In a study conducted by the global public relations firm, Edelman, trust was identified as important as quality and value in purchase decisions (1). Trust's rise to prominence in recent decades is due to the ease in which companies can drive sales online. This has resulted in a wide array of brands vying for the consumer dollar, both good and bad choices. As a result, consumers have grown more wary and savvy. Content is the knight in shining armour in digital marketing as brands compete to sow and nurture trust. In this post, we share how you can use social listening to improve your content marketing strategy. 1. Understand your target audience better Like all things inbound marketing, it begins by understanding your target audience better. Social listening is a great tool to this end. By reviewing and analysing reviews as well as comments posted, you can gain invaluable insights into the minds of your target audience that can be used to segment them. This, in turn, can be used to create content relevant to the different groups. 2. Deep dive into emerging trends The connected consumer is knowledgable, savvy and demanding. There are no barriers preventing them from discovering a greener pasture. They are a tap-and-swipe away from the hottest trend. When they've discovered one, the next step is to share. Tap into this reservoir of insights to shape your content. If you're able to mirror what's hot in their minds, you'll be able to demonstrate your keen understanding of what matters to your target audience. That's key to building a solid relationship. 3. Value of UGC in digital marketing In other words, user-generated content. They are a treasure chest of consumers thoughts and feelings of a brand or product. The comments they append to the images or videos are insightful and valuable. They can be used to shape your campaign or be used as opportunities to engage customers. When you've become adept at using social listening, the next step is to benchmark the quality of your content. A thorough market analysis will help you improve subsequent efforts. Connect here to learn more. (1) https://adage.com/article/digital/5-key-takeaways-2019-edelman-brand-trust-survey/2178646