What is your job title? How do you use social listening in your work?
I’m the founder of Listen and Learn Research the social insight agency. We transform social data into insight that drives brand growth, customer acquisition and market innovation.
What’s your background? How did you get into social listening?
I was in traditional market research for 10 years or so before the promise of social data became too hard to ignore! To me, it felt obvious that the conversations people were having on social offered an amazing opportunity to do what other research methods couldn’t.
And, at the time, traditional market research didn’t have an answer for social. It was just a case of, “Let’s survey people about how they use FaceBook”. Which to me, totally missed the point.
So, I started Listen and Learn Research to tackle this challenge. Our vision was never about measurement, it was always about using social data to uncover new human truth. Truths that provide insight into consumer behaviour and how organizations can better serve them.
What’s been the project you’ve been most proud to work on?
I’ll always remember this project we did for a leading cancer support charity. It’s memorable for a number of reasons.
It was their first foray into working with social data. It gave them access and insight into an otherwise impossible moment (the point of a cancer diagnosis). It helped them realise the power and potential of their own community. And the insights supported work across a wide range of stakeholders, from Strategy to Digital Marketing, and PR to comms.
It’s still being used today, several years after the final debrief.
What’s the biggest misconception about your work?
This might not make me many friends in the vendor community, but Social Listening has been mis-sold to the research and insights community. They know what real insights are, and Social Listening is rarely insightful straight off the bat.
This has left a lot of insight professionals (who have had their fingers burnt) turning away from social.
So, we’re constantly working to educate and re-energise the community about the power and potential of social data to help expand how they see the world.
We’re working to challenge the misconception that social is only about measurement and that it has a valid and crucial role in understanding today’s consumer.
Any nightmare clients? Why? (No names)
No! Every project is a journey and it’s our job to help people new to social to understand what it can do and what it can’t.
Is there anything that you’re doing with social data that you don’t see others doing? Any missed opportunities?
I think one of the most powerful aspects of social media today is the role it plays in shaping awareness, intent and category behaviours.
And particularly the whole social ecosystem - from text to video and back again.
We’re working hard in this space helping brands understand how communities form on social and how this can help them understand new routes to market.
Who has made a lasting impression on you? Any SI heroes?
Not wanting to sound too sycophantic, but Dr Jill at SIL. It’s a thankless task trying to co-ordinate and emerging field, but her passion and commitment to making it happen are a true inspiration.
My everyday heroes are the people putting content out there, commenting, engaging in the discussion. Without them and their passion, there is no social.
And a big shout out to Matthew Duncan at Colorado Uni. Love the passion he has for teaching his students about the world of social.
How do you think the social intelligence industry will evolve in the next few years?
AI will have an obvious impact, but I’d like to see its accountability and provability develop alongside its reach and speed. We’re excited about how it can help expand and optimise different workflows across the insight generation process.
Then I’d love to see…
…Facebook open back up.
…Better location-specific data across the board, and
…Social Listening and Insight teams working much closer together
Get Social with SILab
