The world wide web can at times be intimidating and can sometimes resemble a infinite black hole of despair.  What people are saying about your business online can directly influence if they will be buying your products, walking into your store, or sitting at your restaurant tables.  So, are you listening to what people are saying about your business online?

Social media listening is a key element for managing communities, following trends that influence your business and community, monitoring brand perception, identifying engagement opportunities, and developing your network.

Sounds like gibberish? This simply means: listening and responding to your  Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Google+, Yelp, your blog, followers, and planning your eMarekting strategies accordingly.

ASDS and Social Media Listening

1. Hootsuite Pro

Hootsuite Pro monitors social media networks such as Facebook, Twitter, Google plus, and LinkedIn.  This valuable tool has the ability to see mentions in real time and also specific streams on a detailed level, so that if your audience is talking to you it won’t be missed, and you can talk back.

2. Set up Google Alerts

Google Alerts are emails sent to you when Google finds new results, such as web pages, newspaper articles, or blogs that match your search term set up in your Google alert account.  This will help monitor what people are saying about you online as it happens in real time.

3. Monitoring/Answering Blog Post Comments

If people are reading your blog and like or don’t like what you have to say, they will leave you comments and expect a response.  It is always great to acknowledge or thank a reader for leaving a comment.  Don’t ignore blog post comments and don’t delete negative comments.  An explanation is always worth more than pretending it didn’t happen.  Other readers will read these comments and taking the high road will weigh heavily in how you handle good and bad comments.

4. Answering Back to Let Your Audience Know You Are Listening

A simple acknowledgment by liking a comment, sharing their photo on your wall, or thanking someone goes a long way.  This will encourage more positive social media activity.  Again, also acknowledging bad comments and trying to make it better is very important.