow your brand and industry easily.
Gathering information from a multiple of sources will give you well rounded view of your brand, industry, and target audience.
Different Methods to Listen to Your Target Audience
- Google Alerts and RSS Feeds
- Twitter Hashtags
- Google+
- Blogs
#1 Set up Google Alerts and RSS feeds
When you create a Google Alert, you will receive email summaries on the subject matter you specify. Google Alerts will pick up anything included in Blogs, and you should follow any blogs that appear on your Google Alerts consistently. You should also identify any RSS feeds that consistently talk about your brand, competitors, and industry.
Different Google Alerts and RSS feeds you should follow
- Your Brand
- Keywords specific to your industry
- Your Industry
- Your Competitors
#2 Facebook
First, follow your competitor and listen for keywords or emerging trends.
Second, identify and participate in any Facebook groups that impact your brand. The more people in these groups, the more it gets promoted to their friends and social networks.
Next, organize different lists for different topics and influencers that you want to follow. These lists allow you to view and post to different groups or companies.
#3 Listening via Twitter Hashtags
Hashtags have become one of the best ways to monitor the discussion around a particular topic, trend or idea in your space.
Hashtags to Follow
- Your Brand
- Specific Keywords
- Your Industry
- Your Competitors
- Your Competitors
#4 Listening on Twitter
First, conduct a couple of searches on your brand, keywords, industry, and your competitors. Identify the influencers, analysts, journalists, and other knowledgeable people in your arena who appear in your searches and follow them. Monitor what your influencers say and discover who is retweeting your influencers tweets.
Twitter Lists
- Organize all of the people you identified into different Twitter lists.
- Each list should be segmented/grouped together by similarities.
- Twitter lists can be public or private.
- Consider making your influencers group public to show that you are actively collecting information from knowledgeable sources.
- Monitor what each group is saying.
- If there are any complaints, develop a customer service method on how to handle the complaints.
- Discover if you need to make tweaks to your services to satisfy your target audience.
#5 Listening on LinkedIn
Search for any groups based on your brand, industry, competitors, or keywords. Next, follow your competitors to monitor the conversations happening on their company pages. Finally, pay attention to any comments that are said on your company pages.
#6 Listening on G+
First, conduct a search on your brand, keywords, industry, and competitor and see what comes up.
Google+ Circles
Similar to Twitter lists, you can create different Google+ Circles of people. Each circle can have their own personas allowing you to tailor your communication based on the personas. When you notice people talking about your brand or industry, include them in one of your circles.
Google+ Hangouts
You can also use Google Hangouts makes to connect people in different circles. Google Hangouts gives you face time with your target audience on their terms.
#7 Listening on Blogs
Back in #1, you should have started following any blogs that appeared in your Google Alerts consistently. Listen for any news about your brand. Every once in a while you may choose to make a comment to show your target audience that you are listening, and this will indicate that you care.
Once you set your methods of listening, you may feel a little overwhelmed. However, you have access to an abundance of intelligence about your target audience to help you build relationships with your target audience.
My suggestions is to set aside some time once a week or take 30 minutes everyday just to listen(read). Don’t comment on anything or post anything. This is time for you to just learn about what people are saying. Take notes and make a list of action items.
When listening, look for consistencies and patterns. This will help you prioritize any action items you need to take. Look for potential marketing messages, or opportunities to connect with your target audience.
As you listen, remember to your purpose is to build stronger relationships with your target audience, so your brand can deliver exceptional experiences.
After reading today’s post, please comment on any ways you like to listen to your target audience via social media.
Take Care and Happy Listening.
Sources
- Social Media Relationship Skills – Listening (Part 1) from Convert with Content
- Social Media Relationship Skills – How To Create A Social Listening Strategy from Convert with Content
- 4 Steps to Create a Social Listening Strategy from Social Media Examiner
- Social Selling Action Plan, Part 2: Listen to What Your Industry is Saying from The HootSuite Blog
- The Definitive Guide to Social Marketing from Marketo
Additional Social Media News and Resources
- 2014 State of Marketing – Insights from over 2,500 global marketers from Exact Target
- What Social Networks Should You Be On, Pt. 1: Twitter from The HootSuite Blog
- What Social Networks Should You Be On, Pt. 2: LinkedIn from The HootSuite Blog
- 6 Ways to Promote Your Business With Pinterest Places from Social Media Examiner
- 4 Social Media Tools to Improve Your Social Media Marketing from Social Media Examiner
- 3 Unusual Ways to Build Your Email List With Facebook Apps from Social Media Examiner
- Influencer Marketing: Top Tactics and Challenges from Marketing Profs
- The Best Social Media Management Software [Infographic] from Marketing Profs
Cindy Plough - A Digital Marketer 