Market intelligence is defined as the gathering of information surrounding a brand's environment. In relation to social listening, market intelligence is the specific collection of data from social media and external web sources to drive business analytics around market opportunity, customer voices, and emerging trends. By monitoring extensively from a wide range of sources across the online landscape, businesses are able to aggregate rich troves of consumer and competitive data holistically.
Using the data gathered, businesses can glean insights into audience personas, trends, competitors, as well as evaluate underlying threats and opportunities to have a strategic overview over various business operations and products. It is essential to regularly touch base with stakeholders directly on the developments happening in and around one's environment by having a pulse on consumer perception, revealing industry gaps that otherwise go unnoticed by competitors.