Small businesses may feel like social media monitoring is a job for larger brands. While online audiences may discuss national news, some critics suggest they won’t share their opinions on local companies. Not only is this not true, a new feature on a popular site may provide Microsoft Dynamics CRM social listening users with better social media feedback.

Facebook’s new feature
The social site, Facebook, is one of the most popular forms of new media. Many companies use the platform to speak with customers and post information about products and services. Now, Facebook users can quickly tell brands exactly what they think of statuses and other content.

CNN Money reported Facebook added different emoticons to its typical audience toolbar. Before, a user just had the option to like or share a status. With the new features, however, a Facebook audience member can click a button to indicate if content made them happy, sad or angry. This may seem like minor change, but it could provide valuable insight for small businesses instead of silence.

Without these new features, customers on Facebook could either like a status or ignore it. Now, small businesses can see if news on discounts or products promotes negative emotions rather than just indifference.

When small businesses use a tool like Social Listening through Microsoft Dynamics CRM, they can monitor social sites for mentions of specific keywords. They can track their most active users and keep an eye on competition. As social platforms introduce new tools that encourage consumers to speak up, companies can drill down into their monitoring activities to learn more about what customers want or dislike.

Social media solutions for every organization
While users may not talk about small businesses as often as major brands on social media, what they say could be invaluable. Business 2 Community said local consumers often take to online platforms to vent frustrations about particular services, recommend businesses to contacts, ask questions on company pages and write reviews of products.

All organizations need to be on a multitude of social sites if they want to appeal to modern audiences and give them a platform for easy recommendations. Small Business Trends said referrals are still the primary way local companies find new clients. Using social sites, companies can create content that’s fun to share, track community interest in marketing and offerings and listen to what audiences say about a business to the public.

Using Microsoft Dynamics CRM with Social Listening allows a company to track different social platforms and compare the data from each channel. It makes each site a visible part of marketing and sales and helps companies look out for changes. Business Insider reported Facebook – while still one of the top-performing social sites – has begun to lose ground to image- and video-based options. This new emoticon feature may be a move to regain users, and small businesses should expect more adjustments as popular channels fight for audiences.

The new Facebook feature is a change that can benefit small businesses. Organizations should speak with a CRM consultant to learn how Social Listening can help with similar opportunities.