Whether you’re a brand with a large following, or as a startup looking to gain exposure on any social media platforms, listening to your audience always grows your fan base and gives you the feedback you wouldn’t otherwise have. Every day, these social media followers are giving your community and brand insightful feedback or topics. It’s up to you to pick up on these things, absorb it, and give back. Listening to your audience is crucial to gaining exposure and acquiring new followers.

 

Social Listening

Whenever you post or tweet something, look for responses and lead the conversation with some hashtags. Take some time to talk to your user base, and share your opinions with others. A lot of posts will not show up in your notifications, so be sure to use a portion of your resources to look through social media posts that may not even be tagged to you. As mentioned above, using hashtags is recommended and really helps you find posts that are relevant to your brand.

 

Building A Structure

Once you’ve figured out how to listen to your followers, taking it a step further can really solidify you on any media platform. Begin with constructing a list of words or key phrases that relate to your brand, and build a strategy that incorporates these phrases. With that being said, don’t tunnel too hard on yourself and expand to the industry as a whole. What are your competitors talking about? What are the industry’s keywords these days? All of these factors need to be considered while you make your plans.

 

Taking Action

If you’re going to expend time and resources into social media, you should take matters into your own hands. After researching key words and phrases, formulate a strategy to deal with these comments. You will face complaints, compliments, comparisons and even general discussion. Rather than producing scripted responses, take time to carve out some values that you want your team to follow when responding to others.

Considering audiences are constantly shifting, be sure to adapt whenever needed and continue to please your clients. For all you know, your social media page could be the deciding factor in picking which business to stick with. Take Wendy’s Twitter page for example, where the brand has built itself a solid reputation based on rebuffing followers. While this is absolutely an isolated case (See: Whatever You Do, Don’t be Snarky on Social) the virality and consistency of the content alone has garnered respect and loyalty among the community and raised exposure to the brand as a whole.

Do you follow the above tips to listen to your online audience?