Refine Your Marketing Message with Social Listening

When it comes to getting your message across in fewer than 140 characters it can be extremely difficult.

Every word carries clout that can’t be ignored or underplayed. So, how do you make each of those characters count?

Being precise in your messaging will assist you in reaching the right audience for your specific brand. Your target audience can change dramatically depending on your brand’s personality, products or industry.

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The consumer survey is dead

All brands must gather an in-depth knowledge about their brand advocates to ensure that their marketing is targeted at the right group of people.

The consumer survey is pretty much dead – instead, it is social listening that is dominating customer research.

On average, only 4% of consumers will tweet about brands specifically. Instead, Tweeters will discuss all of their hobbies and interests with their friends and the rest of the Twittersphere.

Understanding what excites your brand advocates outside of your selected industry will allow for a more targeted marketing strategy that can be implemented quickly and effectively.

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Demographic insights

Social listening can be used to discover detailed demographic data about consumers. Brands can find out the profession, interests, gender and the locations of social media users in relation to specific social conversations.

Discovering key trends that link a group of your consumers will help you create an engaged marketing campaign that resonates with your audience.

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Fast cars and customer conversations

But, what would that look like in a real-life example?

Let’s take a look at an imaginary automotive brand. We’re going to name them ‘Fast Cars’. This brand has a whole fleet of car models of different sizes, power and price. Each of the cars will ultimately appeal to a different consumer.

But how do they decide to whom to market these cars to?

By looking at the demographic data surrounding their newest vehicle, Fast Cars discovered it was students who were discussing their new product and many of them were interested in sport.

This would have been left undiscovered without the use of social listening. Now, Fast Cars can target this audience group with honed messaging which is reflected throughout the consumer purchase process, from advertising to the newsletters they receive.

Sometimes social data can unearth trends that were not considered during the initial stages of planning and a change in strategy may be needed.

Being agile in your marketing approach will allow for a more proactive take on tackling the industry that you are in.

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Context is key

Knowing where your brand stands in relation to others in the industry will help greatly when trying to refine your messaging on social.

It is impossible to measure success without placing it into context with what surrounds you.

By monitoring the campaigns of your competitors, it will highlight what areas of your company are in need of improvement, spark new ideas and also highlight where your brand is excelling in the industry.

It’s all about gathering a new social media intelligence, obtained through social listening and analytics, and implementing this across various business practices.

By harnessing a greater understanding of the industry and what drives key demographics, brands can continually create effective campaigns using social media data.