In the past few classes, we have really focused on the power of listening when starting out on social media. It is difficult to ever know what your audience wants or will engage with if you begin your social media strategy by just throwing content at your followers. The beauty of HootSuite is that it makes it easy for brands to monitor the conversations that are going on within the brand’s industry. We can track these conversations through location and using certain hashtags or specific searchers. Being able to then understand how others are talking about your brand, industry or products can help you connect to the right people who are most likely to engage.

By listening and monitoring particular conversations you can engage with the right people which can ultimately lead to a stronger social media presence. One thing in particular that often stands out for me personally, is when a brand can answer or respond to any comments made on their social pages. For example, A & W do an excellent job of this even when there are negative comments, they still manage to engage with everyone. It makes the experience more personal and can make the person feel less like a statistic. In addition, listening is extremely important for localisation. As more and more brands want to introduce their products into new countries, it is often comment to mirror the same content from their original location. However, this can lead to less engagement as the brand won’t resonate with the people or the culture unless they begin with listening and monitoring conversations.