What is your job title? How do you use social listening in your work?
I am an Insight Executive at giffgaff, which is part of the Virgin Media O2 family in the UK. My role encompasses working with social intelligence and behavioral science within the company. Primarily, I utilise social intelligence for desk-based research, with a particular emphasis on product innovation, competitor analysis and identifying emerging trends.
What attracted you to social listening?
I found my way to social listening quite by chance. My main interest was in behavioral science, but my manager suggested exploring social intelligence as a potential career booste, highlighting its relevance and future potential in market research. This mix of analysing human behavior through social trends has proven to be not just insightful but also quite exciting.
What’s the hardest thing you have learned or challenge you’ve overcome? How did you do it?
Navigating the massive sea of unstructured data to find structure was a huge challenge at first. But, thanks to the magic of AI's evolving tech, it became a lot more manageable. Also, it turns out, getting the hang of picking the right datasets kinda comes with the territory. The more you dive in, the better you get. It's all about getting your hands dirty and really getting to grips with what you're working with. Pretty cool how experience shapes you like that.
What’s your career highlight to date?
Starting my journey in market research less than two years ago, the highlight has undoubtedly been making it onto the 50 Insider 2024 list. This achievement feels like a massive win, especially considering the effort I've dedicated to learning social intelligence this past year.
What key skills you need to get started in social listening?
To dive into social listening, I believe you need a researcher's eye—keen and curious, always ready to dig deeper. The excitement to uncover what's hidden beneath a large pile of data is crucial. It's about having the patience and determination to sift through information and find the insights that matter.
Is working in social listening what you expected?
Working in social listening turned out to be quite the unexpected journey, but it's been fascinating so far. As I mentioned, my entry into this field was by chance, yet the experience has been incredibly rewarding. What excites me the most is integrating behavioral science experimental methods into the analysis part. This fusion approach keeps me engaged and continuously eager to explore more.
Is there anyone in the industry you look up to?
Certainly, Jillian Ney stands out as an industry leader I greatly admire. Her dedication to establishing a strong foundation and standards for the field and elevating it to a professional level is truly commendable. I'm eager to have the opportunity to collaborate with her more in the future and continue learning from her expertise.
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