We are living in a social media world where our everyday lives are driven by social factors and big brands are using social media analytics/listening to understand behaviors that then guide everything from product development and manufacturing to marketing campaigns. But what’s the big picture?

Looking back to the early days of social media when Twitter, YouTube and others first launched the idea of large companies marketing on social media was viewed by many executives as another space mission where their butts were on the line, there’s no history of success by spending X on Y, and ultimately that was a risk many weren’t willing to take.

Fast-forward to today, all execs understand the power of social media marketing and now big brands are using social data in a wide variety of ways based on their specific needs along with what they’ve learned over the years.

As one example, now that the power of social media analytics (listening to conversations) has been validated over time, large companies throughout the world (Fortune 500s, etc.) are using social media to help predict what’s to come, what’s happening in the moment, and understand outcomes with more clarity.

That then ties into proactive marketing efforts – who are we targeting with this new campaign and what’s the best way to reach them in the most effective, cost-efficient way that will produce the highest conversions whether it’s online sales, newsletter subscriptions, a boost in engagement/followers for an influencer campaign, etc.

In a nutshell, big brands are using social media in a wide variety of ways and it’s exciting to see the power of social media today. We’ve spent the past 15 years guiding companies ranging from startups to Fortune 500s and look forward to what’s on the horizon.