Brands that don’t use social media monitoring tools don’t see the entire picture of opinions. They interact with the feedback that users leave in comments under community posts, while other messages go unanswered.

Automation makes it possible to collect all comments with mentions in one place. On the market, there are many tools to monitor mentions, and each has its own features. Companies just need to choose one or more services and quickly respond to comments that require a response.

1. What Is a Social Media Monitoring Tool and How Does It Work?

Monitoring social media is a priority for companies that care about their reputation on the Internet. Every time users express a positive or negative opinion, a brand representative has to read it.

People are used to the fact that they can add a post on a social media page and the company will publicly respond in comments. Social media is one of the main channels of communication between the audience and the brand. 

A social media monitoring tool allows managing the reputation and following trends in the digital world. It collects all the opinions that users leave on social media and sends notifications. 

A company representative can track comments in the interface of the tool and respond to them promptly. Platforms for monitoring mentions not only find comments but also categorize them by tone, identify trends, and create convenient reports. 

The possibilities of services are not limited to finding text with company names. Some platforms can recognize logos and determine whether they belong to a specific company. This improves the accuracy of opinion retrieval. 

For brands that promote in one or more regions, geotags will be useful. They allow narrowing down the monitoring of comments to a selected country. 

2. Top 10 Social Media Monitoring Software

Social media monitoring software is one of the most important tools for every company that promotes its brand on social media. It is important to always be aware of users’ attitudes towards products or services and respond quickly to negative comments. 

There are a lot of tools for monitoring mentions; so, it’s hard to make a choice. The core of all platforms is the same, but the key features can differ greatly, as well as the cost of tariff plans.

Before choosing a service, it is necessary to define the key goals that the brand will achieve with the help of monitoring. If a search campaign is set up to analyze reach and attract leads through marketing, standard features will be enough. 

Larger companies will need advanced tools. For example, some services are able to recognize not only logos but also texts on images, while others can decipher videos and identify mentions in podcasts.

Agorapulse

One of the most popular social media trackers. The product includes several modules, each of which performs its tasks. The service is positioned as a tool to deal with social media chaos. 

The main features are:

• listening to conversations on all popular social media;
• prompt response to negative comments;
• creation of multiple search queries;
• competitor tracking;
• collecting mentions in a single inbox;
• exporting reports in PDF and CSV. 

Agorapulse offers integration with more than 20 social networks. Subscription plans range in price from $79 to $159. The most expensive plan allows adding no more than 4 users.

Awario

This media monitoring software is known for sending out almost instant notifications of new publications with brand mentions. This allows the company to always be aware of trends. 

Main features:

• monitoring popular social media;
• monitoring forums, news media, and the entire Internet;
• daily analysis of 13 billion pages;
• handling of several queries at a time;
• competitor monitoring;
• responses to comments in the service;
• search for opinion leaders;
• filter by language and region.

Awario offers a 7-day trial period and 3 subscription plans ranging from $24 to $299 per month. 

Hootsuite

The service offers a large number of social media tools. One of them allows tracking brand mentions. The platform is great for companies that haven’t focused on monitoring social media before.

Main features:

• notifications about social media mentions;
• setup of notification threads;
• real-time display of activity metrics;
• connection of several profiles on social media;
• integration with social media listening services;
• team access.

Hootsuite offers a 30-day free trial after entering credit card data. Plans range in price from $19 to $599 per month. Subscriptions differ in the number of social accounts available and team member profiles connected. 

Keyhole

The service can track mentions by keywords, hashtags, and users on multiple social media platforms. Monitoring is performed in real-time; so, the company receives prompt notifications. 

Main features:

• determining the number of users mentioning the company;
• search for opinion leaders;
• defining trending topics;
• determining the mood of the target audience;
• detailed reports;
• data export to PDF and Excel.

Keyhole offers clients a 7-day free trial period. The cost of tariff plans is defined individually after discussion with the service managers.

Falcon

One of the best social media monitoring tools, which provides a wide range of social media opportunities. Not only can it find mentions but also create pending posts and collect information about the audience.

Main features:

• tracking mentions by keywords;
• searching for information in real-time;
• determining the tone of comments;
• analysis of audience activity bursts;
• multi-language support.

Falcon does not provide a trial period, but you can get a customized demo after filling out the form. The minimum monthly subscription price is $108. 

BrandMentions

The platform covers all channels where the target audience may be present. Its capabilities aren’t limited to social media tracking; so, data analysis will be in-depth. 

Main features:

• brand information monitoring;
• tracking mentions;
• determining trends in the niche;
• real-time analytics;
• identification of crises and tone of comments;
• analysis of news media, forums, and other sources. 

BrandMentions offers clients a 7-day trial period. The cost of subscription plans ranges from $99 to $499. They differ in the number of available projects and the volume of requests for monitoring.

Brand24

This social media monitoring tool tracks content for queries that a user has specified in a personal account. Like most competitors, it collects information not only on social media but also on other sites.

Main features:

• integration with popular social media;
• search for information in news articles, videos, podcasts, forums, and blogs;
• determination of users’ mood by the tone of comments;
• automatic reports;
• analysis of important metrics.

Brand24 gives clients a 14-day trial period. Subscriptions range in price from $49 to $299. They differ in the number of users connected and the number of available mentions per month. 

SproutSocial

A comprehensive social media marketing service that gives you the ability to not only listen to users’ opinions but also track their interactions with the brand. 

Main features:

• integration with popular social media platforms;
• obtaining valuable information about the brand;
• identification of trends;
• competitor monitoring;
• informative reports with important indicators.

SproutSocial offers clients a 30-day trial period. The cost of subscription plans ranges from $89 to $249. Subscriptions differ in the tools available and the number of connected profiles. 

BuzzSumo

A popular media monitoring tool that helps you find ideas for content. It analyzes a lot of data on social media and displays trending topics. 

Main features:

• social media listening
• tracking niche updates
• competitor monitoring
• tracking product reviews
• searching for opinion leaders

BuzzSumo offers new users a 30-day trial period. Subscription plans range in price from $99 to $299. They differ in the number of user profiles available, the amount of historical data, and other features. 

Zoho Social

The service provides not only a tool for monitoring mentions on social networks but also other useful modules for automated posting, content analysis, and other tasks.

Main features:

• tracking mentions, reviews
• real-time responses
• team access
• brand performance analysis on social media
• integration with popular social media

Zoho Social offers customers a 15-day trial period. After the trial is over, a subscription must be purchased at a cost of 10 to 40 euros. For agencies, the price of the plan goes up to 230-330 Euros.

3. How to Choose the Best Media Monitoring Tool?

To choose a service that will be used on a permanent basis, it is necessary to determine the goals. If it is important to monitor competitors, you need to choose a platform capable of tracking multiple brands. 

It’s also worth considering the cost of the subscription. The price of a subscription plan in some services reaches several hundred dollars, and restrictions on the number of mentions make it necessary to choose a more expensive subscription. 

3.1. Managing media lists

Some services allow not only tracking mentions on social networks but also monitoring mentions in news publications. If a site has published an article with negative connotations, you can contact the representative and try to resolve the issue.

In such cases, platforms that provide media contacts will be useful. A company manager can quickly get in touch and provide information on the story or negotiate the release of a new article.

3.2. Distribution of press releases

Press releases remain one of the main ways of informing audiences about company news. They can be distributed on special platforms and emailed to publications that regularly prepare materials about brands in a particular niche. 

If the content is distributed via email, a tool for tracking email chains and automating mailings comes in handy. A marketer or manager can quickly send press releases to all users who have subscribed to newsletters.

3.3. Regular media coverage notifications

Companies need to follow not only opinions on social media. If they are well known in their niche, core publications can release articles on a regular basis. And to some of them, it will be necessary to respond promptly.

That is why you should not only use tools for searching for brand mentions on social networks. For example, Awario gathers data not only on Facebook but all over the Internet. This ensures maximum coverage.

3.4. Online monitoring

News monitoring allows a brand to always stay informed about trends. If one user writes an article with negative connotations and others support it, the company needs to address the case as quickly as possible. 

Some services monitor news articles and send notifications if a media filter is set up. At the beginning of brand development, it is not necessary to monitor news media, but as brand awareness grows, this may become relevant. 

3.5. Monitoring print media

Print publications are still in demand; so, in some cases, it makes sense to monitor them and analyze the context of mentions. But it is not always possible to look through newspapers and magazines manually. 

VEE Technologies offers VEE Track, a monitoring system that can track print media. You can use the product or find similar ones if necessary.

3.6. Broadcast monitoring

In addition to textual mentions, it makes sense for a company to monitor other types of mentions. Users can talk about companies in YouTube videos or podcasts on Spotify. 

Brand24 lets you monitor podcasts and videos. Identifying mentions in audio content can be useful when a brand has reached a certain level of awareness. 

3.7. Social media monitoring

Monitoring social media is the most common task for companies that actively promote themselves online and attract new customers. There are many services on the market with approximately the same capabilities; so, it remains to make the right choice. 

Social media monitoring platforms are constantly evolving and provide clients with new tools to build relationships with the target audience. 

3.8. Measuring social media metrics

All media monitoring services provide reports, but they are not always presented in a convenient format. Therefore, it is worth checking the quality of reports before purchasing a subscription.

Analytics helps you to always be aware of the situation. Managers can generate reports for executives in a few clicks, and business owners will receive data in an easy-to-view format. 

4. Why Is It Important to Monitor Your Business?

Some companies neglect monitoring user mood on social media, and every negative review affects brand reputation. You need to monitor the situation from the first days of company operation to keep the situation under control. 

Brand reputation is formed of a large number of factors, and even one negative case can cause a drop in demand for goods. If the company has money to pay for the services of a specialist, it is necessary to charge the latter with regular monitoring of social media.

4.1. Managing your brand reputation

Monitoring tools allow you to manage brand reputation. Users love it when companies quickly respond to comments or reply in private messages. That’s why it’s important to respond quickly to any posts that require interaction. 

The advantage of the services is that they accurately identify the tone of content and send notifications when brand representatives need to respond to negative content. 

4.2. Competitor monitoring

Competitor strategy can provide a lot of useful information. If a company knows the key players in the market and wants to understand how they promote themselves on social media platforms, social media monitoring tools can help solve the problem.  

If competitors make mistakes, you can take advantage of this and get «brand advocates» with smart marketing. Users often arrange company battles on social media to see who reacts more quickly to comments and use their services or products. 

4.3. Finding new business opportunities

Social media is not only entertainment content but also a large product catalog. Consumers often use them to contact a seller and clarify details in personal messages. 

Tracking mentions, competitor analysis, and other methods help find new business opportunities. If a company is increasing its online presence, it needs to monitor the activity of the target audience. 

4.4. Understanding trends and your customers

It’s important to not just monitor reviews or mentions but be aware of trends. Situational marketing allows increasing the number of active customers with minimal effort, but you need to stay up to date to do this. 

A social media mentions monitoring tool allows you to find out the needs of potential and existing customers. Many of them do not want to leave feedback on the site but often share their experiences in their personal profiles. 

5. Why Use Media Monitoring Tools?

Tracking mentions is key to understanding audience concerns. If they’re unhappy with the delivery or want the order processing time to be minimal, the company may not find out about it right away. 

Dealing with negative reviews on social media is important, as is tracking general trends. If a brand actively develops communities but does not pay attention to working with the audience outside of their sites, some negative comments may go unanswered.

Media monitoring tools help with more than just tracking mentions. They have wider features, and, most importantly, they help save a lot of time on routine tasks. Marketers will get convenient analytics, and SMM specialists will be able to handle requests in one interface. 

6. What Can Media Monitoring Software Help You with?

Platforms for monitoring brand reputation on social media help to solve different tasks. It all depends on the company’s development level and online presence. 

A list of standard tasks:

• identifying key issues in the promotion strategy
• understanding the needs of the target audience
• analysis of competitor strategies
• searching for ideas for situational marketing
• quick problem solving during a PR crisis
• searching for opinion leaders

Some platforms provide a large number of useful tools for social media marketing, and the range of their features is not limited to monitoring mentions. Therefore, even for $50-100, you can save a lot of money and time on automating routine work. 

It’s important for new brands to promote themselves online right away. You can use guest posting to tell about the company’s philosophy, key features, and products. Storytelling is great for attracting the attention of your target audience.

The best selection of sites for guest posting is available on the PRPosting exchange. More than 44,000 sites, a money-back guarantee, and the opportunity to order content from professional writers. 

7. Conclusion

Working with social media for business implies not only attracting new customers but also tracking the mood of the users who have not become customers. 

The main advantage of services is that they offer free tools to find mentions on social media for small companies or a trial period. You can use the platform until the end of the trial and then buy a subscription plan or find another service. 

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