The number of social networking sites online keeps growing by the day with no signs of abating. Given the high number of players, the competition to be at the top of the list and be top-of-mind as the most used social media platform also keeps on growing commensurately. Facebook has long been recognized to be the platform with the most active users but has fallen from grace with the cropping up of privacy issues and concerns. Instagram is now a strong contender for the top position among social media platforms and has over a billion monthly active users and sees 60% of its subscribers signing in on a daily basis. The fact that the engagement on Instagram happens through visual images, which are always far more attractive than other media, may have contributed to its popularity. So, it should come as no surprise that marketers have also started embracing Instagram for businesses to diversify their social media marketing portfolios. This makes social listening to Instagram a top priority for marketers.
The top three countries to use Instagram are the United States, Brazil, and India. Among business users, of the top 100 brands in the world, 90 have an Instagram account. In fact, it has been observed that engagement with brands is 10 times higher on Instagram when compared to Facebook.
Is Social Listening to Instagram Necessary for Lifestyle Brands Too?
As mentioned earlier, business engagement is higher on Instagram than on any other social media site, leaving even Facebook behind. This fact was established by a News Whip’s study, which compared the engagement rate for some well-known lifestyle brands across Instagram and Facebook.
And it is quite evident that Instagram is really ahead. If you are a lifestyle brand, your target audience is the younger generation, which makes Instagram the place to be. Over half of Instagram’s user base is aged 34 years or under. This is how Harley Davidson engaged with the younger audience by launching an Instagram carousel ad targeting men between the age groups of 18-35. The ad showed illustrations inspired by the so-called biking culture.
By now we have established the fact that as a lifestyle brand, Instagram is one of the prime locations for you to advertise on and get consumer insights from. It is, after all, a social media platform that the millennials take really seriously. So you would want to know if your product or brand received a negative comment or mention there.
The Benefits of Social Listening to Instagram
Instagram’s growing popularity makes it important for businesses to follow every comment, every mention with the utmost attention. Social listening to Instagram is meant to keep you updated on every mention, shout out or question your customer may post.
Measure Brand Health on Instagram
Social listening to Instagram does not necessarily include tracking mentions and hashtags only. Your customer may have tagged their friend to your post and added a mellow comment. Social listening tools such as Auris help you pick up such comments and analyze the tone, the sentiment, whether your customer likes your post or if it is a criticism. Social listening tools can draw up a bigger picture of how your brand is performing online. They present a true snapshot of what customers think of your brand/ad campaigns/products. And the need for specificity is handled well too. The search facility available with such tools allows you to track very specific aspects. If you want leads, set up a search for comments/hashtags mentioning “Recommendations for” and so on.
Understand the Demographics Better and run Targeted Campaigns
You can reach your target audience better if you know more about them. Social listening tools can also help you to understand the demographic details of your audience better. Information about your target group’s gender divide ratio, the age groups et cetera is important for you to plan a campaign right. Trying to attract a youthful hip population with ads showing vintage materials might not work out as well as you might have imagined. Social listening into the interests of your audience, however, allows you to crosscheck.
Discover Great Content using Hashtag Monitoring
Many brands have tried to promote their stories using brand hashtags. Texas tourism is a great example of this. They encourage their audience to use their brand hashtag #TexasToDo. It is one trendy hashtag among Texas travelers these days. Tracking hashtags within your own industry can tell you about all the other trending hashtags within the industry. The top posts help you discover great content that might just act as an inspiration for your upcoming campaigns. It can also help you find influencers within your industry.
Engage with Users on their Comments and Direct Messages in Real-Time
What more, you can interact with your customers on a first-hand basis and learn of their opinions in real-time. Customers enjoy such attention to their needs. This may also be useful to promote a positive image for your brand.
Listening to your customers and improving your brand is never a bad idea. A top-notch product and world-class customer service are always welcome. If you need to know how to reach there, all you have to do is ask your customers using surveys and questionnaires, investing time and money. You can also simply listen to them using a social listening tool. Instagram is one very popular platform which offer up a lot of data to help you gain precise insights.