Why Social Listening Matters In The Age Of Covid
Table of Contents
The importance of online communities
Online communities showcase what people are thinking versus what they have in their shopping carts.
Allow me to illustrate with an example of Korean Skincare.
A 2019 Flipkart study showed that the most popular K-beauty brands amongst Indian women were Innisfree and The Face Shop. That’s true! What’s also true is that India’s biggest beauty blogging community, Indian Makeup and Beauty Blog, has a large number of User Generated Content (UGC) vouching for little-known brands, like CosRX, as one of the highest recommended K-skin brands in India.
The supply chain of this segment reveals a total number of 1 lakh vendors in the country; especially in states like Sikkim and Nagaland where dealership is highest. This goes to show that there’ve been experts, enthusiasts, vendors, customers (and thereby – communities) who’ve been talking about K-beauty brands for long enough to be a part of their daily lives.
Hence, branded communities matter. It’s where people come together to unfold and exchange culture through various propagators like branded products or content. Branded communities are the hotbed of customers who voice their minds and construct decisive choices based on shared input, opinions, and knowledge.
User-generated content FTW
Brands are investing in UGC & community-building spaces to connect with customers on a personal level. Here are some reasons why communities are essentially military-grade intelligence to any brand that wants to take advantage of Social Listening:
Firstly, word-of-mouth is still the most preferred way of brand building. 92% of global customers are likely to make a purchase because it was referred to them by a friend or someone trustworthy.
Secondly, the internet is where people feel “anonymous” enough to be honest about product experiences. 93% of the global audience makes purchase decisions after scouting online reviews!
Also Read: The Power of User Generated Content in the Age of COVID
Lastly, communities build Brand Loyalty by simply helping them get closer to the things they need. According to the Harvard Business Review, ‘People are more interested in the social links that come from brand affiliations than in the brands themselves. And, that’s how influencers are born!
Influencers matter
Miss Malini, a digital influencer and lifestyle blogger, is an example of a community builder through personal branding. The owner of The Girl Tribe, Miss Malini a trusted atmosphere for customers to associate everything they love with the brand itself.
For instance, I attended The Mahindra Blues Festival and watched Buddy Guy live! In the days leading up to the event, nearly 400,000 social media engagements took place making the Blues Festival a much-talked-about event. According to numbers by Oranjuice Entertainment, roughly 4,000 patrons attended the fest over a single weekend!
What to do during covid?
Now that we’re in the age of COVID, it’s essential to listen to what’s buzzing in communities. Work from home has changed the way people consume and present content. Mentalities, conversations, and choices have changed. This is where Artificial Intelligence & Social Listening come in!
If you’re equipped with Locobuzz– a Customer Experience tool that monitors and analyzes online chatter–the gold mine of data is yours!
Community building is the need of the hour. Empathy is essential for understanding customers. We no longer live in an era where communities entertain brands for validation. Now, brands are expected to serve without personal gain. Branding is about listening. It’s about compassion, and success lies in the hands of a customer who trusts it.
What do we offer?
Locobuzz provides comprehensive Social Media Listening and Monitoring capabilities to help perfect a brand’s online presence. Our Social Listening and Brand Monitoring feature lets you listen across platforms in real-time; receive enriched audience and influencer insights; measure online campaigns, and always stay ahead with Competitive Benchmarking.
Get in touch with us today and experience the most technologically advanced Social Listening capabilities!
