«There is only one thing in the world worse than being talked about, and that is not being talked about.»
Oscar Wilde was convinced of it. And for a long time, so were we, when we loudly repeated concepts traceable to the maxim “for better or worse, the important thing is that people talk about it.”
While this imperative still seems valid for influencers and fleeting sensations, it should be remembered that for a brand, such an assumption can represent a far from secondary risk.
At stake is brand reputation. A primary asset for any respectable brand.
A key indicator of reputation is certainly brand sentiment, which is the sum of all the emotions and opinions the public has towards a brand.
Constantly monitoring it allows us to avoid unpleasant surprises, understanding public perception and potentially improving products and services based on their feedback.
And this is where Social Listening plays a key role.
By “social listening,” we mean the entire set of listening processes aimed at monitoring online conversations, combined with the analysis of reviews, comments, surveys, and any questionnaires concerning a brand.
With Social Listening, it becomes possible to identify emerging trends and recurring topics, as well as to predict crisis situations before they go viral and thus become difficult to manage.
In this regard, for example, several of our clients are asking us for increasingly careful monitoring of letters sent to newspapers and comments at the bottom of their official posts.
It's not just about mere observation, therefore, but about understanding the context and motivations behind every conversation. Active listening, then, which cannot and must not be limited to the analysis of individual keywords, but must delve into the labyrinths of tone of voice and the real needs of users. With tact and empathy.
It becomes essential to be able to read between the lines, identifying public criticisms and discontent.
It is advisable to adopt proactive interaction that makes the user feel like a central element of the brand experience. And it must be proposed through simple and authentic language. In a word: human.
Social Listening allows companies to transform this unstructured data into actionable insights. (Goh, J. M., Heng, C. S., & Lin, Z. 2013 Social media brand community and consumer behavior: Quantifying the relative impact of user- and marketer-generated co)
For a brand, this activity should not just be an option, but a real necessity. In fact, it can constitute a true competitive advantage.
By playing ahead, it becomes possible to prevent market challenges, consolidating a relationship of trust with your audience.
Why not leverage it?