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What are social mentions, and how to track them?

Social Media Marketing
Siddharth Dwivedi May 29, 2024

In the present times, social media is an essential component of our existence. From sharing unforgettable moments with loved ones to networking with professionals, social media platforms have revolutionized the way we communicate and connect with others. However, as businesses continue to leverage these platforms for marketing purposes, keeping track of what people are saying about your brand can be a daunting task. Social mentions may be positive or negative feedback from customers that you can’t afford to ignore if you want to build a devoted following and grow your business online. In this blog, we’ll dive deep into the world of social mentions – what they are, their importance in 2023, and how you can efficiently track them to improve your online presence! 

What are social mentions?

A social mention is any instance where your brand is mentioned on a social media platform. This could be in the form of a post, comment, review, or even a private message. Social mentions are essential because they give you an insight into how people feel about your brand and what kind of conversation is happening around it. 

They can also be used as a signal to help improve your marketing strategy. For example, if you see that there is a lot of negative sentiment around your brand on social media, you can take steps to address that. Alternatively, if you see that people are talking about a particular product or service in a positive way, you can use that as leverage to promote that item further. This can include:

• News articles

• Blog posts

• Forum discussions

• Ratings and reviews

Tracking social mentions can give you valuable insights into what people are saying about your company or brand. It can also help you identify any potential issues early on so you can address them before they cause serious damage.

Why are social mentions important?

It is even more critical for businesses to have a powerful Internet presence as we move further into an online era. This means not only having active social media accounts but also being mentioned by others online.

In a modern world where social media reigns supreme, it’s no secret that people love to talk about their favorite brands and products online. But have you ever taken a moment to consider how valuable those conversations can be? Social mentions are more than just idle chatter – they’re powerful indicators of brand sentiment, customer engagement, and marketing success. While social mentions may not always be positive, they are still extremely valuable as they give insight into how people perceive your brand and what kind of conversations are taking place about you online.

So why are social mentions so important? Here are five reasons:

1. Social mentions give valuable insights into how people perceive your brand.

2. Social mentions help you monitor and respond to potential customer complaints or issues.

3. Social mentions can generate leads and boost sales. 

4. Social mentions help to build brand awareness and create social proof for your business. 

5. Social mentions provide valuable insights into what people think about your brand and can help you identify areas for improvement. 

All in all, social mentions are important because they help improve your visibility and credibility. They also provide valuable insights into what people think of you and your brand, allowing you to make improvements that can positively affect your business.

How to track social mentions?

As the name suggests, social mentions are mentions of your brand or business on social media. These can take the form of @replies, hashtags, or simply mentions in posts or comments. 

The following points will help you to track your social mentions for your social media platforms –

Search Them Manually – It Gives Effective Results

There are a few different ways that you can go about searching for social media mentions of your brand or product. The first, and most simple, option is to do a basic search on the social media platform of your choice. For example, if you want to search for mentions of your brand on Twitter, you can simply head to the search bar on the site and type in your brand name. This will bring up any tweets that mention your brand, which you can then scroll through and read.

Setting Alerts for Mentions

There are a number of ways you can do this. One is to set up Google Alerts for your brand name and other relevant keywords. This will send you an email whenever there’s a new mention of your brand online.

Use Tracking Tools 

Another way to search for social media mentions is to use a dedicated mention tracking tool. These tools are designed to help you track all instances of your brand is mentioned online, across all social media platforms. This can be helpful if you want to get a more comprehensive view of how people are talking about your brand online. Some popular mention tracking tools include Mention and Talkwalker.

Use a search engine

Go to a search engine like Google, type in your keyword, and then scroll through the results. You can also use advanced search operators to narrow down your results. For example, if you only want to see results from Twitter, you can add the “site:twitter.com” operator to your query.

Letting Influencers Sail Your Boat 

Finally, you can also reach out to influencers and ask them to promote your brand or product on their social media channels. This is often done in exchange for some form of compensation, such as payment or free products/services. If you go this route, be sure to work with influencers who have audiences that align with your target market.

How to respond to your social mentions?

As a business, it’s important to monitor your social mentions so you can quickly respond to any questions, comments, or concerns your customers or clients may have. You can build strong relationships with your customers and create a positive brand image by responding promptly and efficiently.

In today’s age of social media, word-of-mouth is more powerful than ever before. If you’re not monitoring your social mentions, you could be missing out on valuable feedback and opportunities to engage with potential customers.

Here are some ways to respond to social mentions – 

Thank and Acknowledge All Responses

It’s important to be prompt when responding to social mentions. Within 24 hours is ideal. Acknowledge all responses, even if they’re negative. Thank those who take the time to share their thoughts with you. This will show your audience that you’re responsive and appreciate their feedback. 

No matter how they respond, thank and acknowledge all responses. This will help to show your audience that you are listening and value their feedback. It will also help to build trust with them, which is essential for any successful brand.

Show Appreciation for Positive Feedback

When you receive positive feedback on your social media posts, it’s important to show appreciation for the compliment. An undemanding “thank you” goes a long way in acknowledging the positive feedback and shows that you are humble and grateful for the support.

In addition to expressing “thank you,” you can also like or favorite the comment or post or share the content with your followers. By engaging with positive feedback, you’re not only showing appreciation, but you’re also increasing the visibility of the content and encouraging others to leave their own positive comments.

Address Negative Comments Quickly and Constructively

When you receive negative comments on social media, it’s essential to address them quickly and constructively. Here are a few possible ways to do so:

1. Acknowledge the comment and thank the person for their feedback.

2. Apologize if appropriate and take responsibility for any mistakes.

3. Explain what you’re doing to fix the problem or improve the situation.

4. Invite the person to reach out to you privately if they have further concerns.

5. Thank the person again for their feedback and let them know you’re always working to improve your business.

Use Automation Tools Where Appropriate

As someone who is a business owner or manager, you likely don’t have the time to constantly monitor your social media accounts for mentions of your brand. Luckily, there are plenty of automated tools that can help you do just that.

Mention is one such tool. It allows you to track all online mentions of your brand in real time, so you can quickly and efficiently respond to any negative feedback.

Another great option is Social Mention. This platform provides users with detailed insights into their online presence, including who’s talking about them, what’s being said, and where.

Both of these tools offer free and paid plans, so you can opt for the level of service that best fits your needs.

Take the Conversation Offline When Necessary

When responding to social media mentions, taking the conversation offline is sometimes necessary to resolve the issue. This can be done by sending a private message to the person who made the mention or by calling them on the phone. If the problem is not resolved after taking the conversation offline, then it may be necessary to take further action, such as contacting customer service or filing a complaint.

Put Across Follow-up Questions 

When you’re talking to someone, it’s important to keep the conversation going. One way of doing this is to ask follow-up questions. By asking a question about what the other person just said, you can keep the conversation going and learn more about the person, you’re talking to.

Here are some follow-up questions you can inquire about:

Can you tell me more about that?

Why do you feel that way?

What was your favorite part?

How did you get into that?

What do you think about X?

What was the best/worst part?

Conclusion

While there are multiple ways to help you monitor your social mentions, Vaizle provides you with numerous free tools that help you analyze your social media accounts and ensure that you receive positive benefits from them. It is crucial to comprehend how social media mentions work to get the most out of your online presence and ensure that you are reaching the right audience. Knowing how to track your own brand’s mentions can help you take charge of your online profile and maximize the potential for growing relationships with customers across multiple platforms. 

Creating more opportunities to engage with your customers through social mentions can be key to growth, building relationships, and captivating potential customers. With the correct tools and strategies, you can use social mentions to create powerful, lasting impressions both for current and potential customers. Whether you’re a blogger looking to build your personal brand or an e-commerce business using content marketing to reach a wider audience, understanding how to use social mentions is essential in leaving the most significant impact possible.

About the Author

Siddharth Dwivedi

Siddharth Dwivedi

Siddharth built two bootstrapped companies from the ground up: Vaizle and XOR Labs. He’s personally managed over Rs 100cr in ad budget across eCommerce, D2C, ed-tech, and health-tech segments. Apart from being a full-time marketer, he loves taking on the challenges of finance and operations. When not staring at his laptop, you’ll find him reading books or playing football on weekends.

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