How To Listen And Decipher Consumer Buzz To Your Business Advantage

In a world where word of mouth marketing is now easily shared through the Internet, it’s extremely important for your company to pay attention to what your customers are saying about you.

Customers today are sharing their experiences with your business through their social media sites, online review sites and general online directories. No matter if the conversations are good or bad, you can use them to your advantage. The following information will teach you how to listen and decipher consumer buzz to your business advantage.

Hire a community manager.

The very first thing you need to do in order to harness consumer buzz is to hire a community manager. These individuals are responsible for maintaining and managing your online presence through social channels, including social media sites and online review sites. This person will not only create your accounts and profiles, but also be the person listening to what’s being said about your company, engaging with your audience, and responding to any inquiries or issues.

Your community manager can keep a log of the information being shared about your company online, both good and bad, and you can then use this information to learn what your customers love about you and what you’re doing right as well as what they don’t like and what you should change. By paying attention to what’s being said and making necessary changes, you’ll be pleasing your audience and enticing them to continue visiting your business.

Use a social media management tool.

With all the various social networks out there, you (or your community manager) need to have a way to stay on top of all your accounts in an easy way. This is where a social media management tool can come in handy. Tools like Sprout Social or Hootsuite allow you to monitor and manage all of your social accounts through one dashboard.

You can schedule or send your own posts directly from the tool, and you can even keep an eye out for any new mentions or messages aimed at your business. You can even set up email alerts to notify you anytime an action has occurred on one of your social sites. This allows you (or your community manager) to quickly respond to any comments or posts. With these tools, you can keep track of the consumer buzz and use the information to your company’s advantage.

Invest in a review management tool.

Social networks are not the only place where customers are sharing their experiences with your business. Did you know that 79% of purchasing decisions are influenced by an online review? Using a review management tool like Review Trackers can help you hone in on reviews of your business. This tool will scour the web in search of online reviews for your business on any website—even if you’re not actively using the site—and notify you via email when they find something. This way, you can read the reviews, use the information provided by the review to make necessary changes, and continue running a successful business.

Guest Author: Travis Biggs is a freelance writer and an online reputation management consultant with SEOMap.com. Travis shares his experience and tips by writing articles that are educational and entertaining.