Social Media Intelligence vs. Social Listening

Social Media Intelligence vs. Social Listening

There’s a ton of different “social” buzzwords floating around. So many that it’s tough to get a grip on the exact meaning of everything and what you may need for your business. The second you learn a term, it can change, so it’s important to stay as up-to-date on the social trends as possible, lest you fall behind to competition.

Your customers are on social media. 4 out of 5 Americans have a social media account and the number is growing. Social listening(monitoring) and social media intelligence are two concepts that will help you better understand your client base. Even though they tie into each other, they are very different processes. Here’s a quick analysis of the difference and how you can use the tools to your advantage:

Social Listening

There are a hundred different platforms on the net that can assist you with social listening. Google Alerts and Awario are two great tools for the task. Social listening involves using your brand, company name, or any other keyword related to your business, and setting up an “alert” to be a watchdog for you.

What that entails is that every time someone mentions your brand, be it on their blog, social media, or even a review on Google, you’ll get a message marking the occurrence. It’s the equivalent of telephone in the sense that you get a call every time someone is talking about you.

Some information must be known as soon as possible. Especially when it comes to reviews. In fact, 92% of consumers read them. Reading one to three reviews is enough for 40% of consumers to form an opinion. Social listening will help you identify anything negative immediately, giving you more time to rectify the situation before it affects your brand reputation.

Social Media Intelligence

This is the next level. Social listening feeds the machine known as social media intelligence. Examining the social data derived from active social monitoring gives deep insight into consumer wants and needs. Additionally, people just find social media incredibly convenient, so they tend to participate in it more. This leaves a treasure trove of data you can use for informed decision making.

A survey by Hootsuite found that 59% of consumers agree social customer service makes it easier to get answers and resolve consumer issues. People simply expect you to meet them at their level and they won’t budge. Therefore, using social intelligence to better engage your consumers will help keep tighter reins on your business.

The Ultimate Strategy

You guessed it. Using both strategies is your best bet to rising above the competition and being the brand leader on social media. There really is no way around it. In order to gain the deepest social intelligence possible, you have to account for every conversation at once. Using automated tools is the only way to pick up on everything.

The more social listening you perform, the more data you can collect. Turning this inventory over for analysis is the best way to form business decisions and plan for the future. Social intelligence is about reading between the lines.

Don’t forget that these people are not numbers, and consumer behavior is never 100% predictable. The best social strategy of all is simply staying engaged with customers through social media and showing them that you care.

So, when asking which better, social listening or social media intelligence, the answer is “yes.” You need both, just like a hammer and screwdriver. You can’t build without one. The key to conquering the social landscape is understanding the tools at your disposal and exactly how to use them. Social intelligence requires business intelligence first. Once you’ve streamlined the process, making your customers happy should be a piece of cake.