“Social media monitoring is a critical part of tracking your share of voice in a crowded online space, and drives better campaign planning by knowing where your customers are, and what they’re talking about,” explains Joe Hamman, Novus Group founder.
Research by the local media monitoring company shows that in South Africa, Facebook and Instagram are still the best platforms for broader community building, but TikTok is key to reaching Gen Z audiences.
The company has seen a surge in demand for social media monitoring services as a growing number of South African brands look to understand how their customers talk about brand experiences across a range of channels and media, including Facebook, Twitter, TikTok and Instagram.
“Monitoring your brand health on social media taps directly into how your customer thinks, what excites them and why they love you – or don’t," says Hamman.
It’s estimated that around 30 million South Africans are actively using social media platforms, with LinkedIn, Twitter, and TikTok growing the fastest at the moment.
“Social media monitoring is the best way to find out what people are saying about a brand, whether you’re flighting a new ad or rolling out new marketing campaigns.
“It’s not a box-ticking exercise, but a strategic intervention that brings with it invaluable insights into market sentiment. This all happens in real-time, so organisations and their agencies can quickly see whether a campaign is working or needs to be adjusted,” explains Hamman.
Hashtags, keywords, and handles allow brands to easily track social media channels and obtain invaluable insights about their customers.
“In recent months, we have seen a steady increase in requests for social media monitoring, particularly for TikTok," says Hamman.
“Brands also want to see how their customer service experience plays out in the social media space, especially when it comes to customers engaging with agents,” adds Hamman.
