Perhaps we should start with why. Sometimes we discuss social media monitoring with clients, and they say they’re not on social media so they’re not worried about it. Well… that’s unfortunate because even though your brand isn’t participating in social conversations, it doesn’t mean that your customers and prospective customers aren’t participating.

Why You Should Monitor Social Media

• An upset customer discusses their frustration online. Our agency had a difficult engagement a few months ago and we hired additional resources to resolve the situation at our cost. We even confirmed with the client that they were satisfied with the results… but then we found them discussing us online. We immediately called, remedied the situation, and they removed the discussion. If we weren’t listening, we would have never been able to make sure they were satisfied and our reputation was kept in tact.
• A prospective customer that’s perfect for your company’s products and services is in some social forums asking for assistance and recommendations for a vendor. Since you’re not in the conversation, another competitor steps in, helps them, and winds up getting the contract.
• A happy customer mentions you online. Reviews and testimonials are hard to come by, so when someone speaks highly of you – not only do you need to hear it you should also echo it. Third-party testimonials are a very effective means of garnering a prospective customer’s trust.

This infographic from Salesforce and Unbounce walks through the terminology and basics of social media monitoring. From terminology – like the difference between listening, monitoring, management, analytics, and intelligence – to the actual techniques for your brand to engage on social media effectively.

What is Social Media Monitoring