If you want your business to always stay ahead of the game, social listening is one of the top marketing strategies out there. Let’s find out what it’s all about and how it can be used to promote businesses in the field of international education.

What does social listening involve?

Social listening means paying attention to the most important stakeholders in your business – your clients. Businesses often push out promotional material to get clients’ attention, but what about paying attention to them too? When the tables are turned and businesses start actively listening to their clients’ needs, that’s when they really start to make an impact. 

One of the most common and effective ways to conduct social listening is to monitor conversations on social media channels. Make this a key part of your digital marketing strategy by using a social listening tool, such as Google Alerts, Hootsuite or Brandwatch. These can help you find out where your business is mentioned on social media, track keyword usage, monitor competitor activity, and much more.

How can you use it to benefit your business?

In international education, social listening can help identify how existing and potential students regard your institution and the programs on offer. For example, schools can find out what students like, what they don't like, and what they would like to see improved. This insight can be used to create conversations online and build a positive reputation, by responding to client comments and using both positive and negative feedback to improve your services. 

Social listening can also help schools create engaging content that resonates with students. By analysing social media conversations, schools can get an idea of what topics are hot and what new developments are taking place in the field of international education, not to mention monitor competitors and how they are being perceived. 

Article written by: Stephanie Clark