How Business Owners Can Use Social Listening to Better Understand Their Customers

Adam Walker
1 min readApr 4, 2024

Ever wonder what your customers really think? Social listening is like being a fly on the wall giving you insight into your customers. Here’s how to tune in:

Photo by Franco Antonio Giovanella on Unsplash
  1. Keep an Eye on Mentions: What’s the chatter about your brand, competitors, or industry in general? Good, bad, hilarious? It’s all gold for getting to know your people and learning about what matters to them.
  2. Spot the Trends: See a pattern in what your customers are into lately? Jump on it and stay ahead of the game. Consider following relevant hashtags for this as well.
  3. Listen to the Gripes: Complaints? Sure, they sting a bit, but they’re also the fastest way to improve your stuff.
  4. Chat Back: Don’t just stalk; talk! Replying and engaging makes your brand feel more human and shows you care.
  5. Watch the Competitors: It’s not snooping — it’s smart. See what’s working for them (or not) and adjust your playbook.

This was originally posted on my blog at adamjwalker.com.

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Adam Walker

Husband. Father of six. Wearer of fedoras. Serial entrepreneur. Nonprofit co-founder. I write about personal growth & leadership.