Social media has become an integral part of our daily lives, and there's no exception for senior living communities. With more seniors embracing social media, senior living communities must leverage these platforms to connect with their residents and potential residents. Social media monitoring can be a powerful tool for senior living communities to boost engagement and create a sense of community online.
In this article, we will explore how social media monitoring can help senior living communities stay up-to-date with their residents, respond to feedback, connect with potential residents, and share engaging content.
What Is Social Media Monitoring?
Social media monitoring is tracking social media platforms to monitor and analyze what people say about a particular brand, product, or topic. In the case of a senior living community, social media monitoring involves tracking social media platforms to monitor conversations and discussions about the community, its services, and its reputation.
Social media monitoring typically involves using tools and software to track social media platforms and gather data on mentions, keywords, hashtags, and other relevant information. The collected data is then analyzed to gain insights into the sentiment, trends, and opinions of the community and potential residents.
The information gathered through social media monitoring can inform a community's marketing and communication strategies, identify areas for improvement, and engage with residents and potential residents. It can also help communities to respond quickly to any negative feedback or concerns raised on social media platforms.
How Does Social Media Monitoring Differ from Social Media Listening?
Social media monitoring and social media listening are two related but distinct practices. While both involve monitoring social media platforms, their scope and focus differ. Social media monitoring focuses on tracking specific information, with the primary objective being to gather data and insights on the sentiment, trends, and opinions related to that topic.
On the other hand, social media listening is a broader and more holistic approach to monitoring social media platforms. It involves tracking conversations, topics, and trends beyond specific keywords or mentions to gain a deeper understanding of the overall mood and attitudes of the audience. Social media listening focuses on identifying patterns, themes, and emerging issues in conversations on social media platforms.
How Social Media Listening Increases Engagement on Social Media Channels
Social media listening can help senior living communities increase engagement on social media channels by providing valuable insights into their audience's needs, interests, and concerns. By leveraging this information, communities can create more relevant and engaging content, build stronger relationships with their audience, and improve their reputation online. Social media listening yields significant benefits for senior living communities, such as:
Proactive Engagement
By monitoring social media platforms, senior living communities can identify when residents or potential residents are mentioning or engaging with the community. This presents an opportunity to respond in a timely and personalized manner, which can improve the community's reputation and build trust with its audience.
Improved Content
Social media listening can provide insights into content that resonates with the community's audience. By analyzing the engagement rates and sentiment of the community's posts, the community can adjust its content strategy better to meet the needs and interests of its audience.
Addressing Concerns
Social media listening can also help communities identify and address concerns from residents or potential residents. By responding quickly and transparently to concerns, the community can demonstrate its commitment to providing high-quality service and improve its reputation online.
Building Relationships
Social media listening allows communities to proactively engage with their audience, building relationships and fostering a sense of community online. This can lead to increased engagement and social sharing, which can help expand the community's reach and attract new residents.
Best Social Media Monitoring Tools
Hootsuite
Hootsuite is a widely-used social media management tool that includes social media monitoring capabilities. With Hootsuite, users can track mentions, keywords, hashtags, and other relevant data across multiple social media platforms, including Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram. The platform also allows users to schedule and publish social media posts, engage with followers, and measure the success of their social media campaigns.
Brandwatch
Brandwatch is a comprehensive social media listening and analytics tool that allows users to track and analyze conversations and mentions across various social media platforms. It includes features like sentiment analysis, trend analysis, and competitive benchmarking. With Brandwatch, users can gain valuable insights into their audience's needs, preferences, and concerns, which can inform content strategy and improve engagement.
Mention
Mention is a real-time social media monitoring tool that allows users to track mentions, keywords, and hashtags across various social media platforms. It also includes sentiment analysis and social media analytics capabilities. With Mention, users can quickly identify and address any negative comments or concerns, helping to protect their brand's reputation.
Sprout Social
Sprout Social is a management and monitoring tool that includes monitoring keywords and hashtags, tracking mentions and conversations, and analyzing social media performance. It supports social media platforms like Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram. With Sprout Social, users can schedule and publish social media content, engage with their audience, and measure the success of their social media campaigns.
Talkwalker
Talkwalker is a social media analytics and monitoring tool with features like sentiment analysis, trend analysis, and influencer tracking. It allows users to track mentions and conversations across various social media platforms and includes advanced analytics capabilities. With Talkwalker, users can gain insights into their audience's needs and preferences, monitor their brand's reputation, and measure the success of their social media campaigns.
Conclusion
Social media monitoring (especially listening) is a powerful tool that can help senior living communities boost engagement on social media channels. By staying connected with residents, responding to feedback, connecting with potential residents, and sharing engaging content, communities can build a positive reputation online and strengthen relationships with residents.
For insight into social and other digital marketing strategies for your community, download our Senior Living lead gen ebook and take the first step towards increasing engagement in your senior living community!
