When social media first emerged, it was seen by many traditional marketers as a fad or even a gimmick which would pass away. They would simply indulge in it to please the younger generation. However, it has now proven to be one of the key points within the field of digital marketing. There are over a billion people who are using social media, so for brands this presents a massive frontier to let go of. Such extensive usage also generates enormous amounts of data on which business analytics is being performed by specialized players such as Crimson Hexagon. Such analytics players have now become more intelligent to the point that the insights they present carry opinions than simply raw figures as was the trend during the pioneering era. Also, the analytics is getting democratized as the same analysis gets transmitted to all kinds of firms- big or small.

Source:http://www.forbes.com/sites/rogertrapp/2016/11/29/why-businesses-are-using-social-media-to-listen-to-their-customers/#1cb5a1935daa