How social media listening can keep you out of trouble?

There is saying that ‘Unplanned moments are always better than planned ones’.
Do you really think so?
Brands with online presence who have just suffered a social media crisis would definitely not agree on this.
Let’s say its 2:00 AM in your local time zone and you are snoring away in your dreamland. Meanwhile, an unhappy customer has posted very fiery negative comments on your Twitter page with a viral hashtag which has started trending; to add to this an influential blogger has picked up on the topic and featured you on their column.
By the time you brush and sip your morning coffee you realize you have already become a celebrity on social media with all kinds of negative talks about your brand. You are in shock as to how and why this happened and wished you could roll back time and make things better.
Social media is huge, it’s a broadcast- and nothing remains private. Once something goes online, there is a high potential for it to get amplified.

The good news is just as you leverage the good feedback and reviews from social media, you can very well advert a critical situation or a social media fire from spreading if you deal with it in a well-planned manner. You will have this power if you use an appropriate social media listening tool for your business. A typical tool is something that lets you listen to online conversations of your choice and your needs.
Here are 5 ways how a social media listening tool will keep you away from trouble:
1. Keep you aware: With social media listening you will you be able to track conversations and see trends. You will be aware of what people are talking about you and keep a check on the buzz and the sentiments associated with them.
2. Keep you prepared: Since you will be informed about the trends, you will be able to foresee a probable crisis and prepare for a handling mechanism in advance. This is more like an early warning system which lets you work on potential issues before they escalate.
3. Reduces response time: When you are aware of a probable crisis, you can look for specific queries and keywords and even monitor users and respond to them at the earliest and reduce the risk of viral spread.
4. Assign alerts: This is probably one of the most important aspects of any social media listeningtool. A good one will let you set up alerts for your desired queries or concerns. This ensures your immediate attention to the situation.
5. Eliminate bad rumors: There are tons of your competitors or individuals who are on the constant run to damage your brand reputation. There could be several misinformation and gossip being constructed to tarnish your name. Using a social media listening tool you will be able to identify them and deal with them on time.