Communication is one of the cornerstones of civilization. Since the inception of language, conversations have been used to communicate emotions, messages, and ideas. From exchanging messages via postal services to commenting on each other’s posts via social media, conversations over distances have simplified with the evolution of technology.
Whether it’s personal conversations or community interactions, the advent of the internet and media has contributed significantly towards augmenting connectivity. This is hugely beneficial from a marketing perspective for brands and businesses not only because of the marketing opportunities that it presents but also because it allows you to have a vantage point to observe customer and audience interactions.
Let’s talk about five major channels that help track conversations and how they can be leveraged to elevate your marketing game.
News
Staying relevant is key to a great marketing strategy. What better way to stay current than the news?
In a fast-paced digital world, you don’t even need to wait until the next morning to get a newspaper delivered to your doorstep. You can access it at the click of a button.
Online news channels are conducive to conversation as they allow consumers the freedom to exchange opinions on occurrences and interact with each other.
So not only do you get an insight into what the happenings in your space are, but you can also gauge what people think about those happenings. You can leverage this information and peoples’ reaction to accordingly craft a marketing strategy.
Forums
Internet forums, also known as message boards, are websites where users can exchange conversations via posted messages, also known as threads. They truly reflect the pulse of the internet because they allow for insightful, lengthy, and productive discussions rather than being limited to a few words or pictures.
It goes without saying that as a marketer, constantly familiarising yourself with the latest nuances of your respective business area can help shape a more effective marketing strategy.
These platforms are largely unmoderated and therefore help you gain a more unfiltered perspective on the topic of your choice.
Popular examples of forum websites include Reddit and Quora.
Review Sites
Review sites are websites on which reviews can be posted about companies, businesses, people, products, and services. They help potential customers decide on whether or not to engage in them. You can find out how other players in your space are faring and what they’re getting right or doing wrong.
You could, in fact, use these platforms to start conversations about your own products and services. The advantage of this is two-fold.
These websites not only allow you to get a feel for how your products/services and other similar ones are received but also help you to get people talking about your brand.
Irrespective of the scale of your business, getting people talking is crucial. Through these websites, you can also engage with your customers and help establish a stronger relationship with them by addressing their concerns or thanking them for appreciating your product.
In the age of abundance, it is often difficult to gauge the reliability and proficiency of services and products.
Examples of review sites are Yelp and Google My Business.
Social Media
Social media has become one of the most dominant forms of communication in the last decade. This also makes it an invaluable addition to your arsenal in terms of marketing. There are many social media channels, but the prominent ones that have become most famous are Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, TikTok, and the recently added Clubhouse.
These services allow users to showcase their lives and personalities in photographic, textual, or video formats and are also used to spread awareness regarding local or global issues and experiences.
They essentially act as a reflection of peoples’ personal and professional mindsets and can help marketers gauge trends as no other platform can.
You could incorporate a Tiktok trend in your marketing strategy, find out what genre of content gets the most engagement, or simply use social media as a metric to gauge what people’s opinions are. The data that social media presents to you is virtually limitless.
Blogs
In a digital world, where one’s voice is often buried under piles of comments and arguments, blogs allow people to frame their voices for everyone to hear.
The reason blogs are important from a marketing perspective is because it allows you to track unconventional opinions and voices of underdogs. They offer unique perspectives which you can leverage to start trends of your own rather than follow existing ones. This helps you establish thought leadership in a space where it gives you a massive edge.
Keep a keen eye on the above five channels, and you will surely never run out of ideas to strengthen your marketing endeavors. They will help you establish thought leadership, gauge trends, and stay ahead of the curve at every step.
Tags: 5, Channel, Digital Marketing, Digital marketing strategy, Social Channels, Social Media