AI-Led Social: Going from listening to interaction

Introduction

In this episode, Matthew McGrory, CEO and co-founder of Arwen.AI, explores how artificial intelligence is transforming social media management from passive monitoring to active engagement. With his extensive background in tech entrepreneurship and digital transformation, McGrory offers valuable insights into how brands can leverage AI to identify meaningful conversations, respond at scale, and build stronger customer relationships through social media interactions.

The Shift from Broadcasting to Conversation

Social media has evolved beyond being just a publishing platform. McGrory emphasizes that the real opportunity lies in engagement rather than simply pushing content: "What we are really seeing is brands are finally realizing that social media is about being social, about having conversations." Despite this opportunity, only 7% of top B2C brands are meaningfully engaging with their audiences on social platforms. This disco ect is significant, especially considering that 73% of users report they'll buy from a competitor if a brand doesn't respond immediately on social media.

Finding the Golden Needles in the Haystack

AI technologies are revolutionizing how brands identify relevant conversations. Using techniques like retrieval augmented generation (RAG), companies can now efficiently scan social platforms for buying signals and engagement opportunities. McGrory explains that brands need to understand which conversations matter most to their business objectives, whether those are product inquiries, positive brand mentions, or specific customer questions. AI helps filter through the noise to find these "golden needles" in the haystack of social media comments, allowing marketers to focus their attention where it matters most.

Personalized Engagement at Scale

One of AI's most powerful applications in social media is enabling personalized interactions at scale. By combining a brand's existing content (guidelines, FAQs, customer service scripts) with large language models, companies can generate responses that are both factually accurate and tonally consistent with their brand voice. This approach allows social media managers to have 80% of response content created for them, which they can then review and customize before posting. The result is more efficient engagement without sacrificing the human touch that customers expect.

Managing Brand Reputation

McGrory makes an important distinction between criticism and toxicity when managing negative content. He recommends that brands establish clear community policies about acceptable conversations on their cha els. While toxic content (abuse, unsafe material) can be removed, criticism should be addressed with empathy. "You should accept the criticism, have empathy for the client's experience with your brand or with your product or with your service," McGrory advises. He shares how dating app Hinge improved their App Store rating by 0.9 points simply by responding to reviews with empathy, demonstrating the tangible business impact of engagement.

Amplifying Positive Engagement

Creating a positive social environment is similar to Patrick Swayze's role in "Roadhouse" – removing troublemakers to create a welcoming atmosphere where positive interactions can flourish. McGrory notes that social platforms like Meta are now algorithmically promoting positive content, contrary to the old belief that controversial content drives engagement. By using AI to identify and amplify positive interactions while filtering out negative ones, brands can create virtuous cycles of engagement that benefit both their community and their visibility on platforms.

Key Takeaways

AI is transforming social media from a broadcasting cha el to an interactive engagement platform. By implementing AI-powered listening tools, brands can identify relevant conversations, respond with personalized messages at scale, and create positive environments that foster meaningful customer relationships. While human oversight remains essential, particularly for nuanced situations, AI tools can dramatically increase efficiency and effectiveness in social media management. For marketing professionals, the message is clear: social media success increasingly depends not just on what you post, but how well you listen and respond.