Posted by Are you interested in promoting your business with social mentions?
If so, you’re in the right place!
Social media has exploded in popularity over the last decade. As it stands, over 4.62 billion people use social media sites like YouTube, Twitter, and Instagram to engage with friends, family, and brands. You would be hard-pressed to find someone that doesn’t have at least one social media account.
Not only are there an insane number of people using social media, but shoppers are also spending plenty of time there. Research shows that the average person spends at least 2 hours and 29 minutes on social media every single day.
It’s clear that social media marketing will continue to be a primary asset for business leaders and marketing teams across all industries. Social platforms allow us to build rapport and engage with our followers, which typically leads to a positive, memorable experience.
Now that you understand the relationship between consumers, businesses, and social media, it’s time to discuss social mentions. Specifically, we will answer two big questions:
- What are social mentions?
- How can I use social mentions to grow my business?
Let’s get started!
What are Social Mentions?
Simply put, a social mention is when a company is mentioned directly or indirectly on social media. Here are a few examples of each:
Direct: “We went to Applebee’s last night, and they served me the best steak I’ve ever had!”
“Chewy has the best cat toys around! I love that their delivery is super fast too!”
Indirect: “Does anyone know where I can get a good steak dinner?”
“I’m looking for new toys for my puppy! Does anyone have recommendations?”
If you’re Applebee’s or Chewy, you’d want to step in as soon as possible so the user can see that you appreciate their business.
Indirect mentions are situational and can be used to enhance brand awareness and engage with potential customers. In our first indirect example, Applebee’s could respond with a link to their store locator and a smiley face emoji. This seemingly small gesture can drive more sales. Imagine what would happen if you consistently responded to these mentions.
Let’s get into the big question: how do you track social mentions when there are so many different platforms and close to 5 billion users?
With a Mentions tool, you can listen and learn from social media users, keep all your messages in one place, and reply directly from the app. You can select broad interests and specific keywords and track them across your most-used social media sites.
Next, it’s time to show you several ways to promote your business by tracking and responding to social mentions.
4 Ways to Use Social Mentions to Promote Your Business
1. Thank Users for Mentioning Your Brand
The first way you can promote your brand is to thank users when they mention your company by name. People want to engage with businesses, especially if they are happy with the service.
You should know that consumers know that brands are listening, even if they are not tagged. This is because brands choose keywords to monitor that include their name. For instance, every time someone types in Applebee’s, the social media team gets a notification.
The simple act of saying “thank you” can go a long way toward building rapport with customers. If you manage to impress them even more when they already have positive things to say, you can bet that they will become repeat customers.
Neal Taparia, the co-founder of Cribbage Online, explains, “I had once sent one of our most loyal users who regularly talked about us a branded t-shirt. This person was surprised and elated and became a major advocate for our game in the Cribbage gaming community. “
I recommend going through your mentions once daily and thanking people who have positive things to say about their experience with your company.
2. Identify Audience Goals and Pain Points
Another smart way to use mentions to promote your business is to learn about your customers’ goals and pain points. Every company has a list of customer segments with unique goals, needs, and interests.
Data from segments are used to brainstorm new content ideas, add product features, and understand how users see the industry.
Monitor mentions that discuss key topics in your industry. For instance, an email marketing SaaS would likely track the phrase “help with email marketing.” People who use this phrase need assistance, and many will tell you the exact issue that was holding them back.
If the team notices that most people asking for help are struggling to keep track of their leads, they could suggest the developers add richer search parameters to their product in the next update. Not only will this help existing customers, but it will also make a great selling point when interacting with people asking for general industry advice.
In this sense, mentions can help you introduce yourself to people who don’t know your brand exists. They will be impressed that you bothered to reach out and want to make their lives just a little bit easier.
Because every business is different, you need to decide for yourself which words and phrases to track using Crowdfire Mentions.
3. Build Social Proof
Social proof is a psychological phenomenon where people are more likely to do something if they see others doing the same thing. In marketing, reviews are the perfect form of social proof.
Over 70% of people look for reviews before buying something online. If someone discovers your social media page for the first time and sees that you share feedback from your customers, they are more likely to engage with your business.
The thought process is, “These people were satisfied with their experience; I probably will be too!”
If you’re using a social listening tool, you can quickly find positive feedback and share it on your social accounts. I suggest looking for reviews that mention specific benefits and features that other customers might find helpful.
For additional context, consider this; over 75% of shoppers in the U.S. report buying a product they first discovered on social media.
This trend is largely due to businesses sharing reviews written by loyal customers. Digital marketing has changed dramatically in recent years. Seeing a great product isn’t enough to trigger a purchase. Instead, people are more interested in seeing how others feel about your brand.
4. Turn Negative Experiences into Something Positive
Despite your best efforts, you will get negative feedback on social media from time to time. It can be frustrating to hear that someone wasn’t satisfied with their purchase. Some business owners respond to criticism by pretending it doesn’t exist. If you do this, you’re not doing yourself any favors.
Engaging with users who report negative experiences with your brand is the key to mitigating damage and boosting satisfaction. Social listening tools can help you identify when a user isn’t happy with their order and correct the problem.
Believe it or not, 63% of consumers say a business has never responded to their review. It’s safe to say that these people didn’t buy from the brand again, especially if they had a bad experience the first time.
When responding to negative feedback, it’s important to put yourself in the customer’s shoes. Do everything you can to understand their issue and find out exactly what you can do to help.
If you pull this off, you’ll turn a negative experience into something positive, which means happier, engaged customers.
Final Thoughts
There you have it! As you can see, there are many ways to promote your business by monitoring social mentions. Crowdfire’s Mentions tool is an invaluable resource that will help you stay in touch with your audience, regardless of where they spend their time on social media.
If you haven’t added social listening to your marketing strategy, now is the time to take action. When people see that you’re willing to go above and beyond to meet their needs and create a well-rounded user experience, they are more likely to visit your online store.