Social listening tools have incredible marketing power! Whether you run a small business or an emerging brand, you can use social media listening to better understand your audience.
Through social listening, critical data becomes easier than ever to decode. This can reveal valuable insights to guide a stronger social media strategy alongside other marketing techniques and approaches. That is, social listening gives you a powerful peek at what your customers are saying about your brand online.
For many industry newcomers, the prospect of navigating social media listening tools can feel daunting but don’t panic. Here’s everything you need to know, plus ten user-friendly tools to get you started!
What Is Social Listening?
Social media listing is the key to unlocking major market insights. By tuning in to social conversations, you can monitor consumer patterns and social media analytics to inform business decisions.
By getting to know how online conversations are unfolding, you can enhance your understanding of your audience. What do users love about your brand, and what specific pieces of negative sentiment are being voiced online?
Social listening tools allow you to capture social and online data and use this information for a variety of purposes. What you learn might support new product development or a branding and customer outreach strategy, or it may influence your social media management style.
How Can Social Listening Help Businesses?
Social listening data has great value when it comes to helping businesses grow, both in terms of sales and in audience reach across the world’s major social media platforms.
When you track mentions of your brand, you can gain a better sense of what people really think of you. This can give you insight into understanding industry trends and audience needs. Insightful brand mentions may even provide information that helps you work to enhance your brand reputation.
Through social listening, you can also keep a close watch on audience demographics, learning more about who your brand appeals to. This can help you market in targeted ways that tailor your social media presence to foster social media engagement.
How To Use Social Listening Effectively
Knowing the data is just the beginning! You also need to learn how you can use social listening for the best results.
First, make sure that your strategy encompasses the major social networks. Working across a range of social media channels will provide you with more varied insights about your brand. It can also be helpful to follow key influencers and news sites in your niche.
Next, remove bias! When tracking conversations that centre your business, you need to conduct a thorough sentiment analysis. Both positive and negative mentions can help you learn what works well and what needs improvement.
Finally, turn what you learn into action. Use your knowledge of emerging trends or insights to inform your new marketing campaigns and fresh social media posts. Consider how you can curate your presence effectively across all social platforms.
10 Social Listening Tools For Small Businesses
Wondering where to begin when it comes to monitoring social media conversations and incorporating data within your marketing strategy? Begin your journey with these social media listening tools!
Tool 1: Brand24
Brand24 is a comprehensive online system capable of tracking mentions anywhere on the web! You can review data from social media, as well as news publications, video content, and even podcast episodes. Access sentiment analysis tools, and track trends all in one place.
Key Features:
- Rely on AI-powered multi-system mention tracking applications.
- Keep track of reach, engagement, and a variety of keywords.
- Easily generate detailed reports on PR and audience communications.
Pricing: From $79 to $399 per month
Best For: Conducting market research and accessing customer feedback.
Tool 2: Keyhole
Keyhole is a user-friendly data-tracking tool, capable of analyzing a range of profiles, mentions, influencers, campaigns, and more. You can review auto-generated graphs to identify trends, and you can rely on accurate comparisons against historical data.
Key Features:
- Track general brand details alongside specific campaigns.
- Monitor and analyze competitor details and performance.
- Compare current brand performance to past data insights.
Pricing: From $89 to $399 per month
Best For: Monitoring whole-brand activities and broader market details.
Tool 3: Talkwalker
Talkerwalker is a high-impact social listening tool with excellent tech functionalities. You can access and share diverse social data streams, in addition to monitoring for mentions of your brand. Plus, you can compare business against others in the market using reliable benchmarking tools.
Key Features:
- Access feedback analytics to better understand your audience.
- Track brand mentions and conversations across social media and media outlets.
- Compare your performance with social benchmarking functions.
Pricing: Price upon request.
Best For: Tracking your brand at scale and getting to know the competition.
Tool 4: Meltwater
Meltwater is a multi-functional social listening application, using AI to track consumer trends and convert insights for strategy development. The system offers sweeping media intelligence, as well as high-level analytics reports and sales intelligence tracking.
Key Features:
- Explore in-built, automated PR reporting functions.
- Access advanced social and general media insights.
- Combine social listening and sales data with ease.
Pricing: Price upon request.
Best For: Monitoring comprehensive brand insights for public relations use.
Tool 5: Digimind
Digimind is a user-friendly software tool with great tracking features for monitoring consumer behaviors and even identifying relevant influencers. The system incorporates key demographic data insights, allowing you to know your audience better than ever.
Key Features:
- Monitoring tools for assessing customer experience and journeys.
- In-built competitor analysis and risk mitigation tools.
- Native influencer identification and networking scope.
Pricing: Price upon request.
Best For: Obtaining a comprehensive overview of all relevant business growth data.
Tool 6: YouScan
YouScan is a leading social listening tool, making it possible to keep track of written and visual data alike. The platform measures more than just consumer opinions, also monitoring which elements people respond well to and which areas need improvement.
Key Features:
- Global tracking for audience conversations and sentiments.
- AI analysis to track image and video mentions alongside text occurrences.
- Coverage for 500 million daily data sources and over 500,000 media sources.
Pricing: From $299 per year
Best For: Learning how to improve sentiments among your consumer base.
Tool 7: Google Analytics
Google Analytics provides you with access to insights from the world’s biggest search engine. You can track new mentions of your brand anywhere online. This platform uses machine learning technology to help monitor website performance and how brand insights correspond to business success.
Key Features:
- Review user-friendly data presentations to easily identify trends and patterns.
- Access detailed analytics across your brand and the broader online community.
- Enjoy automatic integration with Google Search and other Google Suite offerings.
Pricing: From free
Best For: Monitoring the big picture of your business as a starting point for social listening.
Tool 8: Rival IQ
Rival IQ is home to advanced social data presented in easy-to-understand formats. The system allows you to keep track of competing brands and assess the impact of your own social media presence. Insights are designed to make action simple and straightforward.
Key Features:
- Conduct intuitive social media audits and competitive analysis.
- Download custom reports to curate data and enhance brand understanding.
- Set up notifications for access to on-demand analytics updates.
Pricing: From $239 to $559 per month
Best For: Developing an overview of your brand and its audience engagement performance.
Tool 9: Awario
Awario is a simple yet intuitive social listening tool designed to deliver important insights on demand. Using the platform, you can access detailed growth analytics across social performance and online mentions, as well as other key metrics.
Key Features:
- Analyze graphs and reporting details to map trends and patterns.
- Review in-context comments and conversations as needed.
- Rely on round-the-clock global mention monitoring software.
Pricing: From $75 to $549 per month
Best For: Evaluating changes to your brand’s reputation over time.
Tool 10: BuzzSumo
BuzzSumo is a social media monitoring platform offering a variety of insights and analysis tools. You can track online behaviors and identify influencers in your industry. You can research billions and articles using high-level indexation features.
Key Features:
- Rely on intuitive tracking automation controls.
- Access data-driven content discovery ideas.
- Research any time, anywhere with a simple Chrome extension.
Pricing: From $199 to $999 per month
Best For: Monitoring online data on the go across a wide range of platforms.
Your Social Listening Journey
Social listening tools empower creators like you to take control of your brand identity and leverage real insights for marketing success.
Ready to put your new social insights to good use? You need a great social media management platform! Sign up for a FREE 7-day trial of Plann, and explore our comprehensive social scheduling and done-for-you content creation features.
