How to Reach a Broader Audience with Multicultural Social Listening

Brands are listening to various languages on social media to better meet consumer needs and expectations.

Social listening is a common practice for many organizations. It’s defined as monitoring digital conversations to determine what consumers are saying online about a brand, company and industry. Some organizations, however, may be missing a large audience by limiting themselves to social listening in only one language or to only one cultural group.

More companies are now realizing the benefits of engaging in multicultural social listening. This attempt to broaden the organization’s ear to hear more conversations opens the opportunity to gain a wider audience, new influencer opportunities and more nuanced customer feedback. It also proves the company’s interest in giving the audience what it often expects: a very personalized and immediate response.

The Importance of Social Listening

“I like to think of social listening as the technological version of active listening,” says Sarah Patrick, senior content strategist at Clutch, a company that identifies leading software and professional services firms. “It’s not only checking to see when people are tweeting at your company or messaging you on Facebook, but actively searching for people who are using terms that your business addresses or discussing your company without necessarily using your handle. It’s also a way for a company to seek out areas where they can improve their business or where they can attract new customers, and then taking the next steps by offering information of value.”