Listen to your customer conversations to safeguard your social brand.

Social listening is important, because you would want to know the good and the bad your customers or even your competitors may be talking about you. Social media platforms has allow brands to speak with a voice that make it almost feel like a human being, with its own brand persona. Brands can now, not only talk to customers and partners, but also to each to other.

And a brand would need to manage conversions and response accordingly. The online social buzz presents both opportunities and dangers.

Social Listening is Business Intelligence

Business is war. And in war, competitors can take advantage. Misinformation can happen. Other brands or some fake account, can also implement disinformation strategy.

What if your competitor hijack the conversations for your brand activation campaign online? As such, brands need to listen carefully and maintain control of the buzz conversion on a certain topic.

On the positive side, the reverse is true: what your competitors does not do well is your business intelligence which gives you a chance at that opportunity.

Socialising Online: Listen and Response Accordingly

Engaging your competitors online in a creative conversation is not necessary a bad thing. This is not only entertaining for the common audiences, but it also creates attention; everyone likes a good fight. And sometimes, customers can get bargain out of it, like this fight between Wendy’s and Burger King.

Seriously Listen and Be Socially Responsible

Really, before your start responding to any challenges, it is always good to have a professional and reliable social media agency to “listen carefully”, cross-check and research for you.

One such example was this case of this Twitter account, “@McDonalds_SG”, trying to roast Wendy’s on Twitter. Now, Wendy’s Twitter account is famous for it snarky responses to both its audiences and competitors. This might seem like McDonald’s mimicking Wendy’s brand persona and winning this Twitter match by also being snarky.

However, Wendy’s response was that the Twitter handle wasn’t “professional”, probably suggesting that they know it was not a real nor a verified handle. In the end, the real McDonald’s Singapore came out to clarify: “@McDonalds_SG” was not managed by them.

The above example clearly shows that audience can also be easily misled.

Social Listening is also about Protecting Your Customers

There are so many fake news or even fake offers happening around these days. We saw that happen before on Facebook or even Twitter.

A brand would need a credible social media team to social listen for such unscrupulous scams to protect your customers. This fake offers can cause confusion for your customers by creating false expectations, disappointment or displeasure at a brand.

Recently, Starbucks faced a fake “#MEBUCKS” campaign, which asks audiences to screenshot themselves listening to Taylor Swift’s new song ME! in order to get a free drink. The fake campaign uses past facts that Starbucks work with celebrities for a drink promotion. So some may think it was real.

Starbucks eventually stepped out to declare that it was fake and re-directly customers to the right platform for verification, which is on their Starbucks app.

Be Safe, Not Sorry.

Maintaining a brand online is not easy. We understand. Let us protect your brand and lead your social media management in a professional and consistent manner to get more value out of your social media content marketing.

Contact us for today to meet up with our social media consultants today.