Social media market research gathers data and insights from social media platforms to understand and analyse a specific market, industry, or target audience. It involves using various social media tools and strategies to collect and analyse data from social media platforms like Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn.
Social media platforms offer an excellent opportunity for market researchers to monitor industry developments and competitor actions in real-time. It has transformed the way businesses conduct market research. With billions of individuals across so many platforms, social media offers a wealth of data and insights that can help companies to understand their target audience, track industry trends, and stay ahead of the competition.
Are you looking to tap into the vast pool of data and insights available on social media for your market research? Look no further! Here are seven proven strategies to help you leverage social media for valuable market research:
7 Ways To Use Social Media for Market Research
1. Search for industry-specific hashtags and keywords.
It can be a helpful way to understand what topics are currently trending in your industry and what type of content is being shared. By searching relevant hashtags, you can see all the posts that have used that hashtag, giving you a sense of what people are talking about and what is resonating with them.
For example, if you are in the fashion industry, you might search for hashtags like #fashiontrends or #styleinspo to see what types of fashion-related content are popular and being shared. You can also use social media analytics tools to track the performance of specific hashtags and keywords over time, helping you to understand which topics are gaining traction and which ones are losing popularity.
Monitoring the buzz surrounding company-related hashtags and content can yield valuable insights into the preferences of your target audience, which can then be used to shape your marketing efforts.
2. Follow and engage with industry thought leaders and influencers on social media.
It can be a valuable way to gather insights into industry trends and opinions. Thought leaders are often respected experts in their field who share their knowledge and expertise through various channels, including social media. By following and engaging with these individuals, you can stay up-to-date on the latest industry news and trends and get a sense of your industry’s current thinking and opinion.
To find leaders and influencers in your industry, you can search for relevant hashtags and keywords, join industry-specific groups and forums, or use social media analytics tools to identify individuals with large followings and high engagement rates. Once you have identified a few key individuals, you can follow their accounts and engage with their content by commenting, liking, and sharing their posts.
This helps build relationships and establish yourself as a thought leader within your industry. By following and engaging with industry thought leaders and influencers, you can gain valuable insights into industry trends and opinions and use that information to inform your marketing and business strategy.
3. Utilisation of social media listening tools.
These allow businesses to track and analyse mentions of their brand, industry, and competitors on social media platforms. These tools can gather data on what is said about your brand or industry online and help you identify sentiment and customer sentiment.
Some typical features of social media listening tools include the following
I. Keyword and hashtag tracking
These tools allow you to track mentions of specific keywords and hashtags, helping you to identify trends and hot topics within your industry.
II. Brand and competitor tracking
These tools allow you to track mentions of your brand and competitors, helping you identify improvement opportunities and keep an eye on the competition.
III. Sentiment analysis
These tools use natural language processing algorithms to analyse the sentiment of social media posts, allowing you to understand whether people are generally positive or negative about your brand or industry.
With social media listening tools, you can monitor online conversations about your company, industry, and competitors to tailor your marketing and business decisions better.
4. Set up Google Alerts to stay updated.
It is a free tool that allows you to receive notifications whenever new content is published online, including the keywords or phrases you specify. By setting up Google Alerts for your brand and industry-specific keywords, you can stay up-to-date on news and discussions related to your business and quickly identify opportunities or potential issues that may impact your business.
Digital Marketing Services
With a Foundation of 1,900+ Projects, Offered by Over 1500+ Digital Agencies Across Asia, EMB Excels in Digital Marketing. We Design, Redesign, and Sustain Customer-Centric and Enterprise Strategies for Optimal Conversion.
State of Technology 2024
Humanity's Quantum Leap Forward
Explore 'State of Technology 2024' for strategic insights into 7 emerging technologies reshaping 10 critical industries. Dive into sector-wide transformations and global tech dynamics, offering critical analysis for tech leaders and enthusiasts alike, on how to navigate the future's technology landscape.
To set up Google Alerts, simply go to the Google Alerts website and enter the keywords or phrases you want to track. You can specify how often you wish to receive alerts (e.g. as-it-happens, once a day, once a week) and choose the type of content you want to receive alerts for (e.g. news, web, video, etc.). You can also specify the language and region for which you wish to receive alerts and choose whether you want to receive alerts via email or an RSS feed.
By setting up Google Alerts, you can stay on top of the latest news and discussions about your business and quickly identify opportunities or potential issues that may impact your business.
5. Participate in industry-specific groups and forums.
It can be a valuable way to connect with other professionals in your industry and gather insights. These groups and forums are often dedicated to specific sectors or professions and provide a platform for professionals to share knowledge, discuss trends and challenges, and network with one another.
To find industry-specific groups and forums, you can search for relevant hashtags and keywords on social media platforms or use specific tools or directories designed to help you locate these groups. Once you have found a few groups or forums relevant to your industry, you can join them and start participating in the discussions.
This can involve commenting on posts, asking questions, sharing your knowledge and expertise, and engaging with other professionals in your industry.
Joining a forum or group for professionals in your field is a great way to network with other experts in your field, pick up valuable tips and tricks, and make connections that will help your business in the long run.
6. Conduct surveys and polls to collect valuable insights.
These are quick and easy ways to gather feedback and insights from your target audience. Many social media platforms, such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, have built-in survey and poll tools that allow you to create and publish surveys and polls directly on your social media pages.
To conduct a survey or poll on social media, simply create a set of questions or statements related to the topic you want to explore, and use the platform’s survey or poll tool to develop and publish the survey or poll. You can then share the survey or poll with your followers and encourage them to participate.
You may learn a lot about your target market by asking them questions via online polls and surveys, which you can use to shape your marketing and business decisions. Feedback on specific products or services, client preferences, requirements, and areas for improvement can all be gleaned from surveys and polls.
7. Analyse your social media metrics.
Analysing your social media metrics is essential to understanding how your content performs and compares to your competitors. Social media metrics are numerical values that measure the performance of your content and activities of your social media and can help you understand how well your marketing efforts resonate with your target audience.
Some standard social media metrics that you might analyse include-
I. Engagement rate
This is a measure of how much interaction (e.g. likes, comments, shares) your content is receiving compared to the number of followers you have. A higher engagement rate is generally seen as a positive sign that your content resonates with your audience.
II. Reach
This is the total number of people who have seen your content. A higher reach is generally seen as a positive sign that your content is being widely seen and shared.
III. Followers
This is the total number of people following your social media accounts. A significant number of followers can be seen as a sign of influence and credibility.
By analysing your social media metrics, you can comprehend how your content is performing and how it compares to your competitors and use that information to inform your marketing and business strategy.
Conclusion
Social media is a powerful tool for conducting market research and gaining valuable insights into your target audience and industry. Social media marketing research provides instant and accurate information, helping businesses better understand what motivates their target demographic. Social media data allows brands to make more informed decisions that advance their business objectives, such as spotting new possibilities and strengthening relationships with existing customers.
By incorporating these seven strategies into your market research efforts, you can leverage the vast pool of data and insights on social media to inform your marketing and business strategy and stay ahead of the competition. So don’t miss out on the opportunity to use social media for market research – start incorporating these strategies today!
