Social Media Review

Social Media has become, hands down, the most accessible entry point into the general life of a person. Outings, interests, and opinions are constantly shared, making it easy for businesses to cater to each person on an individual basis. Listening on social media is a tool that can be utilized to promote a business, product, service, or mission into what’s currently trending on social media. Staying up-to-date on what’s popular among an audience creates an outlet for hassle-free marketing.

For example, I frequently see ads on Instagram from Alexis Russell Jewelry. My sister owns and operates a small wedding planning business in Arkansas. In support of her, I follow vendors and photographers that are part of the wedding planning community in Arkansas. Many of the people within this community use the hashtag, #ARengagement to announce upcoming weddings and build a presence within their local media. Through listening, Alexis Russel Jewelry specifically advertises their line of engagement rings to me because I follow a considerable amount of people that use the hashtag #ARengagement, making myself a potential candidate for their product.

Listening can also encourage a direct response. A couple years ago on twitter, I complained about my drying machine and got a response from Sears within minutes! My tweet had no hashtags or references to specific brands, but I was still being pursued for my laundry needs.

The accumulation of cookies within a particular browser also generates targeted ads. I’m in the market for a DSLR camera. I’ve visited a number of sites over the course of a few weeks and am now seeing sponsored content on Facebook from Wikibuy, specifically for getting the best deal on new camera equipment.

While all of these examples come from the content specifically sponsored and catered to me, it’s clear to see utilization of listening through the platform of social media. From mutual hashtags, seeking keywords and stacks of cookies, listening occurs in a variety of ways and each one is an intentional pursuit of a target audience.